Marijuana protects liver from alcohol? This might be the best thing you will ready today because it might be able to save your liver!
The health risks of drinking excessively are becoming more apparent every day.
Overdoing the recommended daily limit consisting of one drink per woman and 2 drinks each for males is linked to an increased risk of stroke, high blood pressure and a variety of cancers, including liver cancer.
Researchers recently sought to determine the consequences of regular alcohol and cannabis use on the liver.
While it’s probably not an ideal idea to mix with intoxicants, new research has shown that drinking both cannabis and alcohol regularly can have unintended consequences for your health. Still concerned if Marijuana Protects Liver from Alcohol? Read more to find out.
The liver and cannabis
A study byTrusted Source in 2018 examined the health of 320,000 people who had a history of drinking alcohol and cannabis to determine what impact the use of both of these substances could have on the health of their livers. The results were unexpected.
The Dr. Terence Bukong of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the INRS-Institut Armand Frappier Research Centre, told Healthline: “The primary aim of our study was to assess the impact of cannabis use and the development of alcoholic liver disease.”
“Given that no clinical studies had previously evaluated the impact of cannabis use and the development of progressive stages of alcoholic liver disease in humans, we thought that this was an important research area which needed urgent investigation,” said Dr. A.
Alcohol triggers inflammation
Doctor. Hardeep Singh, gastroenterologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, told Healthline, “Alcohol increases fibrosis in the liver. It causes a direct and harmful effect on liver cells, causing the cells to become inflamed. This results in scarring of the liver. Advanced in the form of liver scarring is called cirrhosis.”
He said that the result was highly individual as some individuals were hurt because of a lower intake of alcohol than other people.
However, Bukong and his team discovered that regular drinkers of marijuana and alcohol significantly decreased the risk of developing alcoholic liver diseases (ALD) and the most heavy cannabis users benefited the most. Still concerned if Marijuana Protects Liver from Alcohol? Read more to find out.
What can cannabis do to help to prevent ALD?
The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis have been well documented. Previous research byTrusted Source had discovered that the cannabinoid receptors found in the liver could be targets for new methods to treat liver diseases.
Inducing these receptors through cannabis decreases inflammation that occurs early in ALD and can slow the development to the disease.
In contrast, Bukong cautioned, “Our research could not determine the strains of cannabis utilized. Therefore, we were unable to determine the amount of cannabinoid in what the individuals consumed. We were also unable to determine the dose or methods of consumption, though the most likely route is smoking.”
Singh stated, “However, some of the scarring disappears when the liver’s healthy cells regenerate and cirrhosis may improve when a person stop drinking. But, some scarring might be left.”
The potential for marijuana-based treatment options that are new
“My research group is currently working to discover which cannabinoids or cannabinoid formulations will provide the best therapeutic benefits for specific liver diseases,” Bukong explained.
The properties that are anti-inflammatory are already being utilized to treat pain and colitis (inflammation of the colon) and MS, and arthritis.
“Our findings revealed that cannabis users were less likely to develop alcoholic liver disease, and cannabis-dependent individuals were the least likely individuals to develop alcoholic liver disease,” Bukong said. Bukong.
He is confident that “specific formulas of cannabinoids could soon be utilized to stop or treat liver diseases. My research group is researching important cannabis-based formulations, which we hope to be drugs for further testing for the prevention and treatment of liver disease caused by metabolic, inflammatory as well as viral reasons.”
Cannabis isn’t a panacea
Dr. Singh cautioned that one liver disease called hepatitis is made more severe by cannabis.
“Patients suffering from Hepatitis C who used cannabis suffered significantly more liver scarring than those who did not and a greater progression of their liver diseases. The cannabis may actually be causing an increase in the risk of developing fibrosis and fatty-liver disease,” he said.
Singh suggests that some people are sensitive to cannabis, which affects the likelihood that they will benefit from cannabis or not. “You can’t just tell the public marijuana is good for your liver, because there may also be people whose liver is harmed by it.”
The treatment currently available is, in a limited number of cases, comprises of “a short course of a steroid drug called prednisolone, for about eight weeks, which can help combat the effects of alcohol on the liver.”
He said that in patients with the disease of fatty liver drinking 2 to 3 cups of black coffee a every day has helped to heal scarring on the liver. However, it’s not clear which component in coffee has the health benefits.
Cannabis isn’t able to help treat alcohol dependence
According to the National Institute for Alcohol Use as well as Alcoholism (NIAAA) drinking alcohol is the cause of around 88,000 deaths per year.
Can cannabis in reducing alcohol dependence and help prevent liver disease?
A study published in 2017 by Trusted Source examined a clinical group of patients suffering from depression and alcohol-related disorders (AUD) to discover marijuana had no positive impact, and may have exacerbated depression.
It was concluded by the study thatat the very least, in those who suffer from depression, marijuana isn’t a reliable treatment.
Further evidence that marijuana will not aid in easing people suffering from AUD off of alcohol is evident by researchTrusted Source which showed that patients diagnosed with AUD, with marijuana use were more likely to relapse than those who didn’t take marijuana.
Sounds promising However, it’s still (mostly) unconstitutional
There is a strong argument from Trusted Source that stimulating the cannabinoid receptors that reside in the liver can reduce or even stop the growth of tumors in the liver that are cancerous. The health benefits of cannabis and marijuana products generally have generated lots of excitement.
Singh insists that, as of moment, not enough is available about the effects that the cannabis compounds have on our health.
“There are a variety of substances found in cannabis, and it could be that one of them is harmful to the liver, and another one is beneficial. The conclusion is that further research is required because we require data about both the sides of the coin, good as well as negative,” he said.
Cannabis is not legal in many regions across the United States and the world. It is also crucial to keep in mind that cannabis, just like all other drugs, isn’t in any way harmless.
In a nod to the growing evidence suggesting that cannabis is beneficial to health and benefits, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source has announced that it will conduct a public hearing on May 31 to get more details about the research of cannabis, its manufacturing and the distribution of cannabis substances.
It’s the bottom line
Recent research has found that marijuana usage is linked with a lower chance of alcohol-related liver damage — which includes liver cancer.
But, there’s not much evidence to suggest that those who drink excessively are able to take marijuana to help overcome the symptoms of a disorder. It is actually proven that it may cause depression in those with an alcohol dependence disorder.
As research shows that cannabis and its derivatives can be used to treat or even prevent a variety of health conditions It’s important to note that marijuana is prohibited in many areas in the world.
Cannabis is a drug as with all other drug, it could cause harm if used improperly. We hope you understand if Marijuana Protects Liver from Alcohol.
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