Marijuana can help moderate blood sugar levels, waist size, and body mass index (BMI), according to epidemiologists at the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected between 2005 and 2010. Researchers found a link between regular use of marijuana and better blood sugar control. In their analysis, participants who reported using marijuana in the past month had 16 percent lower fasting insulin levels, 17 percent lower levels of insulin resistance, higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and smaller waist circumference.

The study incorporated data from 4,657 patients who completed a drug-use questionnaire, took a physical exam, and provided a blood sample following a nine-hour fast. Of these, 579 were current marijuana users, 1,975 had used it in the past, and 2,103 had never used marijuana.