Can CBD Help You Lose Weight?
Today, almost two thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. Obesity is the leading cause of death today in the U.S. and also leads to other chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, high cholesterol, and even certain cancers. In fact, it has been reported that almost half of all type 2 diabetes cases are related to obesity.
Obesity is most commonly caused by eating excessive amounts of processed food, drinking too much alcohol and sugary drinks, and a sedentary lifestyle. However, there are cases where predisposing factors, such as genetics, can negatively impact the metabolism and cause excess fat to be stored. Some medical conditions, like those related to the thyroid, can also lead to obesity or being overweight.
Common Treatments for Obesity
In most cases, treating obesity requires major changes in lifestyle and eating habits. There are some alternatives many people turn to ‘remove’ the excess weight, such as by cosmetic surgery, bariatric surgery, and medication. However, most doctors recommend that the healthy way to ‘fix’ obesity is the best way — by cleaning up the diet and increasing physical activity levels.
CBD and Treating Obesity
Published research has shown that CBD can potentially help with a multitude of medical conditions. In fact, a new study published in the Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Journal found that CBD can help with chronic conditions related to obesity, such as by regulating the appetite, improving depression, and improving sleep. The researchers in this study discovered that CBD can trigger the proteins and genes that augment the breakdown of fat, minimize the expression of the proteins in fat cell generation, and stimulate metabolic rates.
On the other hand, there have also been studies that show that CBD can increase obesity. One particular study published in 2012 by the Psychopharmacology Journal found that CBD can either increase or decrease the appetite and metabolism, based on their observations of the feeding patterns of rats in the study.
How CBD Helps with Weight Loss
CBD triggers a process called “fat-browning” which is the conversion of normal fat tissue to “brown” fat tissue that is more easily burned, and thus is associated with a reduction in obesity.
CBD Legality
Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is the new buzzword all over the internet and social media today due to recent changes in legality across the U.S. CBD is available in most parts of the U.S. and easily purchased online as well, without needing a cannabis license. However, its legality has been inconsistent from state to state and the federal government has CBD listed in the same class as marijuana.
The good news is that the laws around CBD are typically not enforced. In fact, over the last few years, the FDA has relaxed its regulations and has even allowed research into CBD trials. The CBD legal landscape is quickly changing and there is currently bipartisan consensus in Congress to make the hemp plant legal, which would make it more difficult to outlaw CBD.
The World Health Organization has recently reported that CBD use is not indicative of any abuse or dependence and thus is not considered a public health related problem.
What Is CBD?
CBD is often confused with marijuana (cannabis). First off, let’s be clear – cannabis, hemp, and marijuana are not the same. CBD is one of the naturally occurring cannabinoids found in cannabis plants, yet it comes from the hemp plant. Hemp and marijuana are cousins in that both are species of cannabis in the Cannabis Sativa family. Thus, there are some chemical similarities in structure between the two.
CBD is just one of the major components of marijuana, extracted from the hemp plant. Cannabis contains compounds called cannabinoids. Two of the most prevalent compounds in cannabis are Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the compound known to cause a psychoactive effect, or a “high”. CBD does not cause any psychoactive “high” effects. Hemp contains a very small amount of THC and marijuana is made up of abundant amounts of THC.
Health Benefits of CBD
There are many innovative ways to incorporate CBD into your lifestyle, such as by adding it to smoothies, adding it to coffee, or using it in a dropper. CBD has been shown to help improve various ailments such as chronic pain, arthritis, inflammation, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and even epilepsy. A new CBD-containing medication, called Epidiolex, was recently approved by the FDA.
CBD Safety
The downside of the abundance of CBD manufacturers today is that it is like the wild west. Some have come under government scrutiny, but for the most part it is an unregulated CBD supplement market. This makes it very difficult for consumers or even medical practitioners to know the safety or purity details of what you are buying.
CBD can have some side effects, such as fatigue, irritability, or nausea. There are some medication contraindications you need to be aware of too, since CBD can increase the levels of medications in your blood. This can be very dangerous when taking certain medications, such as the blood thinner coumadin.
Too often, people don’t realize that they need to tell their doctors when they are taking CBD because it is marketed as a supplement and it’s not obvious that it could contradict a medication.
Using CBD for the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions, including high blood sugar, insulin resistance, excess body fat around the waist, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. All of these increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
In 2012, Hungarian researchers published results showing that CBD has an immunomodulating effect that slows the progression of cardiovascular disease caused by high glucose levels in the blood.
Even more impressive is that the researchers found that CBD showed to have a protective effect against ischaemic diseases, caused by plaque build-up in the arteries. Ischaemic diseases are the most detrimental complications associated with metabolic syndrome.
The researchers concluded that CBD could be beneficial when used as an adjuvant therapy due to its few side effects.
The jury is still out as to the most effective use and dosage of CBD in treating many conditions related to metabolic syndrome and obesity. Some studies, such as the one published in the 2012 Journal of Psychopharmacology, have found that CBD could cause an increased appetite and thus increase in obesity.
However, other studies have contradicted this and found that CBD usage can lead to a reduced food intake, showing us that further studies on the anti-obesity effects of CBD are needed. Even studies on marijuana use have shown a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.
Current studies are showing much promise in using both CBD and marijuana medically to aid in the obesity epidemic that is afflicting much of the Western world today. It is clear that future studies need to more closely examine the biological pathways of both cannabis and cannbidiol.
In 2015, the Obesity Journal reported that cannabis use was associated with a lower BMI, but found no association with glucose metabolism or the related inflammatory markers. So, cannabis seemed to have a direct influence on weight, yet indirectly on insulin resistance as an effect of weight loss.
So all in all, CBD is not a cure for obesity, but by adding CBD to a supplement regime while following a healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular physical activity, one could get the boost needed to overcome obesity struggles once and for all.
References
https://cbdwellnessguide.com/index.php/2017/12/30/cbd-treatment-obesity/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22543671
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26548604
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25557382
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18601709
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22430005
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cbd-weight-loss-metabolism
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476
Disclaimers
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Consult your medical doctor before beginning any treatment regimen.
Legal Disclaimer: Information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own medical doctor.
