Babies exposed to cannabis in womb ‘at higher risk of obesity and increased blood sugar levels’

Expectant mothers are advised to stop using CBD and THC during pregnancy and breastfeeding , Lamiat Sabin writes

At least 15 per cent of pregnant women in the study were found to have cannabinoids in their system (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Pregnant women who use cannabis can increase the risk of their child becoming obese or having high blood sugar levels when they reach five-years-old, according to a new study.

Products with non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) – or the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – are used by expectant mothers to help alleviate morning sickness, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, and pain.

But the exposure of such compounds during pregnancy, and breastfeeding, is linked to “increased fat mass percentage and fasting glucose levels” in the children by the time they start school.

This is according to Brianna Moore, an assistant epidemiology professor at the University of Colorado, who researches how exposure to tobacco and cannabis in early-life affects the growth of children and the development of their brains.

The cannabis plant has more than 100 different cannabinoids, including CBD and THC (Getty Images)

She advises women to “refrain from using any cannabis while pregnant or breastfeeding to minimise adverse health effects in the offspring.”

Urine samples from 103 pregnant women were studied by the group of researchers, which found that 15 per cent of the expectant mothers had detectable levels of cannabinoid compounds in their bodies.

The mothers’ five-year-old children had higher fat mass and fasting glucose levels compared to children who were not exposed to cannabis during pregnancy, the scientists found.

More than 100 cannabinoids have been identified in cannabis, but the two most popular ones are CBD and THC. Dr Moore said that more studies are needed to examine how the other compounds may impact babies who had been exposed to them in the womb and via breastfeeding.

Up to 22 per cent of pregnant women had detectable cannabinoid levels in their bodies, researchers in a separate study from Colorado had found in 2016.

Women who use CBD and THC while expecting also increase the risk of the children having low birth weights as well as behavioural problems, previous studies found.

Cannabis use during pregnancy has also been found to double the risk of premature birth, and is linked to higher prevalence of “psychotic-like” behaviours in children aged nine – according to other studies from 2019 and 2020.

The report ‘Fetal Exposure to Cannabis and Childhood Metabolic Outcomes: The Healthy Start Study’ has been published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.