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Dieting is certainly one of the oldest and most consumed trends in history. People have always had soldiers, young people, advertising faces and misses as role models, whom they wanted to be like, at any cost. Although being overweight is harmful, so can dieting. CBD and weight loss have recently surfaced as a topic. In this article, we will learn about overweight and safe weight loss, the endocannabinoid system behind weight management, and whether CBD oil can help with weight loss.
Overweight in general
Overweight and obesity are a public health challenge, especially in Western countries, including Finland. In Finland, almost 70% of adults are overweight or obese, children approx. 30% and almost half of young people. Since the 1980s, the number of obese people has doubled and the number of children has even tripled. Every other person in Finland has waist fat. (1,2)
Overweight and especially waist obesity contribute to the onset of many diseases, the most common of which is adult-onset diabetes. Being overweight has a negative effect on blood pressure and blood fat values and is a significant factor behind fatty liver . It also causes infertility in both women and men, and is often the cause of knee and leg joint ailments. In addition to physical symptoms, mental challenges are common in overweight people, and especially in young people, obesity can significantly affect self-esteem. (1)
In addition to the fact that obesity is a risk for the person himself, it also creates a financial burden for society.
Factors behind overweight
There can be many reasons behind obesity. It is an energy-metabolic disease that can be caused by mental traumas, sometimes a constant rush, laziness in the kitchen or ignorance of what would be a healthy way to eat. As a result of many diseases, excess weight can accumulate, and sometimes medications also cause it.
Endocannabinoid system underlying body weight
The endocannabinoid system known as the body’s balancing system is behind everything to ensure that the body functions as balanced as possible. It is, of course, an ancient system and still functions as it was originally created in us. This system has a bad tendency to hoard energy when it is available. Of course, the system is only doing it for its goodness when it has not adapted to this abundance that we are used to, but the danger is that energy is stored at maximum power all the time, which of course also accumulates in the wrong places. For this reason alone, gaining excess weight is extremely easy for part of the population; in this regard, they have a well- and efficiently functioning endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system not only regulates appetite, but also the function of many organs and systems focused on metabolism, such as fat cells, liver cells and the gastrointestinal tract (3,4). It is also a very significant regulator of the brain’s hypothalamus, which is largely responsible for functions important for survival, such as appetite and energy storage, body temperature and circadian rhythm (3,5).
According to studies, the background of obesity and overweight is the overactivity of the endocannabinoid system , in this case the overproduction of the CB1 receptor (3).
These data suggest that a high-fat diet promotes the pathological production of endocannabinoids, which may increase lipogenesis, the conversion of excess glucose into storage fat. This eventually leads to the formation of fatty tissue in the liver. (3)
Cannabinoid receptors
Although both cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, are found throughout the body, the CB1 receptor is more common in the brain. In the hypothalamus of the brain, CB1 receptors and endocannabinoids regulate the activity of systems focused on appetite and food intake. (5)
Endocannabinoids
The most studied endocannabinoids are anandamide and 2-AG. These are the most important endogenous cannabinoids and both of them participate in vital functions related to weight management. In animal experiments, 2-AG levels have been found to decrease during fasting and rise again immediately after eating, while anandamide levels do not seem to vary in vital functions related to eating. This suggests that 2-AG is the more active and important endocannabinoid for eating behavior and energy storage. (3,4,5)
Safe and targeted weight loss always includes a good plan, a healthy diet and an appropriate amount of exercise.
Safe weight loss
There are guaranteed to be thousands of different weight loss methods, and everything has probably been tried, from not eating to consuming only fat. Usually the weight does fall, but only temporarily. No single diet necessarily guarantees permanent weight loss, but it is important to commit to renovating your lifestyle completely. At first it may seem scary and a lot of effort, but according to experience, a long-term plan bears fruit as increased well-being prevents returning to old habits most effectively.
Safe weight loss is definitely based on an understanding of what you are doing. Most of the time, it’s not about losing weight alone, but a lifestyle change that starts with observing your own patterns of action. Often the goal is to lose weight quickly, but in terms of permanent results, it is not an ideal way to lose weight.
There are various calculators on the Internet that can be used to calculate, for example, the allowed amount of calories in relation to the desired weight loss, but these should be treated with a little caution, because the calculators often set a time target for weight loss and that is not in line with safe weight loss.
In this link, you can find one example of numerous weight loss calculators.
Weight loss and diet
Diet is certainly the most important element behind weight loss. Today there are a huge number of different diets and they can be very different from each other. It can seem extremely challenging to find the lifestyle that best supports you when there are so many options.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make to lose weight is to eat too little or not at all and at the same time deny yourself everything good. It goes without saying that it doesn’t inspire you to adopt this kind of lifestyle and often the weight accumulates back before it has been properly gained or even lost.
Depending on the situation, the surest way to lose weight permanently is to eat lightly and sufficiently, increase the amount of exercise and take care of mental well-being. Increasing vegetables, fruits and berries, reducing empty carbohydrates and stopping or minimizing consumption of refined sugars, hidden sugar and fat, as well as excessive low-quality fat have been researched as the most effective ways to lose weight permanently. It’s good to allow yourself, at least after a rough start, treats, and above all, to find ways to treat yourself that are not harmful to your health.
A healthy diet can effectively lose weight.
CBD and weight loss
In general, it may be thought that hemp increases the appetite, but it is not that simple. Research has shown that CBD isolates in particular reduce appetite, but according to user experiences The use of the CBD oil use balances the appetite without increasing or decreasing it. In order to utilize all the active substances of hemp, it is recommended to note that the oil is of the highest possible quality, containing all the therapeutic substances of hemp. CBD has been found to work best when it works synergistically, i.e. together with all the active substances of hemp.
Despite its appetite-smoothing effects, CBD oil is not a weight-loss medicine. Best for weight loss support CBD could be a stress reliever, reduce depression and anxiety , and calm the body’s low-level inflammation .
In summary
Being overweight is a public health challenge, and the best way to deal with overweight, the constant yo-yoing of weight and the resulting health challenges is to take healthy lifestyles into account. Food rich in nutrients, exercise, good quality water and a life as stress-free as possible guarantee a good foundation for a healthy body, but also for the mind. Being overweight causes both physical and mental health challenges, and treating it with its side effects is one of the most significant expenditure items in the public health care budget.
The endocannabinoid system is responsible for processes related to eating and also overweight. CBD oil may be helpful for dealing with various side effects such as sleep- related challenges, but the weight loss itself must be done with the help of other means such as diet and exercise!
Sources
- Mustajoki P.. 2022. Health Library Duodecim. Fatness. https://www.terveyskirjasto.fi/dlk00042. Referred on 11/16/2022.
- Department of Health and Welfare. Prevalence of obesity. https://thl.fi/fi/web/elintavat-ja-ravitsemus/lihavuus/lihavuuden-yleeyss. Referred on 11/16/2022
- Bellocchio L., Cervino C., Pasquali R. and Pagotto U.. 2008. Journal of neuroendocrinology. The Endocannabinoid System and Energy Metabolism. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18601709/ . Referred on 11/16/2022
- Horn H., Böhme B., Dietrich L. and Koch M.. 2018. Endocannabinoids in body weight control. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29849009/ . Referred on 11/16/2022.
- Miralpeix C., Reguera AC, Fosch A., Zagmutt S., Casals N., Cota D. and Rodriguez-Rodriguez R.. 2021. Hypothalamic endocannabinoids in obesity: an old story with new challenges. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34718828/ . Referred on 11/16/2022.
