There are certain chemicals in our brain that control when and how much we eat. These chemicals are called endocannabinoids and are similar to the active ingredients in marijuana but they don’t make you high.
Scientists carried out an experiment to find out how endocannabinoids work towards our appetite. This experiment consists of mice that were genetically engineered so that their brain receptors could not respond to any chemicals. It was found that those mice showed a less than normal intake of food. This observation supported the former assumption that marijuana activates brain receptors that are involved with increasing appetite.
Dr. George Kunos, who is the scientific director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, led this study to know why smoking cannabis makes you hungry. In his research, he said that his results suggest endocannabinoids are part of the complex neural circuitry controlled by leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells the brain when it is time to lose weight. Leptin also reduces levels of other appetite-enhancing substances. When you smoke marijuana, it stimulates endocannabinoids in your brain and that increases your appetite by 40%.
One of the most important aspects of this study is, understanding the neural circuitry that is responsible for triggering your appetite. When the mice experiment was carried out, their cannabinoid receptor (CB 1) was genetically blocked and that made them eat less than normal. This study was remarkable in the discovery of certain treatments and approaches that had a potential in treatment of obesity which is a million dollar business all over the world. Studies are still being carried out on this subject and so far, marijuana has been proven to help cure glaucoma, cancer and act as a pain relief.
From: psychedelicjunction.com
