Latest Research
New Study: Cannabis Use May Lead to a Lower BMI
The Dangers of Obesity and Insulin Resistance Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas and distributed throughout the body, which functions to help glucose (i.e. sugar) enter cells, so that it can be used as energy to fuel the body. When insulin resistance (“prediabetes”) develops, cells no longer respond to insulin, and therefore take less glucose out of the bloodstream. As a result, glucose levels begin to rise in the blood, and glucose attaches to a component of red blood cells (RBCs), called hemoglobin (the part of the RBC that holds oxygen). This leads to a …
The Effect of Cannabinoid Therapy Use on Body Weight
A review, published in Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience July-August 2014, examines the research and information available on the impact of cannabis use on body weight. Their findings are summarized here. Summary One of the most well-known results of cannabis use is appetite stimulation, known commonly as “the munchies”. However, in studies on the effect of cannabis use in patients with cachexia (“loss of weight, muscle [wasting], fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight”) and anorexia (loss of appetite), …
Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV): A Cannabinoid Fighting Obesity
What Is Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)? As the name might suggest, tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) is very similar to the most famous cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); THCV is like THC’s propyl cannabinoid cousin. Their chemical structure is nearly identical, but the process involved in their creation is slightly different. Unlike THC, cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabichromene (CBC), THCV doesn’t begin as cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). Instead …
Cannabis: Keeping Your Insulin Levels & Pant Size Down
Did you know? Research published in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine concluded that regular cannabis users have a lower chance of obesity and diabetes mellitus than people who have never used cannabis. The study was done by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, where the 4657 men and women in the study were assessed after a 9-hour fast. Glucose and fasting insulin were tested for by way of blood samples, and a Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance (IR) was calculated to evaluate insulin resistance. Their …