Marijuana Legalization: New Study Says Smoking Weed Makes You Thinner

Impact

It's a well-known fact that smoking pot will give one a mad case of the munchies. We've all seen a stoned friend fold an entire pizza in two liz-lemon style and devour it in one sitting. We've all seen a buddy overdose on cheese puffs. It's kind of inevitable.

Although we would expect these noble food-cidents to increase one's likelihood of being overweight, studies show the exact opposite effect. 

Scientists from the University of Nebraska and the Harvard School of Public Health were surprised when they found that despite showing an increase in appetite and having a higher caloric intake, pot smokers have smaller waists than non-pot smokers. After looking at 4600 adult subjects, they found that pot smokers also had higher amounts of HDL, otherwise known as "good cholesterol." The most significant difference between the two groups was in their blood sugar regulation. Pot smokers had insulin levels that 16% lower than their non-smoking counterparts. They also showed a 17% decrease in insulin resistance, a condition that makes glucose difficult to absorb for the body. In other words, according to these health indicators, smoking pot can make you a hell of a lot healthier.  Even when scientists controlled for tobacco use, exercise levels, age, sex and alcohol intake, they could still see a stark differences between both groups.

How did the researchers explain these health disparities? They're not sure. What they did conclude is that smoking pot may help you control your weight, regulate your blood sugar and may also explain why those who consume the drug are less likely to have diabetes. 

Are any other non-pot smokers upset that their Oreo overdoses aren't correlated with weight-loss too? Not fair.

For more updates on my munchies, follow me on Twitter: @feministabulous

Via: The Atlantic