Cannabis helps to treat diabetes?
First, it is important to understand the causes of type 1 diabetes (autoimmune disease) and type 2 diabetes.
However, one plant, cannabis, may be beneficial for both diseases. Although there is little research on the subject, and the knowledge has been extracted from studies in mice, there are several trials in humans of cannabinoids in diabetes. There is evidence that cannabis may improve insulin sensitivity, promote insulin production in beta cells in the pancreas and help autoimmune but it is still under investigation, but it may be important to know that cannabis may help patients cope with severe diabetes symptoms.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas. The pancreas is responsible for producing insulin, a hormone that puts sugar from the blood into the cells. When the immune system attacks cells in the pancreas, they no longer produce the insulin needed to regulate blood sugar. These are people who are dependent on insulin all their lives.
Cannabis itself does not produce insulin but relaxes the immune system and causes it to stop attacking the body and thus reduces damage to the pancreas.
In 2001, scientists tested mice with autoimmune diabetes, type 1 diabetes. The mice were treated with 150 mg / kg of THC, and mice had fewer episodes of hyperglycemia and less insulin loss in the pancreas. They also found a decrease in signs of inflammation, a very important thing that shows suppression in the immune system that causes damage to the pancreas. 150 mg / kg of THC is a very high amount … and it is astringent. Fortunately, another study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2008 [1] found that CBD is also as effective as THC only without the psychoactive effect of THC. In fact, it seems that treatment with CBD changed the immune response from prophylactic to anti-inflammatory. Cannabis corrects the immune imbalance that contributes to autoimmune diseases in animal models. Cannabis can not be said to cure type 1 diabetes, but the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis may be very helpful, delay the deterioration and improve the overall quality of life of type 1 diabetics.
Type 2 diabetes is a completely different story. This is not an autoimmune disease but rather a carbohydrate metabolism problem. The body is flooded with sugar, the pancreas gets tired of the need to produce more and more insulin to put sugar into the cells and then there are high levels of sugar in the blood. The result is that the sugar is stored in the fat cells.
Sugar increases the consumption of carbohydrates, not just sweets and sugar, but also carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, pasta, bread and more …. Some people cope with type 2 diabetes by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, low-carb diet and exercise, Harmful. Some people take different drugs to lower blood sugar, and some may also inject insulin against very high levels of sugar and the pancreas is too tired. While the anti-inflammatory activity of cannabis is also beneficial here, there is another benefit of type 1 diabetes for cannabis in type 2 diabetes. Cannabis affects the metabolism of carbohydrates. Insulin levels too high lead to insulin resistance, leading to type 2 diabetes. A study of 4,600 people found that insulin levels were 16% lower in cannabis lovers and that the study found cannabis lovers had a metabolic syndrome that was 17% Cannabis. Too high insulin levels cause obesity. High levels of insulin are also a pre-diabetic condition.
Research from 2012 found that cannabis has a good effect on metabolism. The study investigated specific cannabinoids CBD, CBN, CBG. It was found that CBG did not change anything, because CBN actually caused mice to eat more, and CBD reduced the appetite.
Another study from 2016 [3] at the University of Miami reported that regular cannabis users were 54 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome than those who did not regularly use cannabis. The study examined data from nearly 8,500 people through national health and nutrition surveys. Participants were between the ages of 20 and 59. Cannabis users were found to have lower levels of sugar, less risk of developing type 2 diabetes, less abdominal fat, lower risk of heart disease, and lower levels of LDL cholesterol.
Metabolic syndrome includes: high blood pressure, high abdominal fat, high levels of cholesterol, high blood sugar. When these factors appear together, they increase the chances of developing stroke, diabetes and heart disease.
Metabolic syndrome is one of the reasons for fatty liver. CBD also showed potential to reduce non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. CBD combined with THCV has successfully reduced fat accumulation in the liver [4]. Furthermore, in two models of mice [5], THCV improved insulin sensitivity, decreased glucose intolerance, improved insulin sensitivity, and increased energy expenditure. This study also found that THCV returned the insulin signal in previously hormone-resistant cells.
A 2011 study [6] of 52,000 people found that the rate of obesity was 30% lower for regular cannabis users. A strange statistic given that cannabis consumers eat an average of about 600 calories more than other people [7]. THC stimulates the activity of a small hormone called ghrelin [8], which causes appetite and is known as the hunger hormone. However, while this small, cunning hormone is what drives us to eat, ghrelin also plays a vital role in helping our bodies decompose and process carbohydrates. Cannabis consumption causes the manchitis phenomenon but also helps in metabolism.
It turns out that cannabis raises some of the “good” HDL cholesterol and lowers the “bad” LDL.
In 2012 researchers in Budapest found that cannabidiol (CBD) reduces the amount of fat stored in the arteries. Fat in the arteries is stored when there are high blood sugar levels.
Patients with cannabis often report other causes, such as pain or cancer, because they manage to lower the dose of diabetes drugs, sometimes until they stop completely.
The whole secret is in balance. A study [11] found that the endocannabinoid system, endocannabinoid 2AG and anandamide, CB1 receptors, plays a crucial role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. Further studies are needed, but it appears that there is room for CB1 receptor angonists for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
It is important to know that THC triggers hunger and CBD suppresses hunger. There is an advantage to the use of cultivars in terms of cannabinoid levels in relation to 1: 1 THC: CBD. But with everything written here, each person’s response to cannabis may be different and this is what ultimately determines the usual cannabis users. The difference between cannabinoids (cannabis) and endocannabinoids produced in our bodies is still unknown. However, we know that cannabis may become a new and effective drug for those suffering from metabolic syndrome.
More human studies are needed before we reach conclusive conclusions, but there is hope.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17714746/
[2] http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00200-3/abstract
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26548604
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25595882
[5] https://www.nature.com/articles/nutd20139
[6] https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/174/8/929/155851
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16893701
[8] http://www.jbc.org/content/280/26/25196.full
[9] http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/8/2415.full