Using marijuana appears to have a “positive outcome” on people struggling with some eating disorders, according to a new study.

“Cannabis is widely used by people with eating disorders and is widely perceived as beneficial in restrictive and food-averse, but not binge, eating disorder subtypes,” the paper, published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, found.

Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia surveyed more than 7,500 people with a diagnosed or self-reported eating disorder (ED), with more than 3,o00 of whom that used cannabis within the past year. Respondents represented 76 countries, with most residing in Australia (29.7 percent), the United Kingdom (21.7 percent) and the United States (17.6 percent).

“Cannabis received the highest mean ratings of any drug for improving ED symptoms” among people avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, anorexia nervosa and other specified feeding and eating disorder, the study found. People with unspecified feeding or eating disorder “also reported a favorable rating.”

For people with anorexia nervosa specifically, “cannabis use drove reductions in food-related anxiety and guilt, which, together with appetite stimulation, helped normalise their eating,” the study found. “The gastroprotective and antinausea properties of cannabis appear to provide additional therapeutic benefits over and above those provided by appetite stimulation and anxiety reduction.”

For people with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which involves a lack of desire to eat and aversions to food based on sensory factors such as texture, taste and smell, there is a “transformational effect of cannabis” related to “increased appetite and enhanced ability to recognise hunger cues,” the researchers wrote.

“The higher frequency of daily cannabis use amongst those with ARFID may well reflect self-medication for these therapeutic benefits,” they said. “Indeed, daily use of cannabis flower was generally associated with higher ED symptom improvement scores relative to intermittent use, suggesting that symptom improvement may drive frequency of use.”

In contrast, people with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa, “provided lower ratings” for marijuana’s efficacy—perhaps because “the appetite-stimulating properties of THC may exacerbate binge/purge symptomatology,” the paper said.

When participants were prompted with open-ended questions, “general mental health was self-reported as improved by cannabis in most respondents regardless of diagnosis,” the researchers wrote. Participants also said cannabis helps with improved ability to eat, improved awareness of hunger cues, reduced guilt related to their eating disorder, less nausea and diminished food-related anxiety.

“Our findings suggest that cannabis is widely used by individuals with an ED or disordered eating and that naturalistic use of cannabis is self-reported as having a positive outcome on ED symptoms.”

That said, “a substantial number described mixed experiences of both improvement and exacerbation of ED symptoms,” the study found.

The research is a follow-up to an earlier paper that some of the same authors published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found that marijuana and psychedelics were “the highest rated” drugs in effectively addressing eating disorder symptoms.

“Our top-level analysis indicated that cannabis was commonly used among respondents and was one of the few drugs rated positively for ED symptom improvement. In [anorexia nervosa], [avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder,], and [other specified deeding and eating disorder], this positive rating was superior to all prescription drugs.”

While daily use of marijuana flower specifically was more associated with improved eating disorder scores than intermittent use in the new study, symptom improvement didn’t vary overall based on cannabis product type or cannabinoid composition.

The researchers noted that the self-report and naturalistic nature of the study means that no strong causal conclusions can be drawn, saying that “future clinical trials of cannabis products are warranted in eating disorders.”

They also flagged concerns about cannabis dependence and “other adverse effects” of frequent use that some participants reported.

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Depression is a condition in which you can’t think, feel and act properly. You feel like an empty vessel with no energy or interest in anything. Depression can make you sleep for many hours or very little.

Does depression happen out of the blue?

No. There are certain reasons due to which you might experience depression or other mood disorders.

Causes of Depression

Depression can happen due to:

1. Environment: if your surroundings consist of violence and hopeless circumstances
2. Personal or professional reasons can also lead to depression (Shock or trauma)
3. Hormonal Changes and genetic reasons can contribute to making you feel depressed.

There may be reasons for depression, but help is available.

Antidepressants  

People use antidepressants to cope with the problem of depression; however, they can have side effects ranging from:

• low libido
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Emotional numbness
• Insomnia (sleep issues)
• Weight gain/ Weight loss

Apart from antidepressants people try to use Alcohol and overeating as a way to cope with depression, but it makes things worse in the long run.

Alcohol and overeating can numb the feeling for a while in exchange for making your health worse.

Instead of using antidepressants with side effects, there is a much safer and natural way to help you with depression.

The better alternative is CBD.

CBD and Depression

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a active compound present in cannabis plant that has many healing properties used for dealing with many mental and physical ailments.

It can help you get out of depression because most individuals suffering from depression don’t have the capacity to make lifestyle changes but also stick with the changes till they feel better.

“In the treatment of complex mental health challenges and multiple diagnoses, I would often prescribe mindfulness and breathing techniques alongside medications and supplements. However, it became obvious that patients in a depressed state often didn’t have the brain motivation or mental resources to stick with a technique long enough to reap the benefits. I realised that they needed a quicker win to get to a point where mindfulness and breathwork might help them.”  

–The CBD Bible by Dani Gordon, MD

CBD can help you deal with depression because it has shown positive results in scientific studies such as:

Many individuals have used it for dealing with depression.

CBD’s medicinal properties include:

•  anti – tumour effects

•  neuroprotective qualities

•  analgesic properties

•  anti – anxiety and antidepressant

•  antipsychotic effects

•  anticonvulsant (used to treat seizures)

•  antioxidant

•  anti – nausea (in some people works best with THC)

•  anti – sebum and anti – acne effects

•  counteracts THC intoxication and THC side effects (very useful where medical cannabis is prescribed for patients who may need some THC for severe symptoms but who do not want to feel intoxicated).

-The CBD Bible by Dani Gordon, MD

Research Findings (How CBD helps with Depression)

1. “Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown promising antidepressant-like effects in preclinical models, primarily mediated through serotonin receptor activation and the enhancement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression.” – source
2. “Patients reported significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms following cannabis use, with high CBD / low THC strains being associated with the largest reduction in depression ratings.” – source
3. “CBD exhibits rapid and sustained antidepressant-like action by modulating synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation, and hippocampal neurogenesis.” – source
4. “Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) displayed potent antidepressant-like effects in genetic rat models of depression, demonstrating pharmacological activity at doses substantially lower than CBD.” – source
5. “Cannabidiol induces antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects mainly through its interaction with neuroreceptors, promoting enhanced serotonergic signaling in cortical and subcortical brain regions.” – source
6. “CBD and its acidic precursor CBDA alleviate depressive-like behaviors by restoring synaptic connectivity and upregulating neurotrophic pathways within the prefrontal cortex.” – source
7. “The antidepressant properties of CBD are strongly linked to its ability to facilitate adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus and promote structural plasticity.” – source
8. “Preclinical evidence overwhelmingly supports the therapeutic potential of CBD for mood disorders, citing safety profiles superior to conventional psychiatric medications and absence of psychotomimetic side effects.” – source
9. “Targeting neuroinflammatory cascades through CBD administration leads to reduced microglial activation and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression associated with depressive states.” – source
10. “CBD represents a multi-target therapeutic candidate for major depressive disorder and anxiety, operating through complex interactions across the endocannabinoid, serotonergic, and neuroinflammatory systems.” – source

Consult with a Doctor

Before you use any CBD products make sure to consult with a Doctor. The doctor’s guidance will help you get an accurate dosage for a specific type of chronic pain.

Conclusion

Depression is difficult to deal with. Emotional Numbing, low energy, and suicidal thoughts negatively impact your mental health.

Using antidepressants for depression can help to a certain extent but may come with huge side effects. Therefore, a better and safer alternative than antidepressants is CBD.

Use CBD to manage depression naturally and more safely.

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