Losing weight can be challenging. You may have tried everything and had very little long term success. Luckily, CBD use has been shown to correlate with a decrease in appetite and boosted metabolism, which can aid weight loss naturally without crash diets or excessive exercise. Here’s what you can expect:
What is CBD?
CBD is one of over 100 compounds, known as cannabinoids, discovered within the hemp plant. Of all these compounds, it is the second most prevalent, taking up 40% of the plant’s composition. CBD does not get you high, or change your perception or thinking. When you take CBD as a capsule or spray (or any other method) you won’t notice any significant changes to your health or body. But that doesn’t mean that CBD isn’t doing anything. In fact, it is working very hard with your body’s natural processes to heal certain health complaints.
What Can CBD Help With?
CBD is a broad healer, and can be used in a multitude of ways - too many to list. Some of the main ways CBD helps you are:
It inhibits the breakdown of anandamide - a chemical often known as a ‘happy molecule’, responsible for preventing or treating anxiety and pain. Therefore, the anandamide stays in your body for longer, treating pain and mental health problems more effectively.
CBD regulates the production of cytokines, inflammatory molecules, which reduces the onset of pain and inflammation. So, if you have a headache, CBD can certainly help.
CBD can reduce skin problems like acne and eczema, by being placed topically on the skin.
CBD is also linked to improving the following conditions:
- Depression
- Epilepsy
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic Pelvic pain
- Menstrual Cramps / Irregularity
- Hair and Nail problems
- Weight problems
Can CBD Help With Weight Loss?
There is some evidence that CBD can play a role in weight loss, alongside a healthy diet.
Firstly, CBD can help boost metabolism. Research has shown that CBD affects your body weight by interacting with CB1 and CB2 receptors in lymphoid tissue and the brain. An animal study over two weeks showed a significant reduction in body weight when they were injected with CBD. It is hypothesized that both a boost in metabolism and a reduction in appetite were the main causes of this. And it is thought that the reason these two happenings occurred was due to the CBD. It is worth pointing out here that animal studies can only really give us an indication of what might happen in humans and that more human studies are needed to confirm this relationship between CBD and metabolism and appetite.
Next, CBD is thought to promote the ‘browning’ of fat cells. There are two types of fat inside your body - brown and white. Brown fat is in charge of producing heat by burning calories. White fat is in charge of storing and supplying energy, and insulating your organs. When white fat is excessive, it can be linked to disease and obesity. Conversely, brown fat is more prominent in healthy individuals within a normal weight band. White fat can be changed into brown fat by getting enough sleep and exercising. CBD has also shown to aid this process, as has been demonstrated in a test tube study.
Finally, we do know from looking at humans who use cannabis, that there is a relationship between cannabis intake and weight loss. It is just not entirely clear why it happens. When you get stoned on marajuana, you get something called ‘the munchies’ which means you are hungrier and eat more. But, strangely, people who smoke cannabis are less likely to be obese than those who don’t. One study showed that 14-17% of people who smoked cannabis 3+ times a day were obese. In the sample of people who did not smoke any cannabis at all, this rate was 22-25%. Of course, so many variables can exist here. For one, we don't know what role THC plays in obesity reduction or prevention, which is another compound of cannabis that isn’t present in CBD. We also don’t know what kind of lifestyle these people follow, or what correlations there may be that can influence cannabis use.
That said, the above findings are promising and interesting for the CBD Community and especially for those who have been struggling to lose weight using conventional methods.
Could CBD Cause Weight Gain?
It is unclear whether or not CBD might cause some people to gain weight, rather than lose it. For the most part, CBD seems to be steered more towards weight loss than weight gain. However, CBD has shown to increase appetite in some people. This could be the way the CBD acts on the body, or it could be that CBD reduces anxiety, which then promotes a healthier appetite. An interesting study in epilepsy patients showed that with the reduction of epilepsy symptoms came an increase in appetite - again, this could be a side effect of CBD, or it could be that people with fewer epilepsy symptoms naturally feel like their appetite returns.
More research is needed to understand the full correlation between CBD and appetite, as it seems to vary.
Which CBD Products For Weight Loss?
Losing weight can be hard. If you have tried everything to lose weight and find yourself at a loss, you can give CBD a go. You will not experience any unpleasant side effects and will not get stoned.
There are many ways to take CBD, but for weight loss, we recommend you opt for a daily oil tincture, a CBD capsule, or a CBD vape. It needs to be something you can use daily without it interfering with your lifestyle. Vaping is great for those who want an instant hit of CBD as and when required. We have a range of disposable vapes pre-loaded with CBD which can be thrown away once they run out.
CBD is safe as long as it has been third party lab tested and come from a reputable supplier. You can find a range of CBD products on our website and order in bulk, either to use for yourself, or to give to your customers.
The information provided regarding CBD is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. CBD products have not been evaluated by regulatory authorities for the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of any disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new supplement or health regimen to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your specific medical conditions.
