Study: Cannabis May Reduce Body Weight, Improve Insulin Sensitivity
A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
has found that cannabis may provide a treatment option for obesity by reducing body weight and improving insulin sensitivity.
“Cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor antagonists [such as cannabis] reduce body weight and improve insulin sensitivity”, according to the study. “Preclinical data indicates that an acute dose of CB1 antagonist rimonabant causes an increase in blood glucose. Exendin-4 [another CB1 antagonist] improves glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreas, and reduces appetite through activation of GLP-1 receptors in the central nervous system and liver.”
When combining the two, researchers found that; “Thus, the addition of exendin-4 to rimonabant produces greater reduction in food intake owing to increased aversion, but reduces the other central nervous system side effects of rimonabant. The hyperglucagonemia induced by rimonabant is partially responsible for enhancing the antiobesity effect of exendin-4.”
The full study, which was conducted by researchers at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Zydus Research Centre at Cadila Healthcare Limited in India, can be found by clicking here.
– TheJointBlog