Pot correlates with increased light activities, not sloth

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New research, which was published in the journal Cannabis, shows evidence of the weight loss effects of cannabinoids such as THCV and CBD. The study’s official title is “Weight Loss and Therapeutic Metabolic Effects of Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)-Infused Mucoadhesive Strips,” and studied participants’ use of oral strips to administer a combination of THCV/CBD or a placebo.

The study specifically analyzed metabolic syndrome, which develops when an individual accumulates fat, and causes the body to experience “inflammatory response, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and fatty liver disease.” The condition can be caused by a variety of factors, most commonly due to chronic inflammation caused by fat deposits or eating too many calories and not exercising enough. Ultimately, metabolic syndrome can lead to more serious conditions such as diabetes, and an increased risk of a stroke or heart attack.

The human body’s endocannabinoid system has previously been confirmed to have positive effects on energy homeostasis (the regulation of energy in the body) and appetite regulation, and researchers set out to analyze how the phytocannabinoids THCV and CBD affect metabolic syndrome.

According to the World Health Organization data from 2022, an estimated 2.5 billion people adults over 18 were considered to be overweight, while 890 million were living with obesity. Older data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected between 2017-March 2020 shows that in the United States, 41.9% of adults older than 20 are obese.

This most recent study utilized 31 female and 13 male participants, all with an average age of 51.75 years. Participants were given one of two different doses of THCV/CBD, or a placebo. The lower dose included 8 mg THCV/10 mg CBD, while the higher dose included 16 mg THCV/20 mg CBD, which was taken daily via mucoadhesive oral strips over the course of 90 days.

Researchers shared that there were significant results to report. “Use of the THCV/CBD strip was associated with statistically significant weight loss, decreases in abdominal girth, systolic blood pressure, and total and LDL cholesterol,” researchers explained. “The study was limited by small sample sizes in both the high dose and placebo groups.”

Ultimately, participants who were given both the lower and higher doses of THCV/CBD showed the most improvement. “The 16 mg/20 mg daily dose was superior for weight loss compared to the 8 mg/10 mg daily dose; both sets of results differed from placebo in a way that was statistically significant. The results of this study were congruent with the prior unpublished studies of a hemp extract containing significant percentages of THCV, CBDV, and CBD,” researchers concluded.

THCV is said to have been first discovered by researcher Edward Gill and his team in 1970. At the time, cannabis tinctures were a licensed medicine in the United Kingdom, referred to in the British Pharmaceutical Codex (BPC). Cannabis tinctures were removed from the BPC of 1932, although it remained in the BPC of 1949. One year after Gill discovered the compound, it was studied by Frans Merkus who officially referred to it as THCV.

Although THCV appeared in numerous animal studies over the years, its effects on obesity and its “weight loss” properties came from a study by GW Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Researchers administered various levels of THCV to mice for 30 or 45 days, and then measured food and water intake, weight gain, energy expenditure, and more.  The results didn’t show significant food intake or weight gain, but researchers did note increased energy expenditure. “THCV is a new potential treatment against obesity-associated glucose intolerance with pharmacology different from that of CB1 inverse agonists/antagonists,” researchers concluded.

Additionally, another GW Pharmaceutical study in 2016 showed evidence of THCV decreasing “resting state functional connectivity” and increasing “connectivity in the cognitive control network,” leading researchers to suggest positive effects of THCV for obesity.

Other studies, such as one published in 2020, also found that THCV could be a beneficial treatment for those with obesity and diabetes. “However, the uniquely diverse properties of THCV provide neuroprotection, appetite suppression, glycemic control, and reduced side effects, etc.; therefore, making it a potential priority candidate for the development of clinically useful therapies in the future. Hopefully, THCV could provide an optional platform for the treatment of life-threatening diseases.”

Other studies have shown how THCV can benefit those suffering from Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, cancer, pain, inflammation, and untreatable epilepsy.

Most recently in February, cannabis genetics company Phylos announced the results of its THCV study using its “Natural Natural THCV” product. Phylos Chief Scientific Officer Alisha Holloway, PhD, explained the significance of their findings in a press release. “This study signifies a pivotal moment for the cannabis industry in understanding the effect of THCV in combination with THC,” Holloway said. “The Natural Natural THCV study allows us to leverage our exceptional plants in the advancement of targeted cannabis products, and to chart new territories in understanding the efficacy of natural cannabinoids.”

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Building on the growing evidence that psilocybin has the potential to treat a host of serious mental health conditions, researchers are now studying the effects that the active component in magic mushrooms might have on obesity.

Previous research into psilocybin and other psychedelics has repeatedly shown that the drugs may be an effective treatment for mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. Additionally, a correlational study published last year determined that those who reported having tried a classic psychedelic drug at least once during their lifetime had a significantly lower chance of being overweight or obese.

In a recent study, scientists affiliated with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark conducted an experiment with mice to investigate the potential of psilocybin to reduce food cravings. To conduct the study, the researchers used mouse models of genetic obesity, diet-induced obesity and binge-eating disorder to investigate the effect of psilocybin on body weight and food intake.

Initial results showed that a single high dose of psilocybin or a daily microdosing did not lead to reduced body weight or less food intake among obese mice treated with the drug. Although they did not find evidence to support the hypothesis, they were encouraged by the study and urged further research.

“We were surprised to see that psilocybin did not have at least a subtle direct effect on food intake and/or body weight in genetic and diet-induced models of obesity and overeating,” study author Christoffer Clemmensen, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, told PsyPost. “Although we failed to discover major effects of psilocybin on mouse energy metabolism and behaviors associated with eating, we believe that there are nuances of the mode of action of psychedelics that cannot be appropriately captured in rodent models. Importantly, psilocybin was safe and had no adverse effects on the physiological parameters we tested in mice.”

Obesity is Common and Costly in the U.S.

Obesity is one the most pressing health problems in the United States, affecting nearly 42% of adults from 2017 to 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The obesity prevalence was 39.8% among adults aged 20 to 39 years, 44.3% among adults aged 40 to 59 years, and 41.5% among adults aged 60 and older.

Health conditions related to obesity include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, helping to make them among the leading causes of preventable, premature death. The annual estimated medical costs of obesity totaled approximately $173 billion in 2019, adding about $1,861 to the medical costs for each person with obesity.

“Perhaps surprisingly, obesity is a rather treatment resistant disease that shares neuropathological similarities to mental disorders, such as addiction,” said Clemmensen.

“Dysfunctions in homeostatic and reward circuitry can lead to ‘relapse’ in people with obesity, making it difficult to adhere to lifestyle and even drug interventions. Given that psychedelics are thought to enhance the plasticity of neural circuits, it may be that when combined with behavioural therapy, psychedelics might be powerful tools for ‘resetting’ long-held compulsive behaviors. Further, classic psychedelics act on the serotonergic system, and could have a direct effect on food intake by broad activation of serotonin (5-HT) receptors, emphasizing their potential benefits for obesity.”

The researchers noted that despite their value to scientific research, mouse models are not a perfect substitute for human subjects and encouraged further study into the potential of psilocybin to affect food intake and weight.

“The main caveat is translation,” Clemmensen said. “Although animal models in general have been invaluable for neuroscience and metabolism research they might be inappropriate for testing health benefits of psychedelics.”

“I remain excited about this topic, psychedelics for treatment of obesity and eating disorders and I think we should start considering what sub-groups of patients could benefit from this drug class,” he added.

The study, “Acute and long-term effects of psilocybin on energy balance and feeding behavior in mice,” was published last month by the peer-reviewed journal Translational Psychiatry.

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