Contrary to popular belief, the herb does not produce weight gain; in fact, it might even help you lose it.
Have you ever heard that smoking marijuana increases appetite? Well, it’s not totally false. Research shows that smoking actually affects the mechanisms that trigger hunger in our brains: the receptors in our brains trigger the release of hormones that make us feel hungry, making us devour everything in sight.
However, even though there is some truth to that idea, it is not 100 percent true. Some studies have shown that smoking marijuana does not lead to weight gain, in fact, it could help you lose weight.
It is important to note that cannabis is not a definitive solution for weight loss: if you don’t exercise and have unhealthy eating habits, smoking marijuana probably won’t help you have a lower BMI. However, according to a 2011 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, “people who use marijuana are less likely to be obese than people who are not “even if using it increases appetite. Other studies have also shown that many cannabis users have smaller waistlines than non-users, as well as lower levels. In addition, these results have been shown to be true, regardless of sample size or factors such as age and sex.
What’s going on?
The researchers speculate that it is due to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in marijuana that causes people to be drugged. To test the link between THC and weight loss, researchers at the University of Calgary examined obese, normal-weight mice that were administered THC daily. The researchers found that THC had no effect on the size of normal-weight mice, but it did cause obese mice to lose weight. The researchers hypothesized that this was because THC caused changes in the gut microbiome, which helped regulate weight loss and digestion.
Other studies, conducted in Poland, Italy, Hungary, Canada and the United Kingdom, have replicated these findings, leading some researchers to conclude that there is “a correlation between marijuana use and reduced BMI,” said Dr. Sunil Aggarwal. , cannabis researcher. “This association remains even after controlling for other variables,” such as age, sex, or why a person smokes marijuana (for example, a cancer patient who uses marijuana as a method of pain relief).
Also, there is evidence that the effects of marijuana on weight fluctuation are more complicated than Aggarwal suggests. Didier Jutras-Aswad, professor of neuroscience at the University of Montreal, has studied how cannabis affects the functions of the neurobiological circuits that control appetite.
“Cannabis is known … to cause a temporary increase in appetite,” which can actually lead to weight gain, he said. However, “on whether it really causes long-term weight gain, the available data is limited.”
Bottom line: We still have a long way to go in terms of research. But stay tuned. Maybe one day, when you want to lose weight, the medical advice will be, “light a joint.”