Smoking marijuana may increase the risk of testicular cancer in the newborn at the University of Southern California (USC).
This new study showed that men who smoked weeds or marijuana are twice as likely as men who should not have received the dangerous form of the disease. If you do not know, then testicular cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men under 45 years of age. It is also growing, says Scott Eggener, a cancer doctor at the University of Chicago who has studied the trend.
At the beginning of this year, a study was published that showed that marijuana use continues, with 1 in 10 teenagers now smoking marijuana at least 20 times a month. A USC study compared a group of 163 men with testicular cancer with a similar group of 292 healthy men who were asked about the use of recreational drugs. California researchers found those men who used marijuana had a two-fold increased risk of developing testicular tumors and, more specifically, tend to affect young men and are difficult to diagnose, requiring chemotherapy.
I know that twice the risk of cancer may sound pretty scary, but researchers warned that men who smoked marijuana should not panic. This is due to the fact that the chances that a person will get testicular cancer are actually quite small. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 1 in 400 men are diagnosed by age 35. Even if you double that risk to 1 out of 200, the odds of one person are still pretty slim. The study also does not prove that marijuana causes cancer.
On the other hand, in this study there was a negative effect between the cocaine use history and these types of cancer. Victoria Cortessis, MSPH, Ph.D., associate professor of preventive medicine, offers an explanation in that cocaine destroys sperm-producing cells, which are known in animals. Cocaine can cause infertility, but it can also kill cells, including cancer cells, before they even develop cancer, which explains the lower prevalence of testicular tumors among cocaine users. This is most likely the first study revealing such an association.
Doctors still do not know why marijuana can increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, may interfere with the normal transfer of hormones between the brain and the testicles. Further research will be conducted on which all processes will be considered.
The bottom line, explains Steven M. Schwartz, Ph.D., MPH, an epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, is that marijuana cannot be as harmless as some people think. I have never heard anyone die from using marijuana or an overdose, so I always thought that marijuana could not be so harmful. Of course, you get "munchies" or laugh uncontrollably, but that's all I knew. In fact, many people found marijuana to help them with stress and certain pains.
“The general story is that users of marijuana have an increased risk,” says Schwartz, who did not participate in the study. "This is especially important for testicular tumors, which are the most aggressive and, therefore, most likely for human life." Moreover, according to him, the conclusion is “quite consistent among these three studies, what we should pay attention to.”
The main question that concerns me is the increase in marijuana use among adolescents. A study was conducted which stated that adolescents who smoke marijuana usually risk a long-term drop in their IQ. Significant fact associated with the analysis showed that people who reduce their smoking habits and completely quit still show that their IQ level decreases by the age of 38.
The best solution for both of these studies is to prevent marijuana together and practice healthy habits such as diet and exercise. There is no better feeling in the world than to know that you are healthy and continue to improve your body inside and out. Change your bad habits today and begin to follow a healthy lifestyle.
