Recently Published Research

Metabolic syndrome is a complex condition characterized by a series of dysfunctions starting with fat accumulation, which triggers an inflammatory response, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and fatty liver disease. The endocannabinoid system, particularly through cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), plays a crucial role in energy balance and appetite regulation by acting in the hypothalamus, limbic forebrain, amygdala, and peripheral tissues such as adipose, liver, and muscle. Given this, two phytocannabinoids—tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), a CB1 neutral antagonist, and cannabidiol (CBD), a negative allosteric modulator of CB1—are thought to offer therapeutic metabolic benefits, including weight loss.

A placebo-controlled study involving 44 participants (31 females and 13 males) with an average age of 51.75 was conducted to assess the efficacy of two doses of THCV and CBD (8 mg THCV/10 mg CBD and 16 mg THCV/20 mg CBD). These doses were administered once daily for 90 days using mucoadhesive oral strips. The study aimed to evaluate the impact on weight loss and several metabolic markers.

The results demonstrated that the use of the THCV/CBD strips led to statistically significant reductions in weight, abdominal girth, systolic blood pressure, and total and LDL cholesterol levels. Notably, the higher dose (16 mg THCV/20 mg CBD) proved more effective for weight loss compared to the lower dose (8 mg THCV/10 mg CBD). Both doses showed significant differences from the placebo. Despite the study's limitation due to small sample sizes in the high dose and placebo groups, the findings align with previous unpublished studies on a hemp extract rich in THCV, CBDV, and CBD, supporting the potential of these cannabinoids in managing metabolic syndrome and promoting weight loss.