Cannabis And Gut Health: What’s The Relation
Health-conscious individuals are always looking for the next big supplement or way to help improve their health and general well-being.
One of the ways you can ensure you’re always in tip-top shape and thriving is by maintaining your gut health, and cannabis is one of the prominent health supplements that can boost your gut health by interacting with your gut microbiome.
The gut microbiome is an integral part of the human body, so much so that six pounds of your body weight contributes to trillions of microbes, viruses, and bacteria living within the gut.
Researchers have dove deep into understanding gut health in the last decade to uncover how these diverse microscopic organisms influence bodily functions.
The growth of this interest has led to more researchers pondering the relationship between the gut and cannabis? How do the endocannabinoid system and cannabis interact with the gut microbiome in your gut?
To understand this unique relationship, let’s take a deeper look at the gut microbiome.
Understanding Your Gut Microbiome
The gastrointestinal tract or gut begins at the esophagus and ends at the anus. Trillions of fungi, viruses, and bacteria live within this distance. When in balance, these microbes exist in a symbiosis with us.
They help regulate and stimulate the immune system, synthesize amino acids and essential vitamins, break down food that may be toxic, and strengthen your gut barrier.
The gut barrier is a semi-permeable lining in your gut that allows the absorption of nutrients and stops the entry of bacteria and pathogens. The gut microbes can also be imbalanced or cause gut dysbiosis.
Several factors lead to this condition, such as low fiber, high fat, and sugar content, drinking alcohol daily, or eating fruits and vegetables with pesticide residue.
If left unattended, this state can lead to chronic gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Gut microbiome imbalance has also been connected to neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and autism.
Gut microbes also play a critical role in obesity development. People who are obese or overweight have shown a reduced microbial diversity.
Healthy gut microbes have also contributed to brain development, behavior, cognition, and sound mental health.
Relationship between the Endocannabinoid System and Gut Microbiome
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a crucial player in the body, and it helps regulate several functions like pain, appetite, emotions, and regulating mood, stress, and responses.
It’s composed of cannabinoids naturally found in the body—endocannabinoids, enzymes, and cannabinoid receptors. The ECS extends to several organs, immune cells, glands, brain, and gut.
This vast system plays a critical role in helping balance your gut microbiome and supporting the regulation of vital gut functions. Some of these functions include peristalsis—the movement of food through the gut, digestion, and even immunological response.
The endocannabinoid system also plays a massive role in regulating the brain-gut relationship and helps communicate the changes in the stomach to the brain.
The gut microbiome may also affect your endocannabinoid system. Evidence suggests that poor gut microbial health may seriously affect the functioning of the ECS. Similarly, a balanced gut microbiome can lead to a healthy endocannabinoid system and a generally positive mood.
How Cannabis Affects Gut Microbiome and Gut Health
Apart from the usual “munchies” we experience after cannabis use, there are several other place where to get dmt in canada—the famous Sativa-dominant strain, or if you like, your favorite preferred cannabis strain.
Lots of evidence shows that cannabis can support gut health, healthy gut microbiome, and the gut-brain relationship.
The cannabinoids in cannabis will interact with the cannabinoid receptors found in the gut and help treat various gastrointestinal disorders such as cramps, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and inflammation.
One of the cannabinoids that interact with the gut microbiome and protect against weight gain is THC. It was observed in obese mice, who retained a lean microbiome and didn’t become obese when given THC.
This cannabinoid may also help remedy some of the side effects of obesity, such as gut permeability and inflammation, preventing a leak of toxins from the gut to the bloodstream. In humans, cannabis users’ microbiome had fewer obese bacteria.
These findings further explain why frequent cannabis users are less likely to get obese than non-consumers. Another fascinating research claims that cannabis may help treat an alcohol-use disorder, which detrimentally affects the gut microbiome. Excessive consumption of alcohol suppresses the immune cells found in the gut lining and leads to the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. The combined effects of these actions may lead to gut permeability.
Cannabis, through its cannabinoids, can help lower gut permeability, lower gut inflammation, and regulate gut bacteria.
A preclinical study done in 2019 discovered that a combination of CBD and THC had a higher chance of promoting healthy gut microbiomes and certain short-chain fatty acids in the colon, which boosted metabolism and improved immune function.
These fatty acids also help enhance communication between the gut and brain and maintain a healthy Central Nervous System.
Conclusion
The relationship between cannabis, the endocannabinoid system, and the gut is complex but essential. Researchers have only begun to touch upon this unique and dynamic relationship.
The little information available is simply the first step towards understanding some of the intricacies of cannabis and how it balances some of the most critical systems in our bodies.
More research is needed to understand the benefits of cannabis for digestive health and how it can be a viable treatment option for major digestive disorders.
