Study: Marijuana Use Linked to Lower Mortality and Fewer Liver Complications in Patients With Fatty Liver Disease, But Higher Heart Risks

A new study published by the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology reports that marijuana use is associated with improved liver-related outcomes among hospitalized patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Researchers from the University of Connecticut Health Center, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the Creighton University School of Medicine, and the Wake Forest School of Medicine analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample covering the years 2016 through 2020. The analysis focused on more than 3.3 million adult hospitalizations involving patients diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, a condition formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Within that population, about 52,000 patients, or roughly 1.5%, had documented marijuana use. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and overall illness burden, marijuana use was associated with significantly lower odds of in-hospital mortality. Patients with reported use also had reduced odds of cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

At the same time, the study found slightly higher odds of myocardial infarction and stroke among patients with marijuana use. The authors noted that prior research has pointed to anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties of cannabidiol in liver disease models, which may help explain the observed liver-related benefits.

The researchers cautioned that the findings are observational and based on hospitalization data, meaning causation cannot be established. They emphasized that clinical trials examining marijuana use and its cardiovascular and liver-specific effects remain limited, and said further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms behind both the potential benefits and risks identified in this analysis.