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It is well known that smoking marijuana can make you feel hungry. But exactly how cannabis increases appetite, and why this is useful knowledge, has been revealed by new research in the United States. Researchers at Washington State University exposed rats and mice to cannabis vapor to stimulate specific brain regions associated with appetite. (Also read | Fact Check: How Dangerous Is Marijuana Really?,
They also observed the rodents’ feeding behavior, such as how often they ate.
Independent experts contacted by DW, such as oncologist Donald Abrams of the University of California, San Francisco, suggested that these findings were a useful addition to existing research into the medicinal application of cannabis.
“Rats are not people,” Abrams said. “But as someone who went to college in the ’60s, [I’m] We know that cannabis increases appetite.”
And it may be useful in helping people undergoing cancer treatment who have a loss of appetite but need to eat to maintain their strength.
Cannabis activates neurons specific for hunger
In their study, researchers exposed rats and mice to passive amounts of cannabis vapor, which is similar to the amount people smoke on average.
First, they observed the eating behavior of rats and mice and found that they looked for food more often after being exposed to cannabis vapor.
Then, they looked at neural activity in rats and found that cannabis activated a small group of specific neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus is known to regulate appetite as well as other functions such as body temperature and mood.
But when those specific neurons are activated, it creates a cascade of neural signals associated with motivation and movement. In humans, this is what motivates you to get up from the couch and look for cookies and candy in the kitchen cabinets.
And the rats and mice in this study were no different – they were also looking for food.
How do the chemicals in cannabis affect appetite?
Researchers examined the interaction between chemicals in cannabis and known brain activity associated with hunger and food.
Cannabis releases chemicals called cannabinoids: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
THC and CBD trigger neurons in the hypothalamus that express a protein called the cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1 receptor). The CB1 receptor is known to increase appetite and stimulate food intake.
But the new research found that as soon as the rats in their study saw food, the hypothalamus activated significantly more cells with the CB1 receptor.
They tested this by turning off the corresponding neurons in some rats and noticed that cannabis stimulated appetite significantly less.
Medicinal cannabis to help increase appetite
Scientists have been studying the appetite-enhancing properties of cannabis for some time. The hope is to use medical cannabis to help increase appetite in people undergoing chemotherapy or experiencing anorexia.
Synthetic drugs have been developed to mimic the effects of cannabis. However, in some studies – for example on the treatment of anorexia – the drugs did not work reliably.
Michelle Sexton, a researcher at the University of California San Diego in the US, said this may have been because the drugs were taken orally, which may not be as effective as smoking cannabis. But Sexton told DW by email that “the evidence for vaporized cannabis’s effects on appetite has been poorly studied.”
Cannabis remains a banned substance in the US and other countries, including Germany. It is not accepted for medical use, even in US states such as Colorado and California, where cannabis is available for purchase from dispensaries.
“Cannabis is the only anti-nausea therapy that increases appetite,” Abrams told DW. “It’s also good for pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression, so I often recommend it to people living with and beyond cancer.” ” He gave this drug to his cancer patients for 40 years, but he was not allowed to prescribe it.
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