A recent study by Dr. Gregory L Smith, MD, looked specifically at how CBD/THCv would impact important markers for metabolic syndrome and the results showed that using CBD/THCv increased participants’ weight loss, abdominal girth, systolic blood pressure and total and LDL cholesterol.
This exciting news means CBD/THCv could help as many as 1.25 billion overweight adults worldwide who have the cluster of conditions known as metabolic syndrome. This combination includes obesity, high blood pressure, glucose intolerance, diabetes, excess body fat around the waist and fatty liver disease. Besides the dangers of each condition individually, these can lead to higher risk of health complications such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke, cirrhosis, liver failure, sleep apnea and PCOS. Many of these risks are fatal. More research is needed but these initial findings are promising.
CBD and THCv are both cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Both are non-intoxicating, unlike their sister, THC, which has a psychoactive component that makes us feel “high”. (It’s important to note that all of the benefits discussed in the research occur without any intoxication.)
Weight loss is achievable due to several factors. Firstly, CBD/THCv interacts uniquely with CB1 receptors in our brain, enhancing insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. This leads to efficient nutrient processing and promotes weight loss.
Moreover, CBD/THCv impacts serotonin receptors, reducing anxiety and stress. It also has a potential influence on fat cells, while decreasing the connectivity between the stress, emotional, appetite and reward centers in our brain. These effects contribute to weight loss.
Let’s break these down and understand the potential impact of these cannabinoids!
Appetite Suppression
Unlike THC, which binds to the CB1 receptors in the brain, CBD and THCv do not directly activate them. When THC activates these receptors, they stimulate appetite. Since CBD and THCv do not activate the CB1 receptors, it is believed they suppress, rather than stimulate, appetite and lead to reduced food intake.
Reduction of inflammation
It’s known that CBD and /THCv reduce inflammation in the body and provide pain relief. However, this advantage extends to our metabolic function as well. When our body suffers from chronic inflammation, this can contribute to weight gain and difficulty losing weight by interfering with insulin function, disrupting normal metabolic processes, creating adipose tissue (ie fat cells) dysfunction and worsening oxidative stress. Specifically:
- Inflammation contributes to insulin resistance which leads to high blood sugar and diabetes.
- Inflammation alters the regulation and release of the hormones ghrelin and leptin which regulate appetite in terms of hunger and fullness.
- Inflamed fat cells release messengers known as cytokines which worsen inflammation and disrupt the normal storage and breakdown of fats. This creates visceral fat (fat around your organs) and insulin resistance.
- Inflammation causes an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the cells which can damage them, impair their function, disrupt metabolism and lead to insulin resistance.
As you can see, inflammation leads to insulin resistance in several ways, and studies show that insulin resistance leads directly to diabetes and obesity. The possibility of CBD and THCv being able to reduce that occurrence should bring hope to all.
Emotions, Stress, Appetite and Pleasure
The interconnectivity between our emotions, stress and our appetite remains complex but understanding how this works can help us determine how to control our food intake.
- There’s a part of our brain called the amygdala that activates hormones and neurotransmitters when we experience stress or negative emotions.
- Cortisol is an example of this hormone that is released when we experience stress. The problem is cortisol drives a stronger desire for pleasurable food.
- Our reward centers in the brain produce dopamine when we eat food, making us feel better when we do. Cortisol promotes the release of dopamine, reinforcing that food makes us feel better.
The study showed that THCv decreased the connectivity between the amygdala, appetite, and reward centers which could reduce the influence of hormones like cortisol on our appetite.
Stress and Anxiety
Another common use of CBD and THCv is to reduce stress and anxiety. This can aid weight loss as stress and anxiety often trigger overeating and unhealthy choices.
CBD & THCv have been shown to interact with serotonin receptors in the brain. You may be familiar with serotonin as it is a neurotransmitter that assists in regulating mood, anxiety and appetite. Most of us have experienced how eating carbohydrates and sugary foods make us happier, changing our mood. It’s not unusual to crave or have a strong desire for carbohydrates and sugary foods when feeling down because your body knows your mood will lift when you eat them.
By using CBD & THCv to modulate serotonin, this may help promote a sense of well-being and reduce the likelihood of excessive eating and the overall urge to eat, particularly carbohydrates and sugary foods that lead to insulin resistance.
Conversion of Fat Cells
CBD and THCv may help regulate the conversion of white fat cells into brown fat cells. Basically, brown fat cells (adipose tissue) are more metabolically active, help burn calories and reduce fat storage.
We want fewer white fat cells because they tend to be visceral. They also contribute to more inflammation throughout the body.
More research is needed but this could greatly influence our ability to lose weight by having more metabolically active fat cells.
While more research is needed to fully understand the potential impact of CBD/THCv on weight loss and obesity, these initial findings provide hope in addressing the global epidemic of overweight adults and eliminating the health complications associated with metabolic syndrome.
If you’re interested in more personalized or want to explore further, feel free to reach out to me directly at Beth@Cannafitnessnutrition.com. You can discover more about my comprehensive 12 week program, CannaFit, which helps you integrate cannabis into your fitness and nutrition for optimal wellness at www.cannafitnessnutrition.com.
