According to a new study published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, CBD oil may help counteract the negative effects of a high-calorie diet by influencing insulin and glucagon regulation in pancreatic islets.
Researchers from Boston University, the University of South Dakota, and Syracuse University examined the impact of CBD on Wistar rats subjected to a hypercaloric diet. The study divided the rats into four groups, with some receiving CBD oil at a dose of 21 mg/kg orally three times per week. After 20 weeks, the researchers assessed metabolic changes, glucose tolerance, and gene expression related to insulin regulation.
CBD treatment led to reduced body weight and food intake while increasing fluid consumption. In control rats, CBD altered the expression of genes associated with insulin and glucagon production without affecting blood glucose or insulin levels. In rats on a high-calorie diet, CBD reduced glycemia and insulinemia, decreased pancreatic islet size, and influenced the expression of key genes, including those for insulin, glucagon, and the GPR55 receptor.
“In conclusion, CBD treatment ameliorates the effects of HCD induced in pancreatic islets by blood glucose and HOMA index improvements, mitigates the increase in islets area through reduction in glucagon, GPR55r, PDX-1 and MafA expression, probably through an indirect effect on insulin expression and secretion”, concludes the study. “It remains unknown the specific mechanisms of action induced by CBD, as GPR55r antagonist, interaction with other receptors, or modulation of paracrine features in pancreatic islets.”
For the full text of the study, click here.
