Why Do Regular Cannabis Users Tend to Weigh Less?
There is a paradox around regular cannabis consumption. Despite marijuana’s well-known appetite-stimulating effects, people who use it regularly tend to weigh less and have a reduced risk of developing diabetes. So what’s going on? New research published in The journal of physiology offers some possible answers.
To investigate this mystery, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, used specialized mice, fed a diet high in fat and sugar, to model human obesity. To one group they administered pure delta-9 THC (the main psychoactive compound in cannabis), and to another they administered whole cannabis plant extract, which also contains a host of other cannabinoids, and monitored their metabolism and weight.
Although both compounds caused weight loss, they discovered key differences in the metabolic profiles of the two groups. Mice treated only with pure THC had difficulty regulating their glucose levels, even after losing weight, while mice treated with whole plant extracts reversed their glucose dysregulations.
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“This suggests that THC alone is not responsible for the metabolic benefits associated with cannabis use,” study author Nicholas V. DiPatrizio said in a statement. “Other compounds present in the plant appear to play an essential role.”
The researchers believe these other compounds may be involved in signaling between fatty tissue and the pancreas, a communication pathway disrupted in people with obesity and diabetes.
Does this mean you should light up a joint if you want to lose a few pounds? Unfortunately no.
“We don’t suggest people use cannabis to manage their weight or diabetes,” DiPatrizio said. He do This means that if these results prove valid for humans, researchers may be able to isolate these minor cannabinoids and develop treatments that improve signaling between fatty tissue and the pancreas without the intoxicating effects of THC.
But where’s the fun in that?
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