A recent study published in Scientific Reports suggests that individuals who have had at least one psychedelic experience in their lifetime have lower chances of cardiovasculat disease and diabetes.
“In our previous research, we have found associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and lower odds of being overweight or obese as well as lower odds of having hypertension in the past year, both of which are risk factors of cardiometabolic disease,” said study author Otto Simonsson of the University of Oxford. “We therefore wanted to look specifically at the link between lifetime classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.” reported PsyPost.
In a Journal of Psychopharmacology article published earlier this year, researchers suggested “that psychedelic substances such as psilocybin could be used to assist in promoting positive lifestyle change conducive to good overall health,” noting reportes of spontaneous lifestyle changes linked to better health like increased frquency in exercising and reducing alcohol consumption.
The latest research "examined data from more than 375,000 Americans who had participated in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Participants reported whether they had ever used the classic psychedelic substances DMT, ayahuasca, LSD, mescaline, peyote or San Pedro, or psilocybin. They also reported whether they had been diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes in the past year."
The researchers discovered that the prevalence of heart disease and diabetes was lower in psychedelics users. "Approximately 2.3% of those who had ever used a psychedelic reported heart disease in the past year, compared to 4.5% of those who reported never using a psychedelic drug. Similarly, 3.95% of those who had ever used a psychedelic reported diabetes in the past year, compared to 7.7% of those who reported never using a psychedelic drug." reported PsyPost.
The researchers believe that the data sugggests lower odds of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in lifetime psychedelic users.
The study controlled for age, gender, marital status, race, annual household income, level of education, engagement in risky behavior, and the use of other types of drugs. Future double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies are needed to explore “The direction of causality ” the lead researcher said.
