New BGU Study: Medical Cannabis Reduces Blood Pressure
New BGU Study: Medical Cannabis Reduces Blood Pressure
September 15, 2021
Yahoo! Lifestyle — A new study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine conducted by researchers from BGU and its affiliated Soroka University Medical Center have found that medical cannabis can effectively reduce blood pressure in older adults. It marks the first of its kind to put cannabis to the test in regards to its impact on blood pressure, heart rate and metabolic parameters in adults 60 and above with hypertension.
“Older adults are the fastest growing group of medical cannabis users, yet evidence on cardiovascular safety for this population is scarce,” Dr. Ran Abuhasira of the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences, one of Israel’s leading medical faculties, and the BGU-Soroka Cannabis Clinical Research Institute explains. “This study is part of our ongoing effort to provide clinical research on the actual physiological effects of cannabis over time.”
“Cannabis research is in its early stages and BGU is at the forefront of evaluating clinical use based on scientific studies,” Doug Seserman, CEO of Americans for Ben-Gurion University, adds. “This new study is one of several that has been published recently by BGU on the medicinal benefits of cannabis.”
Patients involved in the study were treated with cannabis therapy and evaluated using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ECG, blood tests, and body measurements, both before and three months after treatment. Researchers found that in just 24 hours, there was a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. In fact, blood pressure dropped the most dramatically just three hours after ingesting cannabis either orally via oil extracts or by smoking. The medical cannabis was effective in reducing blood pressure during the day and at night, although worked more dramatically during nighttime.
The researchers believe that the reduction in blood pressure could have to do with the pain relief it provides.
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