Cannabis use is associated with a lower risk of alcohol-associated liver disease, according to a new study published by the peer-reviewed journal Liver International.
For the study, researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, Western University and London Health Sciences Centre, University of California San Diego, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile examined whether cannabis use impacts the risk of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
The study used data from the TriNetX US Collaborative Network covering 2010 to 2022. Patients with AUD were grouped into three cohorts: those with cannabis use disorder (CUD), cannabis users without abuse or dependence (CU), and non-cannabis users (non-CU). Each group included 33,114 patients after matching.
Results showed that individuals with CUD had a 40% lower risk of developing ALD compared to non-users (HR 0.60), along with reduced risks of hepatic decompensation (HR 0.83) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.86). While cannabis users without CUD also had lower ALD risk than non-users, their risks of decompensation and mortality were similar.
The findings indicate that cannabis use, particularly among those with CUD, may help reduce liver complications in people with AUD. Researchers suggest that targeting cannabinoid receptors could represent a new avenue for developing pharmacological treatments for ALD.
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