In a new study, researchers found that medical cannabis may reduce blood pressure in older adults.
The study is the first of its kind to focus on the effect of cannabis on blood pressure, heart rate, and metabolic parameters in adults 60 and above with high blood pressure.
The research was conducted by a team at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and elsewhere.
Older adults are the fastest-growing group of medical cannabis users, yet evidence on heart safety for this population is scarce.
In the study, the patients were evaluated using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, ECG, blood tests, and body measurements—both before and three months after initiating cannabis therapy.
The researchers found a big reduction in 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure values, with the lowest point occurring three hours after ingesting cannabis either orally via oil extracts or by smoking.
Patients showed reductions in blood pressure in both daytime and nighttime, with more significant changes at night.
The researchers theorize that the relief from pain, the indication for prescription cannabis in most patients, may also have contributed to a reduction in blood pressure.
The team says cannabis research is in its early stages and this new study is one of several that has been published recently by the team on the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
One author of the study is Dr. Ran Abuhasira.
The study is published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine.