Can You Really Lose Weight with Marijuana?
People struggling with weight issues in the Western world are blowing out of proportion. In comparison to earlier generations, it is clear that the average person is getting heavier. This obviously benefits the weight loss industry to the maximum. Loads of stuff they are selling is not having any effect at all, but the people are desperate.
A field worthy to study for the contribution to weight loss is marijuana. It might actually have a legit effect.
How can Marijuana help Weight Loss?
Marijuana and weight loss? It seems to be a contradiction. Does marijuana not give us the “munchies”? Yes, it does, and it was one of the first reasons why it was approved for medicinal use. It acts as an appetite stimulator and is highly effective for people on chemotherapy as they usually lose all appetite. But it is more complicated than that. While certain cannabinoids stimulate appetite, others act as a suppressant.
In a study done by the State University of Michigan, it was observed that adults smoking marijuana, on average weigh less than their non-smoking counterparts. The study was run over 3 years and 30,000 people took part. Interestingly, 15% of cannabis users were classified as obese, whereas 20 % of non-smokers had obesity problems.
But How Does It Work?
THC is found to stimulates the appetite. Another cannabinoid, THCV, does the opposite. It suppresses appetite and acts as a counter to THC. Blood sugar also gets regulated by THCV.
A study was done on obese mice in 2015. To the surprise of the scientists, the mice lost weight. THC was orally administrated instead of taking it up through inhalation. It seems that the gut flora is changed when it is taken orally. This is the possible cause of weight loss.
The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in the regulation of food intake. It also contributes to inflammation, energy balance, and glucose and lipid metabolism. It is therefore fundamental in the onset of obesity. THC binds with CB1 and CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptor acts as a mediator of the psychotropic effect of marijuana. It also participates in the modulation of food intake and fat forming in cells. CB1 receptors are found in the brain cells at high levels and also in some peripheral tissues, including those in the gastrointestinal tract. It furthermore is found in the adrenal gland, fat tissues, and heart.
New studies indicate that there is a positive link between weight loss and marijuana use. Researchers found a reduction in the waist to hip ratio. Blood pressure also improved, and cholesterol levels stabilized. It had a positive effect on metabolic syndrome-related issues and fasting glucose and triglycerides improved greatly.
Several more studies show that there is a positive link between regular cannabis consumption and a lower BMI (lower body mass index). The data collected indicates that cannabis does have an effect on weight loss.
Could Weight Gain be Related to the Endocannabinoid System?
Researches are leaning to believe the overweight problems could be due to a problem with the ECS. In a study, it was found that an unbalanced energy intake leads to a dysfunctional ECS. It renders it to be overactive and that contributes to fat accumulation and ultimately obesity.
Because of the interaction of cannabinoids on the cannabinoid receptors, the complex network optimally performs better, and more effective regulation of the fat-storing functions are invoked. Evidence shows that cannabis stimulates weight gain in underweight persons. In overweight persons, it provokes weight loss. It seems that they encourage the ECS to balance and regulate healthy body weight.
Other ways Cannabis Helps with Weight Loss
Stress levels of the modern man are far higher than before. It is commonly known that stress makes it harder to lose weight. Most people have a real hard time to deal with stress. Unfortunately exercise alone is not enough to lose weight, and this only because of the stress hormone cortisol. When our bodies are stressed, cortisol gets released in high amounts. The point is to raise oxygen levels in the blood to make it easier to escape. But when it happens too frequently, your body responses by going into survival mode and store fat because it expects danger or famine.
This is where cannabis comes in. When you consume cannabis, THC induces relaxation and a euphoric feeling due to the psychoactive effect it has. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be overdone and then instead of relaxation, it provokes panic. The idea is to consume cannabis to lower cortisol levels. There are many strains available and with a little investigation, the correct ratio between THC and CBD could be found.
Conclusion
For the sake of this article, the focus was mainly on THC. CBD can also play a significant role. The human body is super complex and there is still some stumbling around to understand how cannabis contributes to weight loss. What is crystal clear though, is that it has a positive effect and cannabis consumer overall has a healthier body.
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