Cannabis use does not impact on type 2 diabetes: A two‐sample Mendelian randomization study. (12th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baumeister, Sebastian‐Edgar; Nolde, Michael; Alayash, Zoheir; Leitzmann, Michael; Baurecht, Hansjörg; Meisinger, Christa
• Is Part Of: Addiction biology. Volume 26:Number 6(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-02-12
• Subjects: cannabis -- diabetes; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Substance-Related Disorders -- periodicals; 616.86
• DOI: 10.1111/adb.13020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1355-6215

Abstract

Abstract: Cannabis has effects on the insulin/glucose metabolism. As the use of cannabis and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increase worldwide, it is important to examine the effect of cannabis on the risk of diabetes. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study by using 19 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables for lifetime cannabis use and 14 SNPs to instrument cannabis use disorder and linking these to type 2 diabetes risk using genome‐wide association study data (lifetime cannabis use [ N = 184, 765]; cannabis use disorder [2387 cases/48, 985 controls], type 2 diabetes [74, 124 cases/824, 006 controls]). The MR analysis suggested no effect of lifetime cannabis use (inverse‐variance weighted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 1.00 [0.93–1.09], P value = 0.935) and cannabis use disorder (OR = 1.03 [0.99–1.08]) on type 2 diabetes. Sensitivity analysis to assess potential pleiotropy led to no substantive change in the estimates. This study adds to the evidence base that cannabis use does not play a causal role in type 2 diabetes. Abstract : The causal relevance of cannabis use as a risk factor for diabetes is unclear based on traditional observational studies. By considering the relationships between genetically predicted values of lifetime cannabis use and cannabis use disorder and type 2 diabetes within a two‐sample instrumental variable framework that is less influenced by environmental confounding, we found that cannabis use does not affect diabetes.