Marijuana Users Are Thinner And Healthier

Marijuana Smokers Are Thinner And Healthier Than Non-Users.

A recent study published in the Journal of American Medicine has some conclusions that might make marijuana advocates pretty excited. According to the study, the potent plant usually known for causing the munchies might actually help people be thinner. Researchers looked at the effect of the drug on metabolic processes and discovered a correlation between smaller waist circumference and marijuana use.

The results showed that, in addition to being thinner, marijuana users appeared to be more healthy overall than those who have never used marijuana.

With the government taking over healthcare might there come a time when cannabis use is required? Wouldn't that be funny? I'm against forcing people to do anything except leave others alone.

Here is a link to the study: The Impact of Marijuana Use on Glucose, Insulin, and Insulin Resistance among US Adults.

Obesity And Endocannabinoids

Obesity-driven synaptic remodeling affects endocannabinoid control of orexinergic neurons
Endocannabinoids act retrogradely at presynaptic sites to activate cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptors, thereby

inhibiting neurotransmitter release and fine-tuning synaptic transmission. In murine models of obesity with leptin deficiency, we report that orexin-A neurons undergo a shift from predominant control by CB1-expressing excitatory to CB1-expressing inhibitory inputs. In addition, endocannabinoid biosynthesis is increased in these neurons. CB1 activation by endocannabinoids reduces the inhibition of orexinergic neurons in obese mice, thereby enhancing orexin-A release in target brain areas and contributing to hyperphagia and increased body weight, as well as to alterations of hormone levels typical of obesity.

The Daily Mail (UK) has Cannabis-like chemical could help keep couch potatoes slim

A natural cannabis-like chemical in the brain may hold the key to keeping couch potatoes slim, early research suggests.

Scientists in the US found that blocking the compound allowed mice to gorge on high fat food and take little exercise without putting on weight or becoming unhealthy.

The genetically modified animals produced limited amounts of the endocannabinoid 2-AG, a chemical related to the active ingredient in cannabis.

Endocannabinoids And Obesity

Here is a report on a study of the endocannabinoid systems and obesity:

A switch that occurs in neurons within the hypothalamus could explain the body’s tendency to maintain higher, undesirable weight levels, rather than an ideal weight, according to new research. The switch involves receptors that trigger or inhibit the release of the orexin A peptide, which stimulates the appetite, among other behaviors.

The team of American and Italian neuroscientists found that in normal-weight mice, activation of this receptor decreases orexin A release. In obese mice, activation of this receptor stimulates orexin A release.

“The striking finding is that you have a massive shift of receptors from one set of nerve endings impinging on these neurons to another set,” says Ken Mackie, M.D., professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington. “Before, activating this receptor inhibited the secretion of orexin; now it promotes it. This identifies potential targets where an intervention could influence obesity.” Dr. Mackie’s team at the Gill Center for Biomolecular Science at IU Bloomington collaborates with Vincenzo Di Marzo, Ph.D.’s team at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry in Pozzuoli, Italy.

Both teams study the endocannabinoid system, which is composed of receptors and signaling chemicals that occur naturally in the brain and have similarities to the active ingredients in marijuana. This neurochemical system is involved in a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain, mood, stress responses, and memory.

You can read the abstract at NIH: Obesity-driven synaptic remodeling affects endocannabinoid control of orexinergic neurons