Yo, what’s up peeps? This article is all about how cannabis can help prevent atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a type of coronary artery disease that causes inflammation and can lead to some serious heart conditions like heart attacks and strokes. But don’t worry, the cannabinoids found in cannabis can act as anti-inflammatory agents to regulate your immune system and help prevent atherosclerosis. Let’s dig into it.
So, what is atherosclerosis? Basically, it’s when your arteries harden and narrow, which makes it harder for blood to flow to your heart and brain. Fat, cholesterol, and other substances found in your blood make up the inner cell lining of your arteries, called the endothelium. As plaque builds up in your arteries, your immune system triggers an inflammatory response that can cause even more damage. Eventually, this can lead to partial or total blockages in various organs like your brain, heart, legs, arms, or kidneys.
Early stages of atherosclerosis don’t usually show symptoms for years. It’s kind of like an overlooked plumbing issue with pipes – if you don’t pay attention to it, the thick sludge forming on the inside can create a large obstruction and block anything from passing through. Eventually, the disease will progress and you may experience symptoms like chest pain (this varies between men and women), radiating pain throughout your body, shortness of breath, overwhelming fatigue, sweating, nausea, breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, or even loss of consciousness.
It’s not entirely clear what causes atherosclerosis, but risk factors may include smoking cigarettes, high blood pressure or glucose levels, or high cholesterol levels. “Bad cholesterol” can build up in coronary artery walls and cause white blood cells and other cells to gather around the toxic site. Over time, this can form plaques that obstruct blood flow. To treat this disease, patients usually take prescribed medication like blood thinners or statins to lower cholesterol levels. These medications may be life-saving and prevent future cardiac events but they also come with some side effects like prolonged bleeding, bleeding gums or nosebleeds.
But here’s where things get interesting: scientific literature has suggested that THC (the psychoactive compound found in cannabis) has a positive effect on immune system cells. THC is said to decrease secretion of proinflammatory substances and their migration to the artery vessel wall, fighting against atherosclerosis.
To understand how marijuana helps prevent atherosclerotic coronary heart disease prevention we need to understand how cannabinoid receptors work in the endocannabinoid system. The ECS plays a vital role in maintaining proper cell function in different systems of the body. CB1 receptors are mostly found on brain cells and responsible for the chemical’s psychotropic effects while CB2 receptors are more abundant and mostly found on immune cells.
When you consume cannabis, THC interacts with CB1 and CB2 receptors. Cannabinoids bind to CB2 receptors and fight atherosclerosis by producing changes in brain messages as well as regulating blood circulation and cardiac functions.
Testing THC on mice showed that cannabis compounds reduced progression of atherosclerosis in mice by inhibiting disease progression through pleiotropic effects on inflammatory cells. The findings revealed that mice who had received THC had lower levels of blood vessel clogging than others. During treatment not one mouse showed unhealthy behavior.
It’s important to note that while there is research suggesting cannabis may be helpful in preventing coronary diseases (like atherosclerosis), recreational use may not be the best way to benefit from the plant’s medicinal properties – especially since consuming marijuana increases heart rate and standing blood pressure while reducing lying blood pressure which can lead to increased risk of coronary and cardiovascular complications.. Consuming edibles or using vaporizers is suggested for those who want to consume cannabis safely – especially for those who are already sick.
In conclusion, there is still hope for those wanting to naturally regulate and prevent problems caused by arterial plaque without traditional pharmaceuticals. It’s important to get your cholesterol regularly checked by doctors who may prescribe medical marijuana as studies show that various cannabinoids have their own effects on atherosclerosis. You should also maintain a healthy weight by eating low-saturated fat diets while exercising regularly if you want to live long healthy lives!