2019-05-01_Better_Nutrition

(^18) • MAY 2019
checkOUT/GUIDE TO CUTTING-EDGE SUPPLEMENTS
CBD: What It’s Really All About
Why CBD works and how some other plants exert similar eff ects/// BY VERA TWEED
CBD has been exploding in popularity for
improving general health and well-being,
and relieving a variety of ailments from
chronic pain and headaches to anxiety,
depression, sleep problems, and other ills.
In addition to supplements and skin creams,
it’s being added to cakes, donuts, cookies,
chocolate, ice cream, teas, coff ees, beer,
cocktails, and even dog treats. And
consumer demand is driving research—
the number of trials is approaching 200.
Short for “cannabidiol,” CBD infl uences
the endocannabinoid system, one of the
many systems in our bodies. In addition,
some other plant substances (herbs) and
omega-3 fats also infl uence this system
in favorable ways.
What Is the
Endocannabinoid System?
“The endocannabinoid system maintains
balance in the body; it keeps a lot of
things in check,” says Aditi Das, PhD,
professor and researcher at the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Endocannabinoids are molecules that
we produce internally, and we have
receptors for them throughout our
bodies, mostly in the nervous and immune
systems. Levels of these beneficial
molecules vary among individuals.
“Super-happy people have more
endocannabinoids and less-happy
people have fewer endocannabinoids,”
says Das. “People who have high endo-
cannabinoids can tolerate pain better.”
Our natural endocannabinoid
levels are infl uenced partially by
our genes and partially by nutrition,
says Das, and she’s started to decipher
the food connection. Her animal
research shows that omega-3 fats
provide building blocks for our internal
production of endocannabinoids.
WHY PEOPLE USE CBD
A survey of more than 2,000 American
adults currently using CBD, led by the
Center for Medical Cannabis Education
at the University of California, San Diego,
found that general health and well-being
was the goal in nearly 40 percent of
cases. Among the rest, these were the
most common reasons for CBD use:
Chronic pain
Arthritis or other joint pain
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia or other sleep problems
Migraines or other headaches
PTSD
Nausea
Cancer
Asthma
Allergies
Epilepsy or other seizure disorders
Multiple sclerosis
Lung conditions such as COPD
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease
How CBD Works
CBD contains cannabinoids. These mol-
ecules aren’t identical to our internally
produced endocannabinoids, but they in-
teract with our receptors in the same way.
The net eff ect is the same as our bodies
producing more endocannabinoids.