Using marijuana to treat various wellness conditions is a controversial issue, but the list of illnesses that the drug can benefit may have a new addition soon. According to new British research, certain compounds in marijuana could help in the management of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Scientists with GW Pharmaceuticals are growing marijuana plants in a secret location in southern England. Cannabinoids, which are found naturally in marijuana, are chemicals that improve your wellbeing because they activate the cannabinoid receptors in your body, which may have an impact on gastrointestinal and cardiovascular activity, pain, and bone. The scientists have found a way to breed the plants to produce different amounts of cannabinoids.
This is not a first time occurrence for GW Pharmaceuticals, as the company has already produced a cannabinoid drug called Sativex. This oromucosal spray relieves cancer pain and treats symptoms of multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain, but the investigators have now announced that they can also use cannabinoids to improve weight loss. According to the team, two substances in marijuana leaves, called cannabidiol and THCV, can increase the amount of calories your body burns.
Dr. Steph Wright, director of R&D at GW Pharmaceuticals, said, ‘We are interested in how these drugs effect the fat distribution and utilisation in the body as a treatment for metabolic diseases.’ The scientists are currently conducting four Phase 2a clinical trials involving 200 patients, and have already successfully used these substances to treat type 2 diabetes in animals. They hope that this will lead to drugs that treat people who have metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, and can significantly increase your chances of having a stroke or heart disease.
Though it seems counterintuitive that a drug well-known for causing the ‘munchies’ can lead to weight loss, it seems that cannabidiol and THCV suppress the appetite, if only for a short time. At the same time, however, both of these substances impact the fat level in your body and how you respond to insulin, specifically increasing your insulin sensitivity whilst also the cells that make insulin. Professor Mike Cawthorne, director of metabolic research at the University of Buckingham and the individual who has been conducting the animal studies, explained, ‘overall, it seems these molecules increase energy expenditure in the cells of the body by increasing the metabolism.’
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