S100. Effects of Cannabis Use on Body Mass, Fasting Glucose and Lipids During the First 12 Months of Treatment in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

BackgroundAcute cannabis use stimulates appetite, while general population studies suggest that chronic use is associated with reduced risk of obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors.MethodsIn this study, we investigated changes in body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose and lipids, and rates of metabolic syndrome risk factors in cannabis users vs. non-users in 109 minimally treated patients with first-episode schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizo-affective disorder who were treated according to a standardized treatment regime with depot antipsychotic medication over 12 months. Participants underwent repeated urine toxicology tests for cannabis and those testing positive at any time during the study (n=40), were compared with those who tested negative at all time points (n=69).ResultsThere was a significant group*time interaction effect (p=0.002) with the cannabis negative group showing a greater increase in BMI than the cannabis positive group, after adjusting for age, sex, methamphetamine use and modal dose of antipsychotic. There were no group*time interaction effects for fasting blood glucose or lipids. Post hoc tests indicated significant increases in fasting blood glucose and triglycerides and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for the cannabis negative group, with no significant changes in the cannabis positive group. Rates of metabolic syndrome did not differ significantly between groups. However, more cannabis negative patients had elevated waist-circumference at endpoint (p=0.003).DiscussionAlthough other indirect effects such as dietary neglect and smoking may be contributory and could explain our findings, it may be that chronic cannabis use directly suppresses appetite, thereby preventing weight gain in users.

Cannabis Abuse and Hematological Variations to Endorse Severe Health Implications Among Kashmiri Youth

“…Literature revealed that there were signifi¬cant increases in fasting blood glucose and triglycerides and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for the cannabis negative group, with no significant changes in the cannabis positive group. Rates of metabolic syn¬drome did not differ significantly between groups Scheffler et al [24].…”

Cannabis use disorders may protect against certain disorders of the digestive organs in people with schizophrenia but not in healthy controls

“…Another explanation may lie in an interaction between the endocannabinoid system and other transmitter systems also known to be disrupted in schizophrenia, such as the dopaminergic, glutamatergic, or GABAergic systems (Schlicker and Kathmann, 2001; Covey et al ., 2017), and which may then also be alleviated by cannabis use in patients with schizophrenia. Research has also suggested that cannabis may be linked to reduced weight gain and lower fasting glucose and lipids following uptake of antipsychotic medication, which may be a further mechanism for the protective associations we observe (Scheffler et al ., 2018). Indeed, obesity such as that potentially induced by antipsychotics may be considered a chronic inflammatory disorder, lending further credibility to this potential pathway to explain our findings (Monteiro and Azevedo, 2010; Ellulu et al ., 2017).…”

“…Further, in people with hepatitis C, regular cannabis smoking increases the risk of fibrosis and steatosis (Hézode et al ., 2005; Hézode et al , 2008; Mallat et al ., 2008). Some studies, one of which was conducted on patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, have also linked cannabis use with a lower body mass index, lower percentage of body fat, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and lipids (Ngueta et al ., 2015; Scheffler et al ., 2018). However, other studies have failed to find these associations (Danielsson et al ., 2016; Jin et al ., 2017).…”