6 Reasons To Fall In Love With CBD

Guest post, Grace Hawkins

Ever since industrial hemp got legalized, there's been a significant influx of CBD (cannabidiol) products in the market. The industry is approximately worth more than a billion dollars and is still on a substantial rise. Online stores and convenience stores have already started selling CBD in various types and forms.

The Brightfield Research group has estimated that CBD markets are expected to have a 57% annual growth. Medical cannabis is facing acceptance and appreciation from the pharmaceutical industry. Medical professionals have discovered that CBD can naturally treat chronic pain, inflammation, epileptic seizures, and several other conditions. A survey from the Brightfield Group concluded that 42% of respondents turned to CBD products, and have stopped using pharmaceutical drugs or medication. The FDA has approved Epidiolex, a first-ever cannabis-derived drug for treating rare forms of epilepsy. Let us talk about the reason why you should consider falling in love with CBD. 

1.   Research Shows Promising Results

 Research in the field of cannabidiol has gone through numerous trials and studies.  Fortunately, the research has shown positive results. In 2017, the World Health Organization stated that CBD's pure state is well-tolerated by humans and animals. There are currently no risks and chances of physical dependence. Research shows a lot of encouraging results; therefore, the hype for CBD has reached another level. It might prove to be useful, especially on matters regarding epilepsy. It's always advisable to check in with your doctor before replacing any of your medication with CBD. 

2.   Can Alleviate Chronic Pain

 CBD affects ECS minutely. Instead, it activates or transforms other compounds present in the endocannabinoid system. If our body produces increased amounts of amandine, a compound responsible for regulating pain, it may reduce pain intensity. Studies have suggested that CBD can be used to treat chronic pain and inflammation. In 2017, the Health and Medical Division of US National Academies concluded that CBD is effective for neuropathic pain in adults and improves sclerosis spasticity symptoms.

3.   Can Improve Sleep Cycle

If you have insomnia, here's some good news for you. People consuming CBD have reported improvement in their sleep cycle when consumed an hour before bedtime. Therefore, it promotes a relaxing goodnight sleep. CBD is an excellent muscle relaxer as well. If your chronic pain keeps you awake at night, the best way to deal with the issues is by going for CBD edibles before bed. *Weed online canada Retailers can give you a greater insight into what options are available for consumption. 
(*This is not an endorsement by AV Stim, LLC implied or otherwise.)

4.   Its Legal Status

 For decades, all varieties of the cannabis plant have been considered Schedule I Substance. This means that they have high chances of abuse and no medical use. Substances with higher levels of THC are still illegal in the US. However, derivatives of the hemp plants have been legalized in many places. According to the Farm Bill of 2018, CBD containing a maximum of 0.3% of THC has been nationally legalized. Businesses have started selling as well as in many local stores. The ways of consumption vary from CBD edibles to oils and supplements. 

5.   Safe For Pets 

 Another quality of CBD is that it's safe for animals. Like humans, all animals have an endocannabinoid system. This system ensures that the cell receptors accept the benefits of CBD. It means that you and your pets can safely consume this natural remedy. Research has shown that CBD has helped alleviate symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and osteoarthritis in their pets. 

6.   Reduced Mental Issues

 In recent times, CBD has drawn increasing interest as a treatment for many neuropsychology disorders. Fear and anxiety are natural responses that are necessary to cope with survival threats. But the excessive presence of concern can be a disability. According to studies, CBD shows positive results for curbing anxiety. Other than that, active research is being conducted, and experiments have suggested that it may decrease symptoms of schizophrenia. CBD is also considered to be useful for PTSD,  insomnia, and depression. It can be a great muscle relaxed as well. Those wanting to vape CBD can visit authorized smoke shop supplies retailers and reap all benefits.

Conclusion

 That's not all; it even shows promise to cure addiction among people. Since the benefits are immense, it has been positively received by the public. The CBD market is continuing to grow and has received great reviews from users. There's been an influx of CBD products in various forms, such as oils, bath bombs, edibles, supplements, dog treats, etc. The future of this industry is undoubtedly bright.

New medication may be able to improve effects of psychological treatment for PTSD

August 29, 2019

Science Daily/Linköping University

A medication that boosts the body's own cannabis-like substances, endocannabinoids, shows promise to help the brain un-learn fear memories when these are no longer meaningful. These results, obtained in an early-stage, experimental study on healthy volunteers at Linköping University in Sweden, give hope that a new treatment can be developed for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. The study has been published in the scientific journal Biological Psychiatry.

