UCR Study Finds THC Fails to Improve Glucose Control in Obese Mice, While Whole Extract Does
Updated
Updated · Earth.com · May 19
UCR Study Finds THC Fails to Improve Glucose Control in Obese Mice, While Whole Extract Does
5 articles · Updated · Earth.com · May 19
Two weeks of treatment left obese mice leaner with either pure THC or a whole-plant cannabis extract, but only the extract improved glucose tolerance on a high-fat, high-sugar diet.
Glucose tests showed THC-only mice still had diabetic-like blood sugar spikes, while extract-treated mice shifted toward healthier hormone signaling between fat tissue and the pancreas.
The extract contained cannabinoids beyond THC — including tetrahydrocannabivarin, cannabigerol, cannabinol and CBD — and the researchers said those other compounds likely drive the metabolic benefit.
Nearly 5,000 U.S. adults in earlier population data showed regular cannabis users tend to have smaller waistlines and lower fasting insulin despite eating more, a paradox this mouse study begins to explain.
UCR's team said the goal is not cannabis for weight loss or diabetes, but isolating non-intoxicating compounds that could lead to targeted type 2 diabetes therapies.
If cannabis helps mice lose weight, why do studies show it increases diabetes risk in humans?
Beyond THC, what hidden compounds in cannabis might hold the key to fighting obesity?
Could a non-psychoactive cannabis blend become a future treatment for diabetes and obesity?
Whole-Plant Cannabis Shows Promise for Weight Loss and Diabetes: UCR Study Sparks Human Trials
Overview
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside observed that chronic cannabis users often have lower body weight and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, which led them to investigate the metabolic benefits of cannabis. Their groundbreaking preclinical study compared the effects of isolated Delta9 THC with whole-plant cannabis extracts, finding that different forms of cannabis can improve metabolic dysfunction in obesity. These promising results provided a foundation for launching a human clinical trial to test oral cannabis for weight loss in obese adults, marking an important step toward understanding how whole-plant cannabis might help improve metabolic health.