There’s a paradox surrounding regular cannabis use. Despite marijuana’s well-known appetite-stimulating effects, people who use it regularly tend to weigh less and have a reduced risk of developing diabetes. So what’s going on? New research published in The Journal of Physiology is offering some possible answers.
To investigate this mystery, researchers from the University of California, Riverside used specialized mice, who were fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet to model human obesity. To one group, they administered pure delta-9 THC (the main psychoactive compound in cannabis), and to another, they administered whole-plant cannabis extract, which contains a host of other cannabinoids as well, and monitored their metabolism and weight.
While both compounds led to weight loss, they found some key distinctions in the two groups’ metabolic profiles. Mice treated with pure THC alone had trouble regulating their glucose levels—even after losing weight—while mice treated with the whole-plant extracts reversed their glucose dysregulations.
Read more: “How the Western Diet Has Derailed Our Evolution”
“This suggests that THC alone is not responsible for the metabolic benefits associated with cannabis use,” study author Nicholas V. DiPatrizio said in a statement. “Other compounds in the plant appear to play a critical role.”
The researchers believe these other compounds could be involved in signaling between fat tissue and the pancreas, a communication pathway that gets disrupted in people with obesity and diabetes.
Does that mean you should spark up a joint if you want to shed a few pounds? Unfortunately not.
“We’re not suggesting people should use cannabis to manage weight or diabetes,” DiPatrizio said. It does mean that if these results hold true for humans, researchers may be able to isolate these minor cannabinoids and develop treatments that improve signaling between fat tissue and the pancreas without THC’s intoxicating effects.
But where’s the fun in that? 
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