"We have used a medication that blocks the way the body breaks down its own cannabis-like substances, or 'endocannabinoids'. Our study shows that this class of medications, called FAAH inhibitors, may offer a new way to treat PTSD and perhaps also other stress-related psychiatric conditions. The next important step will be to see if this type of medication works in patients, particularly those with PTSD," says Leah Mayo, senior post-doctoral fellow and lead investigator on the study, which was carried out in the laboratory of Professor Markus Heilig at the Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, CSAN, Linköping University.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, arises in some -- but not all -- people who have experienced life-threatening events. A person affected by PTSD avoids reminders of the trauma, even when the danger is long gone. Over time, these patients become tense, withdrawn, and experience sleep difficulties. This condition is particularly common among women, where it is often the result of physical or sexual abuse. It is highly debilitating, and current treatment options are limited.

PTSD is currently best treated using prolonged exposure therapy, PE. In this treatment, patients are repeatedly exposed to their traumatic memory with the help of a therapist. This ultimately allows patients to acquire new learning: that these memories no longer signal imminent danger. Although clinically useful, effects of PE are limited. Many patients do not benefit, and among those who do, fears frequently return over time. The scientists who carried out the current study examined whether fear extinction learning, the principle behind PE therapy, can be boosted by a medication.

The researchers tested a pharmaceutical that affects the endocannabinoid system, which uses the body's own cannabis-like substances to regulate fear and stress-related behaviors. The experimental medication results in increased levels of anandamide, a key endocannabinoid, in regions of the brain that control fear and anxiety. The medication accomplishes this by blocking an enzyme, FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase), that normally breaks down anandamide. The FAAH inhibitor tested by the researchers was originally developed for use as a pain killer, but was not effective enough when tested clinically.

This early-stage experimental study was randomised, placebo-controlled and double-blind, which means that neither the participants nor the scientists knew who was receiving the active drug (16 people) and who was receiving placebo (29 people). Participants were healthy volunteers. After taking the drug for 10 days, they underwent several psychological and physiological tests. In one of these, participants learned to associate a highly unpleasant sound, that of fingernails scraping across a blackboard, with a specific visual cue -- an image of a red or blue lamp. Once they had learned to respond with fear to the previously innocuous image of the lamp, they were repeatedly re-exposed to it, but now in the absence of the unpleasant sound. This allowed them to unlearn the fear memory. The following day, the scientists measured how well participants remembered this new learning: that the lamp was no longer a threat signal. This process of un-learning fear is the same principle on which PE therapy for PTSD is based.

"We saw that participants who had received the FAAH inhibitor remembered the fear extinction memory much better. This is very exciting," say Leah Mayo.

"Numerous promising treatments coming out of basic research on psychiatric disorders have failed when tested in humans. This has created quite a disappointment in the field. This is the first mechanism in a long time where promising results from animal experiments seem to hold up when put to test in people. The next step, of course, is to see whether the treatment works in people with PTSD," adds professor Markus Heilig.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190829115420.htm

How marijuana impairs memory

March 1, 2012

Science Daily/Cell Press

A major downside of the medical use of marijuana is the drug's ill effects on working memory, the ability to transiently hold and process information for reasoning, comprehension and learning. Researchers provide new insight into the source of those memory lapses. The answer comes as quite a surprise: Marijuana's major psychoactive ingredient (THC) impairs memory independently of its direct effects on neurons.

The findings offer important new insight into the brain and raise the possibility that marijuana's benefits for the treatment of pain, seizures and other ailments might some day be attained without hurting memory, the researchers say.

With these experiments in mice, "we have found that the starting point for this phenomenon -- the effect of marijuana on working memory -- is the astroglial cells," said Giovanni Marsicano of INSERM in France.

"This is the first direct evidence that astrocytes modulate working memory," added Xia Zhang of the University of Ottawa in Canada.

The new findings aren't the first to suggest astroglia had been given short shrift. Astroglial cells (also known as astrocytes) have been viewed as cells that support, protect and feed neurons for the last 100 to 150 years, Marsicano explained. Over the last decade, evidence has accumulated that these cells play a more active role in forging the connections from one neuron to another.

