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Turns Out NOT Smoking Weed is Making You Fat
Photo by arimoore on Flickr
"Half Baked" might have lead you to believe otherwise, but those giant joints are actually helping keep you thin. According to a study published inThe American Journal of Medicine by researchers from Harvard, the University of Nebraska, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the 17.4 million pot smokers in the States tend to be skinnier and have lower blood sugar than the rest of the population.
Says Fast Company:
Among the study participants, 12.2% currently used marijuana at the time of the study and 47.7% had used it at least once before (but not for 30 days). After adjusting for age and sex, the researchers found current marijuana use is linked to lower waist circumference, fasting insulin, glucose, HOMA-IR (a measure of insulin resistance) and BMI--as well as higher HDL cholesterol, which fights heart disease.
The scientists speculate that the reason why this might be happening is because cannabis activates adiponectin, a protein involved in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism.
So the next time someone starts harshing your mellow, just tell them dope is part of your diet. (The fact that Mc Dreamy is down with it doesn't hurt either.)
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