A new federally funded study is challenging a longstanding stereotype about marijuana munchies leading to obesity in lazy stoners—finding that whole extract cannabis is linked to both weight loss and and reduced risk of diabetes.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine set out to investigate potential reasons behind a scientific paradox. That is, if cannabinoids such as THC stimulate appetite, why have multiple previous studies found that marijuana users have healthier weights on average, as well as a lower risk of developing diabetes?
The study, published in the Journal of Physiology, first involved feeding mice with a “Western diet” rich in fat and sugar. The subsequently obese rodents were then treated with either full-spectrum cannabis extract or THC alone for 30 days.
“Our key findings demonstrate that THC and cannabis extract robustly reduced body weight and visceral adiposity in [diet-induced obesity] mice with notable improvements in glucose homeostasis particularly with cannabis extract—but not THC alone—improving glucose clearance,” the researchers wrote.
Fat cells in healthy organisms release signaling molecules that enable the regulation of insulin secretion from the pancreas, whereas those with obesity and type-2 diabetes often experience disrupted communication to that end.
Notably, the cannabis extract
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