Study: How Cannabis Makes You Skinny

[dannno]

http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/05/study-why-pot-smokers-are-skinnier/275846/


Study: Why Pot Smokers Are Skinnier
Lindsay Abrams May 15 2013

PROBLEM: "Marijuana use is associated with an acute increase in caloric intake," goes the clinical jargon for popular lore. Still despite eating more while high (by some measures, over 600 extra calories per day), marijuana users' extra intake doesn't seem to be reflected in increased BMI. Indeed, studies have identified a reduced prevalence of obesity in the pot smoking community.

METHODOLOGY: Researchers at the University of Nebraska, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of over 4,600 adults. About 12 percent of the participants self-identified as current marijuana users, and another 42 percent reported having used the drug in the past. The participants were tested for various measures of blood sugar control: their fasting insulin and glucose levels; insulin resistance; cholesterol levels; and waist circumference.

RESULTS: Current marijuana users had significantly smaller waist circumference than participants who had never used marijuana, even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity levels. They also had higher levels of HDL ("good cholesterol"). The most significant differences between those who smoked marijuana and those who never or no longer did was that current smokers' insulin levels were reduced by 16 percent and their insulin resistance (a condition in which the body has trouble absorbing glucose from the bloodstream) was reduced by 17 percent.

People who had previously used marijuana, but not in the past thirty days, tended to have similar outcomes, but to a much lesser degree. In addition, none of these measures were impacted by how much marijuana people reported smoking.

IMPLICATIONS: Although they're not sure exactly how it happens, write the authors, these findings suggest that marijuana somehow works to improve insulin control, regulating body weight and perhaps explaining why marijuana users have a lower incidence of diabetes. Adding to the big questions -- "can weed can treat obesity?" and "marijuana makes you skinny?!" -- is the possibility that marijuana might be useful in helping people to manage their blood sugar.




So I don't want to hear anymore CRAP about how cannabis isn't good for you. It's fucking GREAT for you.

It helps prevent cancer, it can shrink tumors.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?396954-Marijuana-Makes-You-Smart-Happy-and-Cancer-Free


You want a solution to our health care problems?! Here it is.

[CaptUSA]

You want a solution to our health care problems?! Here it is.I don't smoke anymore, but I'd say it may solve more problems than just health care.

It may make some M-Fer's calm the F down! I don't think I've ever seen a potsmoker try to force his will on me.

[dannno]

I also want to say that while naturalnews might not be 100% accurate all of the time (who is?) and may use a certain amount of sensationalism (people need to wake up, right?), as somebody who has been hailing the benefits of cannabis for 13 years and has now been absolutely vindicated, I think naturalnews is a much better source for information on health related issues than you will find elsewhere.

I'm saying this because a lot of people on this website like to trash naturalnews, and many of these same people have also been denying the medicinal benefits of cannabis. So I'm just using this platform to give a shout out and props to those who fight for alternative, natural health solutions.

[surf]

interesting, but as a insulin dependent diabetic* for almost 40 years and a "herbalist," I have never seen any type of pattern relative to consumption and blood glucose levels (excluding high levels if I do finish a 1/2 gallon of ice cream).

* no offense, but if this thread becomes active please don't give me any diabetes control tips - i.e. cinnamon...

[tod evans]

Must be some truth to this.....Back when I smoked weed pretty much all day every day I was doing well to tip the scales at 140#..

[ClydeCoulter]

Must be some truth to this.....Back when I smoked weed pretty much all day every day I was doing well to tip the scales at 140#..

I've not thought about it before, but I used to be around 145# and smoked all day. I quit some 20+ years ago and have slowly gained since then...now pushing almost 200# (and hate it, can feel carrying the extra weight).

[tod evans]

I've not thought about it before, but I used to be around 145# and smoked all day. I quit some 20+ years ago and have slowly gained since then...now pushing almost 200# (and hate it, can feel carrying the extra weight).

Could just be that you're an old fart now..:rolleyes:

(Me too!)

I haven't stood on a scale for about 20 years but I've gone from 28" Levis to 31....

[angelatc]

Must be some truth to this.....Back when I smoked weed pretty much all day every day I was doing well to tip the scales at 140#..

#120 for me, but I just assumed that was because I was young.

Dannno. the big print only serves to take credibility away from these posts. The truth is usually quiet. Anybody shouting like that puts people off before they've read a single word.

[amy31416]

Most folks who smoke pot are young, so that probably has something to do with it. However, I do believe that pot is good for various ailments, especially pain and I doubt that it has many side effects. It's something I wish more people were willing to try, or leave other people alone to try it.

And yeah, the bold, giant wording doesn't do much for me except make me think that someone's trying to cram something down my throat. Eventually I may be getting a medical MJ license (not necessarily for personal use, but not necessarily not either.) I really just want facts on it.

