Previous small studies using self-reporting predicted that as states decriminalize cannabis and legalize medical and recreational cannabis obesity would rise due to cannabis users consuming increased unhealthy food and the lethargy and lack of physical exercise caused by using cannabis.
An image right out of a Cheech and Chong movie with stoners passed out on a couch next to an empty pizza box after an episode of pot induced munchies.
So, this was a legitimate concern for public health as obesity rates in the U.S. have been increasing for several decades and is associated with a hoist of chronic medical conditions called metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
In 2014 the recreational cannabis dispensaries opened in WA state. Using data from 2014 -2018 and comparing to other states health economists reported that:
“Despite its appetite-boosting effects (aka the munchies), cannabis may help keep your weight in check. According to a study in the journal Health Economics, cannabis users may be less likely to become obese than people who abstain. During the four years after legalization, the state’s obesity rate was 5.4% lower, on average, than it would have been had cannabis not been legalized.
So, what’s going on here?
Certain chemicals circulate in the brain and act on neurotransmitters to signal us when we’re hungry and what we want to eat. These substances are known as hormones. The hormone responsible for hunger is called Ghrelin.
THC is the main active ingredient in cannabis. This compound in cannabis is responsible for producing the sensation of being high. THC also stimulates the production of ghrelin, which is the hormone responsible for making you hungry.
This causes the effect known as the munchies. THC also makes you more sensitive to scents which amplifies taste.
So that is why regular consumption of cannabis might be useful for increasing body weight in those who suffer from anorexia nervosa, cancer-related weight loss, and HIV wasting.
Another major compound in cannabis is CBD. While THC binds to CB1 receptors mainly in the brain. CBD doesn’t bind to the CB1 receptor, so it won’t trigger the munchies. In addition, CBD can block the binding site of this receptor, weakening its interaction with THC and reducing the high and the production of the hormone ghrelin.
In simple terms, when you take THC alongside CBD, the appetite stimulation may not be as pronounced as if you took a high-THC marijuana strain alone. Many medical cannabis patients often take combinations of THC/CBD.
Moreover, cannabis may have health benefits including pain reduction and increased mobility and physical activity.
Everywhere in the news NFL, NHL, NBA and PGA players are endorsing the use of cannabis to manage the chronic pain and inflammation resulting from years of contact sports, pounding the courts and or back and shoulder repetitive use injuries enabling increase mobility as a result of decrease inflammation and pain.
So, it is likely that the same mechanism is responsible for the decrease in obesity in WA cannabis users: Decrease inflammation and pain and increase mobility.
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