The researchers didn't set out to discover how marijuana causes its cognitive side effects. Rather, they wanted to learn why receptors that respond to both THC and signals naturally produced in the brain are found on astroglial cells. These cannabinoid type-1 (CB1R) receptors are very abundant in the brain, primarily on neurons of various types.

Zhang and Marsicano now show that mice lacking CB1Rs only on astroglial cells of the brain are protected from the impairments to spatial working memory that usually follow a dose of THC. In contrast, animals lacking CB1Rs in neurons still suffer the usual lapses. Given that different cell types express different variants of CB1Rs, there might be a way to therapeutically activate the receptors on neurons while leaving the astroglial cells out, Marsicano said.

"The study shows that one of the most common effects of cannabinoid intoxication is due to activation of astroglial CB1Rs," the researchers wrote.

The findings further suggest that astrocytes might be playing unexpected roles in other forms of memory in addition to spatial working memory, Zhang said.

The researchers hope to explore the activities of endogenous endocannabinoids, which naturally trigger CB1Rs, on astroglial and other cells. The endocannabinoid system is involved in appetite, pain, mood, memory and many other functions. "Just about any physiological function you can think of in the body, it's likely at some point endocannabinoids are involved," Marsicano said.

And that means an understanding of how those natural signaling molecules act on astroglial and other cells could have a real impact. For instance, Zhang said, "we may find a way to deal with working memory problems in Alzheimer's."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120301143424.htm

Sex, drugs and estradiol: Why cannabis affects women differently

October 26, 2018

Science Daily/Frontiers

Sex differences in cannabis use are beginning to be explained with the aid of brain studies in animals and humans.

Cannabis use is riding high on a decade-long wave of decriminalization, legalization and unregulated synthetic substitutes. As society examines the impact, an interesting disparity has become apparent: the risks are different in females than in males.

A new review of animal studies says that sex differences in response to cannabis are not just socio-cultural, but biological too. Published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, it examines the influence of sex hormones like testosterone, estradiol (estrogen) and progesterone on the endocannabinoid system: networks of brain cells which communicate using the same family of chemicals found in cannabis, called 'cannabinoids'.

Animal studies

"It has been pretty hard to get laboratory animals to self-administer cannabinoids like human cannabis users," says study co-author Dr Liana Fattore, Senior Researcher at the National Research Council of Italy and President of the Mediterranean Society of Neuroscience. "However, animal studies on the effects of sex hormones and anabolic steroids on cannabinoid self-administration behavior have contributed a lot to our current understanding of sex differences in response to cannabis."

So how does cannabis affect men and women differently? Besides genetic background and hormonal fluctuations, the paper highlights a number of important sex differences.

Men are up to four times more likely to try cannabis -- and use higher doses, more frequently.

"Male sex steroids increase risk-taking behavior and suppress the brain's reward system, which could explain why males are more likely to try drugs, including cannabis" explains Fattore. "This is true for both natural male sex steroids like testosterone and synthetic steroids like nandrolone."

But despite lower average cannabis use, women go from first hit to habit faster than men. In fact, men and women differ not only in the prevalence and frequency of cannabis use, pattern and reasons of use, but also in the vulnerability to develop cannabis use disorder.

"Females seem to be more vulnerable, at a neurochemical level, in developing addiction to cannabis," explains Fattore.

"Studies in rats show that the female hormone estradiol affects control of movement, social behavior and filtering of sensory input to the brain -- all targets of drug taking -- via modulation of the endocannabinoid system, whose feedback in turn influences estradiol production.

"Specifically, female rats have different levels of endocannabinoids and more sensitive receptors than males in key brain areas related to these functions, with significant changes along the menstrual cycle.

"As a result, the interactions between the endocannabinoid system and the brain level of dopamine -- the neurotransmitter of "pleasure" and "reward" -- are sex-dependent."

Human impact

The inconsistency of conditions in these studies greatly complicates interpretation of an already complex role of sex hormones in the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid sensitivity.

"The effects varied according the specific cannabinoid studied, as well as the strain of animals tested and duration of hormone exposure," admits Fattore. However, the human data so far are consistent with the idea that estradiol regulates the female response to cannabinoids. As in animals, human males and females are diverse in their genetic and hormonally driven behaviour and they process information differently, perceive emotions in different ways and are differently vulnerable to develop drug addiction.

