New Study Concludes Cannabis Increases Appetite by Enhancing Sense of Smell

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New Study Concludes Cannabis Increases Appetite by Enhancing Sense of Smell

A new study published this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience has revealed why cannabis can act as an appetite stimulant.saved55

A group of European scientists examined the standard smelling and eating patterns of mice, and compared them to patterns exhibited by mice given THC.

Both groups of mice were offered almond and banana oils; while the mice in the control group sniffed the oils and eventually lost interest, the group of mice who were administered THC just kept sniffing. When offered food, the mice who were given THC ate substantially more than the control group.

Upon examining another group of mice that had fasted for 24 hours, the researchers found results similar to those seen in the mice given THC.

The scientists genetically engineered a group of mice without CB1 receptors in their olfactory bulb (the part of the brain responsible for sense of smell), and found that administering THC no longer had the same effect; the mice reacted to smells the same as the control group, and no longer exhibited an increased appetite.


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Researchers determined that cannabinoid receptors located in the olfactory bulb were triggered by the THC, which acts as an imitation of the endocannabinoids naturally produced when experiencing hunger – thus, enhancing the sense of smell and increasing the appetite of the mice.

These results reveal why cannabis offers such an effective treatment for so many people suffering illness-induced appetite suppression, and indicates the strong potential for the plant’s use in wide-spread medical treatments.

– TheJointBlog

6 Comments

  • Pat Jones
    February 11, 2014

    This is my first time I have read your blog and I find it very interesting. I hope to keep receiving them.

  • Asphyxium
    February 11, 2014

    This is absurd. Everyone who’s experienced cannabis knows that it actually causes hunger not an indirect effect like enhanced smell. That’s not to say that enhanced smell is not occurring just that it’s not the primary reaction that takes place.

    • Eric
      February 11, 2014

      The mice who lacked CB1 receptors in their olfactory bulbs had normal appetites, even after having been administered THC. So if this isn’t the “primary reaction”, why isn’t their appetite still increased, if the only thing different is their perception of smell being unaffected by THC?

      • kat
        February 12, 2014

        The enahnced sense of smell triggers the feeding frenzy. Like how when you’re hungry, and you smell something really tasty, and it makes you want to eat it more. The mice didnt have an enhanced sense of smell anymore, so they didn’t have an increased appetite. Thats the whole thing thats crazy, that it was actually the increased sense of smell that caused the increased appetite. Weird.

  • Anonymous
    February 12, 2014

    I’ve lost my sense of smell but I still feel munchies time to time

  • felix Nzioka
    February 13, 2014

    wwhy let de keep on wasting taxpayers money making their chemical filled appetizers why not ligalize Ganja oohhh good lord love de herbs,natural i tell u

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