Marijuana: The Anti-Obesity, Anti-Diabetes Wonder Drug?

Compounds found in the marijuana plant appear to help control blood sugar levels, increase "good cholesterol" in active smokers/users, lower the risk of diabetes, and keep people thin... according to new research published in the American Journal of Medicine. Harvard scientists found that consuming cannabis seems to protect against obesity and diabetes -- while lowering overall body-mass-index (BMI) -- despite the fact that users tend to consume more food calories due to the well-known "munchies" effect of the drug.

What is the reason for this perplexing conundrum? According to lead Harvard researcher Murray Mittleman:

"...[marijuana users] appeared to have better carbohydrate metabolism than nonusers... Their fasting insulin levels were lower, and they appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to maintain a normal blood-sugar level."

The cannabinoid receptors in the human brain are very involved in hunger and metabolism. But researchers still aren't exactly sure how cannabis compounds change the interaction between appetite, eating, and the body's insulin response. The diet drug rimonabant acts on cannabinoid receptors in a very different way than THC, leading to a decrease in fasting insulin levels and weight loss. (Unfortunately, rimonabant has the nasty side effect like making you want to kill yourself, so it's never been legal to buy in the US.)

We say: Awesome! More good news about a plant that is obviously some kind of miracle drug store from nature!

Learn some mo': Marijuana: The next diabetes drug?