"Blood levels of enzymes which break down cannabinoids fluctuate across the human menstrual cycle, and imaging studies show that brain levels of cannabinoid receptors increase with aging in females -- mirroring in each case changes in estradiol levels."

Fattore believes that deepening our understanding of the interactions between cannabinoids and sex steroids is crucial in assessing the impact of increasing cannabis use, and tackling the fallout.

"Gender-tailored detoxification treatments and relapse prevention strategies for patients with cannabis addiction are increasingly requested. Optimizing personalized evidence-based prevention and treatment protocols demands further research on the source of sex disparities in cannabis response."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181026102627.htm

In parasitic worm infection both the host and the worm produce cannabis-like molecules

August 22, 2018

Science Daily/University of California - Riverside

Like mammals, parasitic worms have an endocannabinoid system that may help the worm and the hosts it infects survive by reducing pain and inflammation in the host, according to a "wild" new discovery by an interdisciplinary research team at the University of California, Riverside.

The research, done on a mouse model, identifies cell signaling pathways associated with the endocannabinoid system that could be targeted to develop therapeutic treatments aimed at eliminating worm infection or improving infection outcomes.

Endocannabinoids are cannabis-like molecules made naturally by our own body to regulate several processes: immune, behavioral, and neuronal. As with cannabis, endocannabinoids can enhance feeding behavior and reduce pain and inflammation.

"Upon worm infection, the host's intestines produce these cannabis-like molecules maybe as a safety net to dampen pain response," said Nicholas V. DiPatrizio, an assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the UCR School of Medicine and co-leader of the research project. "What we now have found is that the worms, too, are producing these natural cannabinoids throughout the infection process and especially when the worms penetrate the skin, further dampening the host's pain response."

Study results appear in the journal Infection and Immunity.

"Until now, no one had investigated endocannabinoids in worm infection," said immunologist and senior author Meera G. Nair, an assistant professor of biomedical sciences in the UCR School of Medicine, who co-led the research project along with DiPatrizio. "We found that endocannabinoids are elevated following worm infection, and they contribute to optimal worm expulsion from the host's body. This is a protective pathway that operates within infection that we were unaware of before. To increase its chances of survival, the worm may use this pathway so the host increases its feeding behavior -- that is, eats more food -- and it can also reduce tissue damage that inflammation and pain cause."

The endocannabinoid system is present in all mammals, but recent studies suggest that it may be more primitive. Indeed, one study reported that black truffle mushrooms make anandamide, a type of endocannabinoid, possibly as a mechanism to attract truffle hogs that eat the truffles and disperse their spores. The worm C. elegans also has an endocannabinoid system that may operate to regulate its feeding.

"This system is known to dampen pain responses," said DiPatrizio, a physiologist specializing in endocannabinoid research. "Upon worm infection, the host's intestines produce these cannabis-like molecules maybe as a safety net to dampen pain response. What we now have found is that the worms, too, are producing these natural cannabinoids throughout the infection process and especially when the worms penetrate the skin, further dampening the host's pain response. This is advantageous to the worm because if the host could detect these parasites, it would respond to kill them. It's a pro-survival signaling pathway in the body that may have a therapeutic advantage in treating worm infection."

Parasitologist Adler R. Dillman, a co-author on the paper, was surprised to find helminths naturally producing cannabis-like molecules in their own bodies.

"We were taken aback by this finding," said Dillman, an assistant professor in the UCR Department of Nematology. "It may be important in other infections as well. Consider that the endocannabinoid pathway is present in almost all the worms we examined in this study. What it is telling us is that the pathway is evolutionarily conserved across a vast number of species. This clearly is an old and important system in the body that predates humans."

Dillman's lab found that N. brasiliensis, a gastrointestinal parasite of rats and a widely-studied helminth parasite, produces endocannabinoids, especially anandamide. A bioinformatic search of parasitic worm databases revealed this system is conserved within many parasitic nematodes, including the most prevalent helminths of man: roundworm and hookworm.

For Nair, this is the team's "wildest discovery, its biggest finding."

"It could impact behavior, pain, and host-helminth interactions," she said. "Without the endocannabinoid system, infected hosts would have bigger worm burdens. In the lab, when we inhibited this pathway in mice, they were worse off -- they ended up with more worms in their bodies."

