Scientists at UC Riverside uncovered evidence that compounds beyond THC may influence how the body regulates metabolism and insulin signaling.
A preclinical study from the University of California, Riverside offers new insight into a puzzling pattern that scientists have noticed for years: people who use cannabis chronically often have lower body weight and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, even though cannabis is widely known for increasing appetite.
Nicholas V. DiPatrizio, a professor of biomedical sciences at the UCR School of Medicine, led a team that investigated this apparent contradiction. Cannabis is often linked to increased eating, commonly called the “munchies,” but population studies have repeatedly found that regular users tend to show healthier metabolic profiles than people who do not use cannabis.
The findings, published in The Journal of Physiology, suggest that certain cannabis compounds may help influence how the body regulates metabolism.
THC was not the whole story
To explore the effect, DiPatrizio and his team used a mouse model designed to reflect human dietary patterns. They compared pure delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, with a whole plant cannabis extract that contained the same amount of THC along with other naturally occurring cannabis compounds.
Both treatments caused obese mice to lose substantial weight. But their effects on metabolism were very different.
Mice that received only THC did not show better glucose regulation, which is an important marker of type 2 diabetes risk. Even after losing weight, these mice still had impaired glucose homeostasis, a key feature of diabetes.
Mice treated with the whole cannabis extract also lost weight, but unlike the THC-only group, they showed a reversal of those metabolic problems.
“This suggests that THC alone is not responsible for the metabolic benefits associated with cannabis use,” said DiPatrizio, who directs the UCR Center for Cannabinoid Research. “Other compounds in the plant appear to play a critical role.”
Read the full article at SciTechDaily
