CBD oil may help you meet your New Year’s weight-loss goals
By Dr. Stan Headley, natural health consultant for Cypress Pharmacy
It happens every January. The new year causes us to reflect, assess how we did last year and resolve to do better. New Year’s resolutions may be examples of the universal human desire to have control over an uncertain future.
In this annual climate of resolving to improve, it seems fitting that this month is the first-ever national CBD month. In the past few years, the natural hemp product has become a wellness darling, linked to improvements in chronic pain, depression, anxiety and symptoms of PTSD among many others.
The benefits of CBD use relates to the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), made up of receptors that act as messengers to give the body specific directions in regulating anxiety, appetite/hunger, depression, immune function, memory, mood, motor control, pain, pleasure, reward, reproduction, fertility, sleep and temperature. Endocannabinoids are the chemical messengers that tell your body to get these processes moving.
If your body does not produce enough endocannabinoids or cannot regulate them properly, you are susceptible to illnesses. External sources like CBD can help to balance and maintain the ECS by binding to receptors, providing benefits as well as helping regenerate cells and brain function.
One of the many possible benefits of CBD use can be weight loss by reducing appetite. The endocrine system is responsible for producing hormones that make us feel hunger. Since CBD has the ability to influence the ECS, it could play a role in promoting a balanced, healthy metabolism.
While cannabis is often associated with a stimulated appetite from tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, CBD does not stimulate the appetite. It is also believed that CBD can convert white, or “bad,” fat into brown fat, which is more efficient at burning calories. White fat may also increase the risk of many chronic conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. Some studies have shown that CBD helped convert white fat cells into brown fat cells and stimulated the body to break down fats more efficiently.
Studies have shown CBD use to reduce total cholesterol by 25 percent. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of CBD have also appeared to decrease blood sugar levels and increase markers for liver health.
Because of CBD’s believed interaction with fat, new studies are emerging linking the benefit of CBD oil with the popular keto high fat, low carb diet that helps burn fat effectively by depriving the body of glucose. By encouraging the breakdown of fat for energy, CBD may boost the fat-burning effects of the keto diet.
In addition, CBD is thought to help improve sleep. Lack of sleep can increase cortisol or sustain cortisol, a hormone in the body that may increase weight or sustain abdominal fat. Studies have shown that CBD has properties to help people sleep better by interacting with receptors in the brain that govern the body’s sleep and wake cycles.
The benefits of CBD are still being studied, so it’s important to know that the effects are not instant and are different for each person. The amount of CBD oil matters, so it’s important to find a trusted source for high-quality CBD oil.
CBD is not a magic elixir that will solve everyone’s health issues. The whole key to a healthy body is balance. Shifting hormones complicated by stress, lack of exercise and poor diets with too many carbs, sugars and alcohol, put our bodies out of balance, resulting in various symptoms and health issues.
As a natural health advocate, I believe that lifestyle choices are the most effective way to impact well-being. Getting adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water, reducing alcohol intake and stress and not smoking will help keep the body in balance. Lifestyle measures including a healthy diet, exercise and regular health checks for chronic conditions are critical. A healthful diet and plenty of exercise are still the best weight loss strategies.
For information on how diet and lifestyle changes can help you lose weight and live your best life, join me at Seminar Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. The free public seminar will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. at Cypress Pharmacy, 9451 Cypress Lake Drive in Fort Myers.
