What Does Sports Science Say About CBD?

May 13, 2022Thomas Lowe

The world of fitness and sports is one of precision. Less than a second can separate gold medalists from the rest of the competition. Supplementation is its own language of scoops, dosage, and macronutrients. Athletes subject their bodies to strict routines that have them calculating their food intake by the milligram.

Many are constantly searching for products that can push their performance even further. CBD is one such substance that has caught the attention of athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

As cannabidiol gains traction among fitness enthusiasts, more elite athletes are coming out to endorse use. Two-time world boxing champion Anthony Joshua has just signed a three-year partnership with CBD product manufacturer Love Hemp, who is also the official partner of the UFC. Athletes in high intensity contact sports like rugby are already using CBD to ease the brunt of the punishment their bodies endure.

With high profile endorsements behind it, CBD may seem bound to win big in sports. However, cannabidiol still has some hurdles to jump before widespread adoption. We know cannabidiol influences anxiety and pain – but the exact mechanisms are still fuzzy. Without a clear and conclusive body of evidence, how is the sports world integrating CBD into its regimen?

CBD Legality in Sports

A healthy level of scepticism is normal in a community that’s so exacting about what they consume. Yet CBD has faced relatively mild regulatory roadblocks in the competitive space. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed cannabidiol from the list of prohibited substances for athletes in 2018 – the same year the UK parliament legalised it.

WADA’s ruling means elite athletes in nearly every sport can use CBD for training and recovery. However, the agency still leaves the final say to the leagues, which means that legality may still change based on location and sport. Some leagues like the UFC allow use, but only in topical forms like creams for pain relief.

Athletes who choose to use CBD also still have to be extremely vigilant. While WADA has removed CBD from its prohibited list of substances, THC and other types of cannabinoids remain banned. Transparency is still an issue in the industry, and many CBD products are found with higher-than-advertised levels of THC.

CBD and Recovery

For athletes, postseason recovery is more than just about a little R&R. After intense training schedules and competition cycles, an effective rest phase is crucial, not only for wellness, but for performance. The body needs to recover before it gets faster and stronger.

During recovery, the focus is on regenerating muscle and calming the inflammation that naturally occurs as a reaction to hard training. Trying to push your body before it gets adequate rest can actually hamper performance or increase risk of injury.

With its anti-inflammatory properties, some athletes are adding CBD to their recovery routine to help accelerate the process. “When used in combination with other therapies, there is evidence to show that CBD does help the body recover more quickly and in terms of a sports injury that may help decrease the time out required for recovery,” says Dean Billington, chief scientific officer at BSPG Laboratories, who are one of the few producing CBD for medical use.

CBD as an Opioid Alternative

Many athletes deal with chronic pain from overuse and recurring injuries, making pain management central to sports medicine. However, common treatments for pain aren’t always safe. In the case of opioids, it can even be devastating. Many athletes are given free access to prescription pain drugs, enabling misuse that has led to fatal overdoses and drug dependence.

American football players, the majority of whom suffer from opioid misuse and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) because of the brutal nature of the sport, were one of the first groups in sports to advocate for the use of CBD.

In 2016, several high profile NFL players launched a campaign to raise awareness and fund research into the potential of CBD for treating CTE. “CBD treatment could greatly improve and even save the lives of football players,” says professional athlete Eugone Monroe. The league continues to support research today, recently donating $1 million USD to studies that look at the protective effects of CBD against concussions.

CBD as an NSAIDs Alternative

CBD is also a promising candidate as a substitute for non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Use of NSAIDs is highly prevalent among athletes. Around 30 to 50 percent of all professional and non-professional athletes use these drugs to ease pain and swelling, in order to get back to the competition circuit faster.

Potent as there are, NSAIDs exact a heavy toll, particularly on your digestive system and kidneys. These types of painkillers can also reduce our natural synthesis of collagen, a type of protein that is needed for the recovery and strength of bones, ligaments, and muscles. Less collagen exposes athletes, who put considerable loads on their musculoskeletal system, to a heightened risk of injury.

Indirectly, CBD may also support normal collagen levels in the body. Cannabidiol exhibits antioxidant properties, neutralising the free radicals that damage healthy cells and tissue – among them, collagen.

CBD Beyond Physical Wellness

The stress of competitions gets to everyone. For elite athletes whose entire lives revolve around training and winning, the pressure to succeed is even greater. Many buckle under the burden. Depression and anxiety is prevalent in 34% of the UK’s elite athletes.

CBD can help ease the pressure. While researchers have yet to map the exact mechanisms of CBD in the body, there’s increasing evidence that supports its ability to reduce anxiety. One study found that the compound reduced anxiety and kept it low throughout the duration of the trial.

Another found that athletes who took CBD regularly felt more calm, but the effect wasn’t as potent as when cannabidiol was taken with THC. THC is still highly regulated in sports, but even that restriction is starting to loosen, with the US’ NCAA raising acceptable levels from 35 to 150 nanograms per millimetre.

Clear and conclusive evidence about the therapeutic properties of CBD have yet to come to the fore. However, rising use amongst athletes – individuals who regularly deal with pain and inflammation, high pressure environments, and anxiety – can only be a promising sign for the future of cannabidiol in sports medicine and recovery.