Nair, DiPatrizio, and Dillman recently received a two-year, $275,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to further pursue the research and investigate how the endocannabinoid system affects immune response.

"Our current study focused on hookworms; we are ready now to investigate other helminths," Nair said. "We will investigate whether the host and worm induce endocannabinoids so that the host may have less tissue inflammation and may have improved feeding behavior. Since the worms depletes the host of nutrients, it would make sense that they would trigger strategies to improve feeding."

Nair, a hookworm expert, explained that hookworms bite the intestine and feed on blood, leading to micro-injuries and likely localized pain throughout the well-innervated intestine.

"Since endocannabinoids relieve pain and inflammation, local endocannabinoid production may be beneficial for the host, and perhaps the worm to still remain undetected by the host," she said. "We plan to investigate this further."

"The anti-inflammatory endocannabinoid system gives us insight into potential therapeutic targets for not only hookworm infection, but also celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease," said DiPatrizio, whose laboratory is also the only one at UCR authorized to study the impact of cannabis exposure, which hijacks the endocannabinoid system, on a host of pathologies and behavior, including gastrointestinal function.

Dillman stressed that until now no one knew worms were manipulating the endocannabinoid pathway.

"Our work has provoked more interesting research questions for us to pursue, and could lead to promising treatments," he said. "We are at just the initial point of discovery."

Nair, DiPatrizio, and Dillman were joined in the research by UCR's Hashini M. Batugedara, Donovan Argueta, Jessica C. Jang, Dihong Lu, Jaspreet Kaur, and Shaokui Ge; and the University of Minnesota's Marissa Macchietto.

The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. The UCR School of Medicine provided additional support.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180822164157.htm

Light-sensitive THC: Intoxicatingly light-sensitive

January 10, 2018

Science Daily/ETH Zurich

Chemists have synthesized several variants of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. Its structure can be altered with light, and the researchers have used this to create a new tool that can be used to more effectively study the body's own cannabinoid system.

When many people hear the abbreviation THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), they immediately think of smoking marijuana and intoxication. But the substance is also of interest to medicine -- when given to people suffering from serious illnesses, it relieves muscle cramps, pain, loss of appetite and nausea.

THC works by binding to the corresponding cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptors, which are located in the cell membrane and are present in large numbers in the central and peripheral nervous system. CB1 receptors play a major role in memory, motor coordination, mood and cognitive processes.

Receptors key to signal transmission

When a THC molecule binds to one of these CB1 receptors, it changes form, triggering a cascade of various signals inside the cell. However, it is still hard to study CB1 receptors and their manifold functions, because cannabinoids such as THC are highly lipophilic, so they frequently embed themselves in the membranes made of fat molecules in an uncontrolled manner. To be able to use THC or variants of it more precisely for pharmaceutical and medical applications, it is therefore important to gain a better understanding of CB1 receptors.

To study the diverse interactions between CB1 receptors and cannabinoids, a group of chemists headed by ETH professor Erick Carreira synthesised THC molecules. Their structure can be altered with light. The researchers published their findings in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Light-sensitive THC derivatives

The scientists synthesised four variants, or derivatives, of THC by attaching a light-sensitive "antenna" to the THC molecule. This antenna makes it possible to use light of a specific wavelength to precisely manipulate the altered molecule. Ultraviolet light changes the spatial structure of the antenna, and this change can be reversed again with blue light.

The researchers tested two of these derivatives in a living cell culture. The derivatives docked with CB1 receptors in the same way as naturally occurring THC. When the researchers irradiated the THC derivative with ultraviolet light, its structure altered just as the researchers expected, consequently activating the CB1 receptor. This triggers reactions such as the opening of the potassium ion channels located in the cell membrane, which causes potassium ions to flow out of the cell. The researchers were able to measure this with an electrode inserted into the cell.

When irradiated with blue light, the THC derivative returned to its original form, disabling the CB1 receptor as a result. The ion channels closed and the flow of potassium stopped. The researchers were able to activate and deactivate these processes using the corresponding coloured pulses of light.

A basis for light-controlled applications

"This work is our successful proof of principle: light-sensitive THC variants are a suitable tool for controlling and influencing CB1 receptors," says Michael Schafroth, a doctoral student with ETH professor Carreira and major contributor to the study. He added that they have now laid an important foundation for further projects that are already in progress; for example, another doctoral student in Carreira's group, Roman Sarott, is working on synthesising additional THC derivatives that react to long-wavelength red light. "Red light penetrates deeper into tissue than blue light," says Sarott. "If we want to study CB1 receptors in a living organism, we need molecules that are sensitive to red light."

