Study: Smoking marijuana linked to higher rate of gum disease

A new long-term study has identified at least one noticeable difference in the bodies of people who smoke pot compared to those who don't.

As a Duke University press release states, participants "who smoked marijuana for up to 20 years have more gum disease, but otherwise do not show worse physical health than non-smokers."

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Researchers from Arizona State University, Duke University, King's College in the UK and the University of Otago in New Zealand based this conclusion on an assessment of "nearly 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 38."

Numerous physical and metabolic measures were tracked throughout these years including lung function, blood pressure, and body mass index, among others.

People in the study were asked at ages 18, 21, 26, 32 and 38 about their marijuana usage which is how researchers determined an "increase in periodontal disease from age 26 to 38."

While this group showed no other physical variations from the norm, tobacco users "were found to have gum disease as well as reduced lung function, systemic inflammation and indicators of poorer metabolic health."

Nevertheless, researchers caution that marijuana use has been linked to negative mental effects and "downward socioeconomic mobility."

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