Effects - Any link between cannabis and metabolism?

[Synesthesiac]

I've always noticed at people that smoke copious amounts of cannabis tend to be very, very skinny even though they eat a lot of food and always have the munchies. All of my old stoner friends from school used to eat more than anyone else at lunchtime but were all skinny as rakes. Swim has found that even after he stopped using (after being a daily user for nearly all of his teenage years) he still seems to be totally unable to put on any wieght even though he eats like a horse. So swim must have a very high metabolism, and the same is true with swims friends who have mostly stopped using now but are still all ridiculously skinny.

Anyone else noticed this? Are there any scientific grounds for a link between the two?

[dutch-marshal]

there is no way pot makes/keeps you skinny SWIM is at almost 100 kilo's...
a friend of SWIM gained 10 kilo's in 2 monts when he started smoking pot.. so no...

[Synesthesiac]

Originally Posted by dutch-marshal

there is no way pot makes/keeps you skinny SWIM is at almost 100 kilo's...
a friend of SWIM gained 10 kilo's in 2 monts when he started smoking pot.. so no...

did swiy start smoking when he was young? This seems to be a contributing factor swim has noticed. Does swiy smoke large amounts?

I guess that swim may just have known lucky people with naturally high metabolisms.

[welshmick]

I smoke MJ like a trooper .


Always get the munchies - eat a lot - but I stay under 8 stone .


Doctor says it's because I smoke fags.


I don't exercise a lot so guess it's a fast metabolism

[Nature Boy]

There's no real evidence that suggests a causual link between cannabis and metabolic rate. Perhaps overweight people restrain themselves from smoking as much because the increased appetite does not help their cause. And again, this is merely a guess. I agree in that there may be some correlation going on. SWIM doesn't know many fat stoners. They tend to be bigger drinkers if anything. Perhaps cannabis isn't rewarding enough to the consumptive individual.

[lineartransform]

I think the connection may be the other way around - those with high metabolisms and high energy levels (who may tend to be slimmer) tend to enjoy the calming effects of cannabis more than the average bear shall we say.

[EyeCeyE]

I am almost certain that the speeded up metabolism and loss of weight is primarily due to the nicotine (acting as a stimulant) speeding up the metabolism when mixed with cannabis in joints.

[Cryptic Concoction]

The endocannabinoid system appears to be involved in modulating several peptide systems demonstrated to be involved in food intake and metabolism in the hypothalamus. However, it is cannabinoid receptor antagonists that are currently being examined for their potential therapeutic utility in obesity(http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...tid=166302#B14). Delta-9-THC is a CB1 receptor agonist, though I will not deny the possibility that there are other cannabinoids present in cannabis that may affect metabolism and food intake.


It has been shown that beyond its principal effects on food intake (decreasing consumption), the synthetic CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716 may increase energy expenditure and influence metabolic rate.This is suggested by the fact that obese rats administered SR141716 continue to lose weight despite a return to food intake comparable to non-obese rats (http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/cg.../full/63/4/908).

Additionally, one study suggests that accompanying the decrease in food intake exerted by AVE1625, this CB1 receptor antagonist increases energy expenditure and lipolysis (the breakdown of fats), as well as glucose oxidation (http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/co...act/293/3/E826).

Both of these studies suggest that CB1 receptor antagonism induced weight loss is mediated not only by a reduce in food intake, but by changes in metabolic rate, lipid oxidation, and glucose oxidation.

Ergo, such studies would seem to run directly contrary to your question as to whether or not cannabis has the ability to increase metabolism, given that delta-9-THC is a CB1 receptor agonist. That is to say, it activates the CB1 receptor, whereas the compounds implicated in weight loss block the CB1 receptor. Thus, if we assume that the alterations of metabolism in CB1 receptor antagonists are mediated by their antagonism of the CB1 receptor, it would seem unlikely that delta-9-THC has the effect of increasing energy expenditure (quite the contrary).

However, there are over 60 cannabinoids present in cannabis and it is possible that certain compounds have the effect of increasing energy expenditure, lipolysis, and glucose oxidation, possibly through CB1 receptor antagonism (though I haven't seen any evidence suggesting this). It would seem unlikely that cannabis may have the effect of decreasing weight, given that it is generally used for the opposite effect.

Nevertheless, evidence does suggest that there is an interaction between cannabinoids and systems involved in metabolism.

[RaverHippie]

I would find it easier to believe that the OP just hangs around people with high metabolisms instead of cannabis contributing toward a sped up metabolic rate.

I am almost certain that the speeded up metabolism and loss of weight is primarily due to the nicotine (acting as a stimulant) speeding up the metabolism when mixed with cannabis in joints.

Why do you assume that every cannabis smoker includes tobacco in their consumption of cannabis?