In addition to the researchers from Carreira's group, leading scientists from New York University (NYU), the Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) and the University of Southern California (USC) as well as the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich were involved in the interdisciplinary project. The biological experiments were conducted by James Frank and Dirk Trauner.

A starting point for medicine

Many cultures have long known of the intoxicating and therapeutic effect of THC. The identification of THC eventually led to the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, which involves the body's native as well as exogenous substances in the cannabinoids class as well as their receptors in the body.

The pharmaceutical industry is also interested in gaining a better understanding of the endocannabinoid system so that it can better use specific components for pharmaceutical purposes. The system is considered a possible starting point for treatments for addiction, obesity, depression and even Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180110112944.htm

Coffee affects cannabis and steroid systems

March 15, 2018

Science Daily/Northwestern University

Coffee affects your metabolism in dozens of other ways besides waking you up, including your metabolism of neurotransmitters typically linked to cannabis, a study reports. The neurotransmitters related to the endocannabinoid system -- the same ones affected by cannabis -- decreased after drinking four to eight cups of coffee in a day. That's the opposite of what occurs after someone uses cannabis. The study also gives possible insight in the cause of munchies. Coffee may also increase the elimination of steroids.

It's well known that a morning cup of joe jolts you awake. But scientists have discovered coffee affects your metabolism in dozens of other ways, including your metabolism of steroids and the neurotransmitters typically linked to cannabis, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine.

In a study of coffee consumption, Northwestern scientists were surprised to discover coffee changed many more metabolites in the blood than previously known. Metabolites are chemicals in the blood that change after we eat and drink or for a variety of other reasons.

The neurotransmitters related to the endocannabinoid system -- the same ones affected by cannabis -- decreased after drinking four to eight cups of coffee in a day. That's the opposite of what occurs after someone uses cannabis. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that deliver messages between nerve cells.

Cannabinoids are the chemicals that give the cannabis plant its medical and recreational properties. The body also naturally produces endocannabinoids, which mimic cannabinoid activity.

In addition, certain metabolites related to the androsteroid system increased after drinking four to eight cups of coffee in a day, which suggests coffee might facilitate the excretion or elimination of steroids. Because the steroid pathway is a focus for certain diseases including cancers, coffee may have an effect on these diseases as well.

"These are entirely new pathways by which coffee might affect health," said lead author Marilyn Cornelis, assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Now we want to delve deeper and study how these changes affect the body."

Little is known about how coffee directly impacts health. In the new study, Northwestern scientists applied advanced technology that enabled them to measure hundreds of metabolites in human blood samples from a coffee trial for the first time. The study generates new hypotheses about coffee's link to health and new directions for coffee research.

The paper will be published March 15 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Drinking lots of coffee for science

In the three-month trial based in Finland, 47 people abstained from coffee for one month, consumed four cups a day for the second month and eight cups a day for the third month. Cornelis and colleagues used advanced profiling techniques to examine more than 800 metabolites in the blood collected after each stage of the study.

Blood metabolites of the endocannabinoid system decreased with coffee consumption, particularly with eight cups per day, the study found.

The endocannabinoid metabolic pathway is an important regulator of our stress response, Cornelis said, and some endocannabinoids decrease in the presence of chronic stress.

"The increased coffee consumption over the two-month span of the trial may have created enough stress to trigger a decrease in metabolites in this system," she said. "It could be our bodies' adaptation to try to get stress levels back to equilibrium."

The endocannabinoid system also regulates a wide range of functions: cognition, blood pressure, immunity, addiction, sleep, appetite, energy and glucose metabolism.

"The endocannabinoid pathways might impact eating behaviors," suggested Cornelis, "the classic case being the link between cannabis use and the munchies."

Coffee also has been linked to aiding weight management and reducing risk of type 2 diabetes.

"This is often thought to be due to caffeine's ability to boost fat metabolism or the glucose-regulating effects of polyphenols (plant-derived chemicals)," Cornelis said. "Our new findings linking coffee to endocannabinoids offer alternative explanations worthy of further study."

It's not known if caffeine or other substances in coffee trigger the change in metabolites.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180315091253.htm