The study titled “Association between marijuana use and kidney stone: A cross-sectional study of NHANES 2009 to 2018” aims to explore the relationship between regular cannabis use and the history of kidney stones in the U.S. population.
The research was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2009 to 2018. The study found that regular male cannabis users were inversely associated with kidney stones, suggesting that cannabis use could potentially reduce the risk of developing kidney stones in males.
The Methodology Behind the Study
The study used data from NHANES, which collected kidney stone and cannabis use information through self-report questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression and multiple sensitivity analyses were applied to examine the relationship.
The study found that approximately 26.04% of the U.S. population have admitted to using cannabis in their lifetime. After adjusting for potential confounders, the study demonstrated that cannabis use was inversely correlated to kidney stones in males.
Cannabis Use and Reduced Risk
The study revealed that males who used cannabis regularly had a lower risk of developing kidney stones. Specifically, the odds ratio (OR) was 0.72 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.54-0.97 for males.
For those consuming cannabis one to seven times a week, the OR was 0.62 with a 95% CI of 0.43-0.89. These findings suggest that regular cannabis use could be beneficial in reducing the risk of kidney stones, at least in males.
Implications and Future Research
The study opens up new avenues for research into the medical benefits of cannabis, particularly in relation to kidney health. However, the study also calls for further research to explore the dose and type associations of cannabis with kidney stones.
It’s crucial to understand the underlying mechanisms and whether the findings can be generalised to other demographics.
The Cannabis-Kidney Connection
The study is groundbreaking in its findings and poses several questions for future research. Could cannabis compounds be developed into treatments for kidney stones?
What are the long-term effects of cannabis use on kidney health? These are questions that future studies will hopefully answer, further solidifying the medical benefits of cannabis.