[Thor]

Rick Simpson Hemp Oil aka RSO (95-98% pure THC) - 1,000's and 1,000's cured of cancer (skin, brain, prostate, etc.), diabetes, ulcers, asthma, on and on. Google it.

Grow it in your back yard, process it into the oil, and put big pharma out of business.

[dannno]

^Wow look at these two deniers (amy and angela..)


even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity levels.


angelatc, the parts that I bolded are not where I'm shouting, they are the important parts.

Like the part that said how they found cannabis users had higher amounts of "good cholesterol" and the part about how not only does it reduce insulin surges, but reduces insulin resistance which is very important!

I can't believe you two won't just admit that you're wrong.

I keep telling you that cannabis contains CBDs which your own body creates and they simply help you regulate all of your bodily functions. If you have more, your body better regulates itself. It's a very simple concept.

[dannno]

interesting, but as a insulin dependent diabetic* for almost 40 years and a "herbalist," I have never seen any type of pattern relative to consumption and blood glucose levels (excluding high levels if I do finish a 1/2 gallon of ice cream).

* no offense, but if this thread becomes active please don't give me any diabetes control tips - i.e. cinnamon...

You are a diabetic and you're eating ICE CREAM?! Please tell me that you are making it yourself with a little raw honey and stevia to sweeten it...

Do you eat grains?

If your insulin resistance is already shot to hell, and/or if you're a type 1, not sure how much it would help.. a boost of 17% of zero is still zero. If you'd eat properly and begin to heal yourself through diet then you will probably see more benefits.

[Root]

Cannabis has been on this earth for thousands of years. I don't believe that in the year 1937, it all of a sudden became an epidemic problem.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

angelatc, the parts that I bolded are not where I'm shouting, they are the important parts.



Bolded? lol

[amy31416]

^Wow look at these two deniers (amy and angela..)




angelatc, the parts that I bolded are not where I'm shouting, they are the important parts.

Like the part that said how they found cannabis users had higher amounts of "good cholesterol" and the part about how not only does it reduce insulin surges, but reduces insulin resistance which is very important!

I can't believe you two won't just admit that you're wrong.

I keep telling you that cannabis contains CBDs which your own body creates and they simply help you regulate all of your bodily functions. If you have more, your body better regulates itself. It's a very simple concept.

Shut up Dannno and read the rest of my post. Bolding/enlarging the fonts like you did makes your post look idiotic and is much harder to read. I questioned whether or not age had something to do with it because I don't put total faith in things like "adjusted for age," not because of the topic or even that I deny it, but because I've read tons of studies that make those claims and they turn out to be very unscientifically "adjusting."

If you can't tolerate someone questioning something, Christ. I don't know--but I'd love for this to be true, because it's one hell of an easy way to begin treating diabetes, which is something I've been interested in for a while. But it does certainly sound "too good to be true."

[dannno]

I made some delicious home made ice cream the other day, I got a can of nice thick coconut cream (or grass-fed milk cream would also be good) and heated it up with some raw honey and stevia and vanilla and a little bit of almond extract (gives it a pistachio ice cream flavor) and a little triple sec. Then I put a couple egg yolks and an avocado in a food processor, added some of the hot cream mixture and ran the food processor. Mixed it back in with the cream, heated it up a little more and cooked on low for a couple minutes then threw it in the fridge, when it got cold, made ice cream. Chopped almonds or whatever is a good addition. Much better than store bought and won't cause/aggravate diabetes. I don't have diabetes, I don't even have a fear of getting diabetes, I just eat this way because it makes you feel better.

[dannno]

But it does certainly sound "too good to be true."

It's not too good to be true, it's simply 'true'. Research cannabinoids. Please... You of all people here have the ability to understand how they work. It's not that even that complicated and there is plenty of mainstream medical literature on it.



Bolding/enlarging the fonts like you did makes your post look idiotic

I completely disagree, if I posted that article plain I bet about 20% of people would read the whole thing and I guarentee 90% would have skimmed over the parts about cannabis increasing good cholesterol and only half would have read anything about how it helps diabetes.

By enlarging the important parts, EVERYBODY has those parts right in front of them and if they want to read the fine print about how they conducted the study, fine, but a lot of people quit after they start reading that part.

I've had too many internet arguments where it goes on for pages before I realize the person I'm arguing with DIDN'T READ THE IMPORTANT PART OF THE GOD DAMN ARTICLE WE ARE ARGUING ABOUT. It's a waste of time.

[fr33]

It's been my experience that smoking in general helps keep you skinny. The only time in my life I gained a lot of weight was right after I quit cigs.

[kcchiefs6465]

I always wondered when I was younger how I could eat constantly (munchies) and never gain weight. I wasn't particularly active as I was already driving by then. Anecdotal sure but I have thought about it before. I was probably eating 2,750-3,500 calories daily of all kinds of sweets and whatever. Stayed thin as could be. Once I quit smoking I put on a little weight.

