According to researchers, people who use marijuana have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who do not use marijuana. The study’s results “show that daily female marijuana users have a BMI that is approximately 3.1% (p<0.01) lower than that of non-users, whereas daily male users have a BMI that is approximately 2.7% (p<0.01) lower than that of non-users.”
A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Medicine found that marijuana users have lower levels of fasting insulin and lower insulin resistance levels than non-users. The researchers found that “current marijuana use was associated with 16% lower fasting insulin levels (95% confidence interval [CI], −26, −6) and 17% lower HOMA-IR (95% CI, −27, −6)” and that there are “significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.”
A 2012 study published in British Medical Journal found that marijuana users had a lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes and a lower risk of contracting the disease than did those with no history of marijuana use. The researchers noted that “marijuana use was independently associated with a lower prevalence of DM [diabetes mellitus].”