Study shows CBD may help with binge eating disorder

A small animal study from the University of Helsinki reported that CBD may help with different eating disorders.

The study focused on binge eating disorder (BED), one of the most common eating disorders. Although, it has fewer treatment options than anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. People with BED eat large quantities of food over a short period of time. Thye may find this distressing or overwhelming. The main treatments are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and guided self-help programmes.

Binge eating disorder

The study aimed to determine if CBD affects homeostatic feeding or binge-eating behaviours in mice.

Researchers noted that the effects of CBD on binge-eating behaviours have not been studied to date on either humans or rodents.

The researchers conducted five separate experiments. These included examining the effects of CBD on locomotor activity, monitoring the effects of CBD on homeostatic feeding in non-binge eating mice, providing constant access to food but feeding a high-energy, high fat (HED) diet for 24 hours every five to eight days. Other experiments included monitoring food intake without CBD and examining whether or not the effects of CBD can be inhibited by the TRPV1 receptor antagonist AMG9810.

The authors noted: “In each test, the food intake was monitored at the time point 0.5, 2.5, and 24 hours after CBD treatment. Also, water consumption was measured in each experiment.”

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Results

The authors noted that the findings showed that CBD may reduce the HED intake in a dose-dependent manner. However, they stress that more studies on binge eating disorders and CBD are needed.

“The results revealed that CBD does not affect the locomotor activity or homeostatic feeding at a dose of 15, 50, or 150 mg/kg (i.p). However, the results showed that CBD reduces the intake of HED in a dose-dependent manner.”

“The findings indicate that the acute systemic administration of CBD reduces HED intake and, possibly, simultaneously increases chow intake, suggesting a balancing effect on feeding in bingeing mice. However, the role of TRPV1 in this effect remains unclear, and further studies are needed.”

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