As far as the study I do believe cannabis has a lot of medicinal purposes that are barely even looked into. It's very exciting stuff. (maybe it won't be such a social stigma to smoke anymore)

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

I'm fucking sick of people's crap denying cannabis is good for you when there is more than enough out there to know it is.


Most of those people have been indoctrinated with 50 years of propaganda, while research has been illegal. Of course it will take them some time to look at things objectively.

The drug warriors aren't just losing mj. Many of their other lies will start getting scrutinized, particularly on a substance by substance level. That is part of their push against mj... They know they've misrepresented it to the point of absurdity.

[amy31416]

I quit reading because of the stupid bolding/enlargening Dannno, not because of content. I'll read up on it on my own since you're so angry and unreasonable.

[angelatc]

Most folks who smoke pot are young, so that probably has something to do with it..

I immediately thought that too, but it says they adjusted for all sorts of factors, including age.

[dannno]

I quit reading because of the stupid bolding/enlargening Dannno, not because of content. I'll read up on it on my own since you're so angry and unreasonable.

Just click on the link?? It's right above the article. How is that unreasonable?

I bolded it for people who didn't necessarily want to read the whole thing but wanted to get a gist, which wasn't contained in the first paragraph/summary.. It doesn't tell you WHY it makes people skinny in the summary.

The bolding job I did will get the important information out much more efficiently and completely, I'm sorry it offended you..

[angelatc]

^Wow look at these two deniers (amy and angela..)




angelatc, the parts that I bolded are not where I'm shouting, they are the important parts.

Like the part that said how they found cannabis users had higher amounts of "good cholesterol" and the part about how not only does it reduce insulin surges, but reduces insulin resistance which is very important!

I can't believe you two won't just admit that you're wrong.

I keep telling you that cannabis contains CBDs which your own body creates and they simply help you regulate all of your bodily functions. If you have more, your body better regulates itself. It's a very simple concept.


I read the article, and know that they adjusted for age before I posted that. I guess I didn't explain it right. I meant to imply that my initial reaction was wrong.

But speaking of wrong, I don't mind bolding. I appreciate bolding. But using monster-sized fonts only serves to tell your audience that you're incredibly angry and hostile before they've actually read a single word.

[pcosmar]

I don't really need a "study" to show me what I have already seen through life experience.

It is a highly beneficial plant.

Though is is nice to have a counter to "Reefer Madness",, most folk with a functioning brain don't need one.

[thoughtomator]

I've smoked weed pretty heavily for two decades and not only am I in very fine physical health (esp. for someone who does no particular exercise), but my weight has not varied more than 5lbs from the median in all that time, AND my blood pressure is so perfect it can literally be used to calibrate a BP machine. Every time someone takes my blood pressure, they do a double-take because my numbers are so precisely perfect. It's also helped me keep my stress levels low, and thus my happiness levels pretty high. I also look about 10 years younger than I am.

Cannabinoid compounds are known to exist in only two places in the entire universe - in cannabis, of course, is one place... the only other place they naturally occur is in the human brain. You don't have to be Einstein to figure out that human beings are, by the divine determination of Nature itself, supposed to consume cannabis as part of our diets.

[amy31416]

Just click on the link?? It's right above the article. How is that unreasonable?

I bolded it for people who didn't necessarily want to read the whole thing but wanted to get a gist, which wasn't contained in the first paragraph/summary.. It doesn't tell you WHY it makes people skinny in the summary.

The bolding job I did will get the important information out much more efficiently and completely, I'm sorry it offended you..

The PAGE was still loading, just finished, ya giant meathead. We moved out to the boonies and I have a terrible internet connection. That's why it's UNREASONABLE

Jesus. People are cranky lately, they could stand to get stoned and chill. :p

[jmdrake]

Thanks for posting Dannno. Good information to know.

[dannno]

bump

[Bruno]

I, for one, enjoyed the 120 pt bold font, as it is one small step towards refuting the bullshit propaganda that has been shouted at us by the government and media for far too many decades.

[dannno]

Calling zippy

[dannno]

bump

[DamianTV]

Lets say for a second this wasnt about Weed, but about Flavored Dirt.

Now, lets say the US Govt made flavored dirt illegal. And lets also say that no one was allowed to do studies on the health benefits of flavored dirt. How would any of us know if there was any actual benefit to flavored dirt if we were not allowed to do unbiased studies on it?

The thing is that many of the studies are biased towards supporting the Govts predilection towards keeping pot illegal. Too many studies are done with the intent of saying "pot is bad for you" as well the flip side of the coin "pot is good for you", both having a bias with intent. People too often twist facts to suit their logic or to support an agena (an agenda like farming people by turning potheads into criminals with the flip of a pen), but people rarely try to twist their own logic to suit the facts.

The more Unbiased Studies on EVERYTHING we have, the better understanding of ANY particular topic we will have.