A new study has found that cannabidiol (CBD) may help alleviate behavioral and neuroinflammatory challenges in adult offspring born to obese mothers.
CBD tincture.
“Maternal obesity is known to increase the risk of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder in the offspring”, notes the study’s abstract. “While preventive measures are well-documented, practical approaches for addressing the damages once they are already established are limited.”
Researchers say they “have recently demonstrated the interplay between maternal obesity and treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) on neuroinflammation and peripheral metabolic disturbances during adolescence, however, it is known that both factors tend to vary throughout life. Therefore, here we investigated the potential of CBD to mitigate these alterations in the adult offspring of obese dams.”
For the study, female Wistar rats were fed a cafeteria diet for 12 weeks prior to mating, and during gestation and lactation. Offspring received CBD (50 mg/kg) for 3 weeks from the 70th day of life. Behavioral tests assessed anxiety-like manifestations and social behavior, while neuroinflammatory and endocannabinoid markers were evaluated in the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus, as well as the biochemical profile in the plasma.
“CBD treatment attenuated maternal obesity-induced anxiety-like and social behavioral alterations, restoring exacerbated astrocytic and microglial markers in the hypothalamus, PFC and hippocampus of the offspring, as well as endocannabinoid levels in the PFC, with notable sex differences”, states the study. “Additionally, CBD attenuated plasma glucose and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) concentrations in females.”
Researchers conclude that “These findings underscore the persistent influence of maternal obesity on the offspring’s health, encompassing metabolic irregularities and behavioral impairments, as well as the role of the endocannabinoid system in mediating these outcomes across the lifespan.”
