“The munchies,” where one develops a sudden
and impactful craving for delicious, palatable
sweets and junk food, especially after a cannabis-lit
session.
And more often than not, the munchies are
unapologetically satisfied by a quick trip
to the nearby 7-11.
With that in mind, the last thing you would
think when smoking the jay is that it will
help you lose weight.
After all, how can you eat all of this and
expect to look like this.
Interestingly enough, in 2011, researchers
found something rather peculiar on this matter.
Through surveying roughly 50,000 people, they
found that the more frequently subjects reported
smoking weed, the less likely they were to
be obese.
And this is after adjusting for other factors
like age, sex, and other drug use, such as
cigarettes.
The most frequent users, in this case measured
as 3 or more times per week, were about 40%
less likely to be obese than those with no
cannabis use in the past 12 months.
That’s quite a sticky icky result.
But considering weed’s munchie effects,
how is that possible?
Well, there’s a few hypotheses floating
around possibly explaining the bong-induced
effects in play.
And they’re based on how the constituents
of MJ known as endocannabinoids interact with
our bodies.
Two of the major endocannabinoids that tree-smokers
know and love is tetrahydrocannabinol, aka
THC, and cannabidiol, aka CBD.
Of the two, THC is most responsible for the
increased munchies we’re familiar with.
Even then, researchers in 2013 hypothesized
that long-term use of THC might actually lead
to the opposite effect.
This is through their belief that repeated
receptor stimulation from THC use can lead
to a down-regulation, or desensitization of
its effects.
Like caffeine, one might be able to build
a tolerance to THC.
Continued use leads to an oversaturation of
THC.
This prevents other, stronger endocannabinoids
our body makes, like 2-AG, from binding to
CB1 receptors, which when stimulated, facilitates
the release of appetite-inducing hormones.
Thus, if any of this were to be true, more
THC leads to less appetite and eventually
suppressing appetite.
Another study in 2015 further elaborated that
THC was able to prevent gut microbiota changes
normally seen in obesity, resulting in lower
food intake and reductions in bodyweight and
fat.
CBD, unlike THC, has been discovered to outright
antagonize both CB1 and CB2 receptors.
It’s not much of a surprise that it theoretically
limits cravings and promotes weight loss.
Also, to point out, CB2 receptor stimulation
have been shown to reduce appetite as well.
And, another, lesser known endocannabinoid,
THCV, can also act as a CB1 receptor antagonist,
possessing similar appetite-suppressing potential
as CBD.
You would think, with all of these sciency
appetite reductions that it would be an open
and shut case to tell everyone how great a
little joint can help with your waistline.
But, all of these findings only stand as hypotheticals
for now.
The thing is, the majority of the findings
weren’t in humans… but in rats.
Unfortunately, human trials are few and far
between due to marijuana’s controversial
legal nature.
By the way, PictureFit does not condone the
use of marijuana and everything discussed
inthis video is strictly for educational purposes.
If we were to see these mechanisms replicated
in humans, then we might have a clearer answer.
And with acceptance of cannabis on the rise,
that might not be too far down the line.
But for now, if you were to ask if marijuana
is a good weight loss tool, the only possible
answer is… maybe.
Now, cannabis use does have some practical
benefits.
One is that, if you consume alcohol mainly
for its psychological effects, replacing it
with marijuana can still provide its own psychological
effects but without the added calories.
Also, if you find yourself being able to exercise
more intensely or longer while high, then
that can help you burn more calories.
Just be cautious, though, since THC can raise
your pain tolerance, causing you to possibly
ignore pain signals related to potential injury.
So, don’t go too hard.
But other than that, the answer is still maybe.
In the future, that might change with new
data and if it does, you can be certain that
there will be new PictureFit content all about
it.
For now, enjoy your blunts if you choose to,
just don’t think that it will blunt the
number on your scale.
Let me know what YOU think about the marijuana
weight loss magic in the comments below.
Has it helped YOU with your weight loss goals.
Or even weight gain.
If you enjoyed the video, please like it and
share it with your chronic loving friends.
Subscribe for more future PictureFit videos.
As always, thank you for watching and GET
YOUR PROTEIN…
