Regular marijuana users are less likely to be obese than people who don’t consume cannabis, according to a new study. In fact, the analysis showed a “dose-response relationship between marijuana use and [body mass index], with the lower the BMI classification, the higher marijuana use.”

People who’d used cannabis within the past month were “31% less likely to be obese than non-users, after adjustment,” the study says, while “daily marijuana users are 32% less likely to be obese than non-users.”

“As legalization and prevalence of the drug in the U.S. increases, the prevalence of obesity may decline.”

Likewise, people who were obese reported significantly lower rates of past-month marijuana use. The study found that the prevalence of use among obese individuals was 35 percent lower than non-obese respondents to the survey—a finding “consistently observed across the levels of certain demographic variables, employment status, tobacco smoking history, marijuana legalization status, and certain medical conditions (asthma, arthritis, and depression).”

The new paper by Ray Merrill, a professor in Brigham Young University’s public health department, used data from the the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone survey of U.S. adults, drawing from years 2016 through 2022. The total sample consisted of 735,921 individuals who completed an optional model on cannabis use during those years.

“Marijuana use is correlated with lower BMI,” the report, set to be published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research,  concludes. “As legalization and prevalence of the drug in the U.S. increases, the prevalence of obesity may decline.”

It adds, however, that health care providers “should view this outcome with the known health risks associated with marijuana use.”

The findings support past research “showing that marijuana use correlates with lower BMI,” Merrill noted.

“Clinicians should identify patients using marijuana and discuss the potential risks and benefits from the drug for their medical conditions and overall health,” he wrote.

“Daily marijuana users are 32% less likely to be obese than non-users.”

While the research focused on obesity, it also determined that people who were underweight also tended to be among the most frequent marijuana users.

The paper doesn’t delve into the possible mechanisms behind any relationship between marijuana and body mass, but it does acknowledge that the substance “may be useful in managing nausea and, as supported by the results of this and other studies, weight loss.”

Separate research published in 2020 found that “compared to older adult nonusers, older adult cannabis users had lower [body mass index] at the beginning of an exercise intervention study, engaged in more weekly exercise days during the intervention, and were engaging in more exercise-related activities at the conclusion of the intervention.”

As for cannabis use generally, the new study found that over the 2016–2022 time period, which saw a number of states legalize marijuana and open retail stores, current cannabis consumption on average went up. Past-month use, for example, rose 9 percent in jurisdictions where medical marijuana was legalized, while recreational markets saw an 89 percent increase compared to areas where cannabis remained illegal.

Overall, prevalence of past-month cannabis use during the study period roughly doubled, from 7.48 percent to 14.91 percent.

Despite cultural associations and stereotypes that link cannabis use with binge eating and a lack of physical activity, more and more research indicates that reality isn’t so simple.

A study published earlier this year, for example, found that young to midlife adults were neither more sedentary nor more intensely active after consuming cannabis. In fact, recent marijuana use was associated with a “marginal increase” in light exercise.

“Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity,” authors of that paper wrote, adding that “the stereotypical ‘lazy stoner’ archetype historically portrayed with chronic cannabis use does not acknowledge the diverse uses of cannabis today.”

Another study, published last year, linked marijuana use to an enhanced “runner’s high” and lower pain during exercise. Participants experienced “less negative affect, greater feelings of positive affect, tranquility, enjoyment, and dissociation, and more runner’s high symptoms during their cannabis (vs. non-cannabis) runs,” according to those findings.

And in 2021, researchers found that frequent marijuana consumers are actually more likely to be physically active compared to their non-using counterparts.

Yet another study, in 2019, found that people use cannabis to elevate their workout tend to get a healthier amount of exercise. It also concluded that consuming before or after exercising improved the experience and aided in recovery.

A recent study into CBD, meanwhile, found that the cannabinoid could benefit competitive runners by helping to reduce anxiety and perceived exertion.

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