Title: The science behind munchies: cannabis and your appetite | Examine.com
Headings: The science behind munchies: cannabis and your appetite
The science behind munchies: cannabis and your appetite
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a cannabinoid in cannabis, can bind the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and thus promote overeating and weight gain. This effect, detrimental to most people, can prove beneficial under certain medical conditions, such as cancer and HIV-associated wasting syndrome.
How cannabis works
Does cannabis cause weight gain?
Cannabis for weight gain in clinical populations
HIV-associated wasting syndrome
Cancer-associated cachexia
Anorexia nervosa
CB1: the key to weight loss?
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Content: The hypothalamus and rhombencephalon, two sections of the brain that help regulate food intake. By activating CB1, THC increases appetite through the following known mechanisms: It may decrease your levels of peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY), thus increasing your levels of ghrelin, thus increasing your appetite. [ 3]
It activates the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway, thus increasing your levels of ghrelin, thus increasing your appetite. [ 4] [5]
It activates a subset of neurons called proopiomelanocortin neurons (POMCs). These neurons can suppress hunger (primary pathway) and/or increase appetite (secondary pathway), to various degrees. Recent research on CB1 has revealed that dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC, can stimulate the secondary pathway without stimulating the primary one. [ 6]
The method of THC consumption (inhalational, oral, sublingual, or rectal) can affect caloric intake and might influence food choice (preference for sweet, salty, sour, or bitter foods). [ 7] For example, suppositories led to greater daily caloric intake than did oral capsules. The differences in appetite stimulation are caused mostly by differences in potency and rate of absorption — two factors modulated by the consumption method, the co-consumption of other substances, and the tolerance of the subject. [