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The daily use of the cannabinoids CBD and THCV helped participants of a recent study lose weight, according to a report on the research. The study found that using a product containing the cannabis compounds “was associated with statistically significant weight loss.” Using CBD and THCV was also associated with a slimmer waistline, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol levels, according to a report from online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment.
The study, written by Dr. Gregory Smith, founder and CEO of plant-based medicine company NeX Therapeutics, was recently published in the journal Cannabis. The research analyzed data from 44 people who were given oral strips containing either CBD and THCV or a placebo. The participants, including 31 women and 13 men, each took one strip per day for 90 days and were evaluated by researchers for weight loss and certain metabolic markers.
“Use of the THCV/CBD strip was associated with statistically significant weight loss, decreases in abdominal girth, systolic blood pressure, and total and LDL cholesterol,” Smith wrote in the report.
Participants were given either one of two different mucoadhesive oral strips or a placebo. One active oral strip contained 8 mg of THCV and 10 mg of CBD, while a higher-dose version had 16 mg of THCV and 20 mg of CBD. Participants were reminded to use one oral strip on an empty stomach daily. The study subjects, who agreed not to use cannabis or cannabinoid products for the duration of the study, were instructed not to make any changes to their diets or exercise routines.
Two-Thirds of Study Subjects Taking CBD and THCV Lost Weight
Among the 24 participants who took the lower-dose strip, 16 (66.7%) experienced weight loss over the 90-day study, with an average weight loss of 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds). Seven of the 10 (70%) participants who took the higher-dose cannabinoid strip lost weight, with an average weight loss of 4.1 kg (9.0 lbs). Among the placebo group, participants lost an average of only 0.1 kg (0.2 lbs).
Additionally, almost all (95.8%) of the participants in the lower-dose group and 70% of participants in the higher-dose group recorded reductions in abdominal girth.
“It is interesting to note that there was a barely statistically significant decrease in the control/placebo group,” Smith wrote, “however, it is also worth noting that abdominal girth is probably the least accurate of all the biometric measures taken for the purposes of this study.”
The study subjects in the groups taking CBD and THCV also experienced reductions in total and LDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure.
“In summary, 90 day use of once-daily THCV and CBD-infused mucoadhesive strips was associated with clinically significant weight loss, decreases in abdominal girth, systolic blood pressure, and total and LDL cholesterol,” the report concludes, adding that the stronger dosage appeared to perform better.
“The 16mg/20mg daily dose in Group B was superior for weight loss compared to the 8mg/10mg daily dose in Group A,” Smith wrote.
While acknowledging the research's limitations, including a small sample size, Smith said the study’s results are consistent with previous unpublished research on a product called Hempson Oil, which contains THCV, CBDV, and CBD.
The researchers also investigated whether the use of THCV would result in a positive urine drug test for THC. Of nine people who took the higher-dose oral strips and consented to a urine test, seven (77.8%) tested positive for THC. An independent lab test confirmed that the strips did not contain detectable amounts of THC.
“All nine subjects again denied the use of THC during the course of the study,” Smith wrote, “suggesting that some of the THCV metabolites excreted in urine will register as THC metabolites on a drug test.”
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