Marijuana Use Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Scientists Find
Marijuana use can cause changes in the human body’s epigenome, a study of more than 1,000 adults suggests. The epigenome is like a switch that activates or deactivates genes, altering how our bodies function.
Says Lifan Hou, a preventive medicine physician and epidemiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “The epigenome is a switch that activates or deactivates a gene.
Cannabis is a commonly used substance in the United States, and 49% of people have tried it at least once, Hou and a team of U.S. researchers report in a published paper. Although it has been legalized in several U.S. states and other countries, we still do not fully understand its health effects.
The team examined marijuana use over a 20-year period among approximately 1,000 adults who had participated in a previous long-term study. Study participants provided blood samples twice during this period, at 15 and 20 years. At baseline, or “year 0,” they ranged in age from 18 to 30 years.
Dr. Hou’s team used these five-year blood samples to examine epigenetic changes, particularly DNA methylation levels, in recent and long-term cannabis users.
The addition or removal of methyl groups from DNA is one of the most studied epigenetic modifications. It alters the activity of a gene without altering the genome sequence. This is because such molecular changes make it difficult for cells to read the genome instruction manual.
Environmental and lifestyle factors can trigger methylation and be passed on to the next generation, and blood biomarkers can provide information on recent and past exposures.
We have previously demonstrated an association between marijuana use and the aging process through DNA methylation.
We wanted to further investigate whether specific epigenetic factors are associated with marijuana and whether these factors are associated with health outcomes.”
Comprehensive data on participants’ marijuana use allowed us to estimate cumulative and recent use over time, which we analyzed in comparison to DNA methylation markers in blood.
The results showed that a large number of DNA methylation markers were detected in blood samples over a 15-year period, 22 were associated with recent use, and 31 were associated with cumulative marijuana use. From samples taken at the 20-year time point, 132 markers associated with recent use and 16 markers associated with cumulative use were identified.
Hou explains, “Interestingly, markers previously associated with tobacco use were consistently identified.”
Multiple epigenetic changes associated with cannabis use have previously been linked to cell proliferation, hormone signaling, infectious diseases, neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders.
It is important to note that this study does not prove that marijuana directly causes these changes or causes health problems.
Epidemiologist Drew Nanini of Northwestern University said, “This study provides new insights into the association between cannabis use and epigenetic factors.
Further studies are needed to determine whether these associations are consistently observed in different populations,” says epidemiologist Drew Nannini of Northwestern University. In addition, studies examining the effects of marijuana on age-related health outcomes may provide additional insight into the long-term effects of marijuana on health.”
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Source: Marijuana Use Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Scientists Find
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