Cannabis Oil Found to be Beneficial for Weight Gain for Late Stage Cancer Patients

Cannabis Oil Found To Be Beneficial For Weight Gain Among Patients With Advanced Cancer

weight gain

When it comes to the Big C, weight loss tends to be the first visible symptom.

Around 40% of people report weight loss upon their first cancer diagnosis, and 80% of people who already have advanced cancer suffer from wasting and weight loss. This wasting, which is a condition known as cachexia, is the result of both muscle and weight loss.

Wasting is primarily characterized by severe weight loss, which occurs when an illness causes depletion of both muscle and skeletal mass. The exact cause is unknown, though doctors think that there are several factors contribution to its development and progression.

It’s especially common during late-stage conditions, because cachexia assists the body in accessing energy stores found in muscles to make sure that the brain continues working.

Aside from that, cancer treatments are also known to cause weight loss. Both chemotherapy and radiation are known to cause significant appetite loss, which make it difficult for cancer patients to get the healing nutrients they so badly need in their body. Side effects of these treatments also include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and mouth sores; symptoms that discourage eating.

To treat weight loss, some doctors may prescribe medications such as steroids and progesterone hormones to induce appetite. Add to that the fact that some cancer patients just don’t respond well to some medications, and you have the problem of unintentional weight loss among cancer patients, which will not improve their prognosis.

Almost a third of cancer deaths are actually attributed to cachexia. It can occur as a result of different kind of cancers, and it can also happen to patients with other late-stage conditions including HIV/AIDS, kidney disease, and heart failure.

Cachexia has damaging consequences, but truth be told, not enough attention has been given to creating more effective treatments for this condition.

Now, science tells us that cannabis may be the answer to the problem.

A new Israeli study has just revealed that cancer patients with cachexia and anorexia, who consume THC and CBD capsules twice daily have seen significant weight gain. The findings, which were published in Integrative Cancer Therapies, provide new hope for patients with advanced cancer stages.

For the study, Israeli researchers analyzed how a high-THC and low-CBD capsule combination affected advanced-stage cancer patients over the course of 6 months. For the patients who completed the study, half of them saw at least 10% weight gain. The cannabis treatment was also found to improve their appetite as well as their mood, while reducing both fatigue and pain. There were also some patients who dropped out of the study before it was completed.

“The results justify a larger study with dosage-controlled cannabis capsules in CACS (cancer-related cachexia and anorexia syndrome),” write the authors.

Cannabis Helps With Cachexia

Cachexia is a side effect of cancer and chemotherapy that can affect a patient’s quality of life, and even become fatal if left untreated.

Thankfully, studies show that cannabis is an effective natural treatment that patients can turn to.

Cachexia can also be caused by other conditions, including AIDS. In a 2017 study conducted by researchers from Columbia University, patients with AIDS-induced cachexia were found to have a much better appetite and weight gain because of treatment with cannabis.

Another study, this time from 2011, revealed that consumption of THC was beneficial in increasing appetite among cancer patients by as much as 64%.

The studies available assessing cannabis’ effect on cachexia mostly find that high-THC cannabis strains are ideal. This could be because THC plays a more important role in stimulating appetite, particularly among those with wasting syndrome.

Cannabis in many forms can also help patients in different ways, such as by alleviating pain, promoting relaxation and well-being, and much more. All of these combined contribute to an improved quality of life which is important to people who have wasting caused by different conditions.

There is sufficient evidence that medical cannabis can indeed be beneficial for treating cachexia, but oral and sublingual consumption also seem to be the most effective. There are many ways patients can medicate with cannabis these days to get its full benefits for treatment, from sublingual drops, hard candies, sprays, and much more.