MUNCHIES AND YOUTH SINS
Why strong stoners (despite cravings) are slimmer on average
Researchers from California found that the basis for this is laid in adolescence, when cannabis permanently disrupts the functions of fat cells
Thomas Bergmayr
June 3 2023, 07:00
Cannabis consumption ultimately always leads to raiding the nearest available refrigerator; chocolate and co are then also gratefully accepted. The origin of the appetite-enhancing effect of smoking pot - in English-speaking countries, the craving is called "munchies" - is still partly unclear. It is possible that the olfactory system plays a key role. At least mice showed increased activity in the olfactory bulb of the brain in a study under the influence of cannabinoids.
A special nerve network in a region of the hypothalamus is also likely to be partly responsible. All in all, marijuana-induced cravings are likely to be based on a very original mechanism, because even nematodes are not immune to them. The tiny, rather simply structured animals ate significantly more in the laboratory after contact with endocannabinoids, an endogenous cannabis-like substance, and also preferred more nutritious food than in a sober state.
Thinner on average
Actually, one would therefore have to assume that the average cannabis continuous user weighs more on average than a person randomly selected on the street, simply because of the appetite-stimulating effect. Surprisingly, this is not the case: several studies have been able to show that people who frequently use cannabis are thinner on average. In 2016, for example, the University of Miami found a lower body mass index (BMI) among regular stoners compared to women who did not ingest cannabis. Some experts therefore believe that cannabinoids have a lot to offer in obesity treatment.
A team from the University of California, Irvine, may now have found out where this tendency to slimness among long-term users comes from. However, the new results do not open up a viable path to weight reduction with cannabis help: The foundation for this connection is apparently already laid in youth.
The downside
Many adults who consume cannabis on a daily or almost daily basis often start using it in their teens, write the researchers led by Daniele Piomelli in the scientific journal "Cell Metabolism". During this period of rapid physical development, cannabis can upset the finely tuned processes of energy storage. One of the consequences is a lower susceptibility to obesity, another, quite problematic one: those affected are also not as well able to mobilize stored nutrients that are needed for brain and muscle activity.
For their studies, the researchers administered a low daily dose of THC to adolescent mice for a limited time. When the animals reached adulthood, the team conducted a thorough analysis of their metabolism. The results surprised the scientists: mice that had been treated with THC as adolescents but were now drug-free had lower fat mass and higher lean mass, and were partially resistant to obesity and pathologically elevated blood glucose levels.
Muscle proteins where there should be none
Their body temperature was also higher than average, and they were unable to mobilize energy from fat stores. Several of these symptoms were already known from people consuming cannabis in larger quantities. To find out what was behind them, the researchers took a closer look at the molecular changes caused by THC.
At first glance, the fat cells of the THC-treated mice looked normal under the microscope. But closer examination showed that the fat cells produced large amounts of muscle proteins not normally found in fat. In contrast, fewer of these proteins were produced in muscle. Apparently, the effort required to produce these "foreign" proteins impaired the healthy function of the fat cells, namely to store and release nutrients and energy.
Consequences for physical and mental health
These processes could affect both physical activity and processes in the brain, with consequences for things like the ability to concentrate. "Too often we think of cannabis as exclusively a psychoactive drug," Piomelli said. "But its effects go far beyond the brain." Its main ingredient, THC, resembles a group of chemical messengers - and here, according to the researcher, lies the danger: "These endocannabinoids regulate important processes throughout the body. Impairment of endocannabinoid signaling in adolescence can therefore permanently disrupt the functioning of fat organs - with consequences for physical and mental health." (Thomas Bergmayr, 6/3/2023)
S | A
Thomas Bergmayr
June 3 2023, 07:00
Cannabis consumption ultimately always leads to raiding the nearest available refrigerator; chocolate and co are then also gratefully accepted. The origin of the appetite-enhancing effect of smoking pot - in English-speaking countries, the craving is called "munchies" - is still partly unclear. It is possible that the olfactory system plays a key role. At least mice showed increased activity in the olfactory bulb of the brain in a study under the influence of cannabinoids.
A special nerve network in a region of the hypothalamus is also likely to be partly responsible. All in all, marijuana-induced cravings are likely to be based on a very original mechanism, because even nematodes are not immune to them. The tiny, rather simply structured animals ate significantly more in the laboratory after contact with endocannabinoids, an endogenous cannabis-like substance, and also preferred more nutritious food than in a sober state.
Thinner on average
Actually, one would therefore have to assume that the average cannabis continuous user weighs more on average than a person randomly selected on the street, simply because of the appetite-stimulating effect. Surprisingly, this is not the case: several studies have been able to show that people who frequently use cannabis are thinner on average. In 2016, for example, the University of Miami found a lower body mass index (BMI) among regular stoners compared to women who did not ingest cannabis. Some experts therefore believe that cannabinoids have a lot to offer in obesity treatment.
A team from the University of California, Irvine, may now have found out where this tendency to slimness among long-term users comes from. However, the new results do not open up a viable path to weight reduction with cannabis help: The foundation for this connection is apparently already laid in youth.
The downside
Many adults who consume cannabis on a daily or almost daily basis often start using it in their teens, write the researchers led by Daniele Piomelli in the scientific journal "Cell Metabolism". During this period of rapid physical development, cannabis can upset the finely tuned processes of energy storage. One of the consequences is a lower susceptibility to obesity, another, quite problematic one: those affected are also not as well able to mobilize stored nutrients that are needed for brain and muscle activity.
For their studies, the researchers administered a low daily dose of THC to adolescent mice for a limited time. When the animals reached adulthood, the team conducted a thorough analysis of their metabolism. The results surprised the scientists: mice that had been treated with THC as adolescents but were now drug-free had lower fat mass and higher lean mass, and were partially resistant to obesity and pathologically elevated blood glucose levels.
Muscle proteins where there should be none
Their body temperature was also higher than average, and they were unable to mobilize energy from fat stores. Several of these symptoms were already known from people consuming cannabis in larger quantities. To find out what was behind them, the researchers took a closer look at the molecular changes caused by THC.
At first glance, the fat cells of the THC-treated mice looked normal under the microscope. But closer examination showed that the fat cells produced large amounts of muscle proteins not normally found in fat. In contrast, fewer of these proteins were produced in muscle. Apparently, the effort required to produce these "foreign" proteins impaired the healthy function of the fat cells, namely to store and release nutrients and energy.
Consequences for physical and mental health
These processes could affect both physical activity and processes in the brain, with consequences for things like the ability to concentrate. "Too often we think of cannabis as exclusively a psychoactive drug," Piomelli said. "But its effects go far beyond the brain." Its main ingredient, THC, resembles a group of chemical messengers - and here, according to the researcher, lies the danger: "These endocannabinoids regulate important processes throughout the body. Impairment of endocannabinoid signaling in adolescence can therefore permanently disrupt the functioning of fat organs - with consequences for physical and mental health." (Thomas Bergmayr, 6/3/2023)
S | A
