{"id":8434,"date":"2018-08-27T04:52:41","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T04:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=3180507"},"modified":"2018-08-27T04:52:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T04:52:41","slug":"mind-altering-breast-milk-new-marijuana-study-poses-that-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/mind-altering-breast-milk-new-marijuana-study-poses-that-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind-altering breast milk? New marijuana study poses that question."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/mind-altering-breast-milk-new-marijuana-study-poses-that-question\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/mind-altering-breast-milk-new-marijuana-study-poses-that-question.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>CHICAGO \u2014 Marijuana\u2019s main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers\u2019 breast milk in a small study that comes amid evidence that more U.S. women are using pot during pregnancy and afterward.<\/p>\n<p>Experts say the ingredient, THC, has chemical properties that could allow it to disrupt brain development and potentially cause harm, although solid evidence of that is lacking.<\/p>\n<p>The new study involved 50 nursing mothers who were using pot and provided breast milk samples to researchers at the University of California, San Diego. Lab testing found small amounts of THC, the psychoactive chemical that causes marijuana\u2019s \u201chigh,\u201d in 34 of 54 samples up to six days after they were provided. Another form of THC and cannabidiol, a pot chemical touted by some as a health aid, were detected in five samples.<\/p>\n<p>The study authors said \u201cit is reasonable to speculate\u201d that exposing infants to THC or cannabidiol \u201ccould influence normal brain development,\u201d depending on dose and timing.<\/p>\n<p>The results echo findings in case reports from years ago, when pot was less potent than what\u2019s available today, said study co-author Christina Chambers, a pediatrics professor. It\u2019s not known if the amounts detected pose any risk, but she said her research team is studying children whose moms\u2019 were involved to try to answer that question.<\/p>\n<p>Two small studies from the 1980s had conflicting results on whether pot use affects breastfed infants. One found no evidence of growth delays; the other found slight developmental delays in breastfed infants, but their mothers had used pot during pregnancy too.<\/p>\n<p>Most pediatricians encourage breastfeeding and its health benefits for infants, but \u201cthey\u2019re stuck with a dilemma\u201d with infants whose mothers use pot, Chambers said.<\/p>\n<p>A new American Academy of Pediatrics report recommending against pot use while pregnant or nursing acknowledges that challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still support women breastfeeding even if using marijuana but would encourage them to cut down and quit,\u201d said Dr. Seth Ammerman, a report co-author and Stanford University pediatrics professor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn counseling patients about this, it\u2019s important to be nonjudgmental but to educate patients about the potential risks and benefits,\u201d Ammerman said, to ensure \u201ca healthy outcome for themselves and their baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study and report were published Monday in the journal Pediatrics .<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\" \/>\n<p>The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has similar advice.<\/p>\n<p>The academy report says its advice is based on theoretical risks to developing brains, but it acknowledges conflicting evidence and a dearth of research. Some studies have linked pot use during pregnancy with lower birth weights or preterm birth, along with developmental delays and learning difficulties in older children. But additional factors including women\u2019s use of other drugs during pregnancy complicated the results, the report says.<\/p>\n<p>Marijuana is legal for recreational use in nine states and Washington, D.C., and for medical use in 31 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.<\/p>\n<p>As more states legalize marijuana, its use is increasing along with the \u201cfalse impression\u201d that it is safe, the academy\u2019s report says. Ammerman said caution makes sense, given the uncertainties.<\/p>\n<p>According to U.S. government data, about 1 in 20 women report using marijuana during pregnancy. Estimates for use among breastfeeding mothers vary, but a study in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, put the number at almost 20 percent among women in a government supplemental food program.<\/p>\n<p>The report, study and a journal editorial all said more research is needed.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, a federal advisory panel said lack of scientific information about marijuana poses a public health risk.<\/p>\n<p>Research has been hampered by federal government restrictions based on its view that marijuana is an illegal drug.<\/p>\n<p>That has contributed to a stigma and shaded doctors\u2019 views, said Keira Sumimoto, an Irvine, California, mother who used marijuana briefly for medical reasons while pregnant and breastfeeding. She said smoking a joint daily helped her gain weight when she was sick before learning she was pregnant, and eased childbirth-related pain, but that she quit because of backlash from marijuana opponents.<\/p>\n<p>She said her daughter, now 8 months old, is healthy and advanced for her age.<\/p>\n<p>Sumimoto runs @cannabisandmotherhood , an Instagram account that she says aims to present truthful information about marijuana so women can make their own choices.<\/p>\n<p>She said she agrees with advice to be cautious, but that the academy\u2019s stance is \u201cis just a little too much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fear is taking over and the need and want to understand this plant is being ignored by the stigma,\u201d Sumimoto said.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Associated Press Health &amp; Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Marijuana&#8217;s main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers&#8217; breast milk in a small study that comes amid evidence that more U.S. women are using pot during pregnancy and afterward. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5062,531,6892,6813,77,2437,9,5019,6901,1,3,7963,18,61,1736],"tags":[5063,3105,6893,6818,2655,2443,5022,6903,7964,2622],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8434"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8434\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}