“This study aimed to determine the cellular distribution of islet cannabinoid receptors (CBs) and their involvement in the development of metabolic and hormonal changes in rats fed a fructose-rich diet (F)…
Cannabinoid receptors appeared exclusively in islet α cells…
Islet CBs would exert an important modulatory role in metabolic homeostasis…
Selective islet CB1 blockers could be useful to prevent/treat the alterations induced by the intake of unbalanced/unhealthy diets.”
“Cannabis-based drug for type 2s on the way?”
The company, GW Pharma, is in the process of creating a collection of cannabinoid-based drugs, including one that takes aim at diabetes. The first of this type of drug the company has produced is Sativex, a nasal spray used to treat spasms associated with multiple sclerosis. Sativex has been okayed in eight countries, and is currently awaiting FDA approval in the United States.
The diabetes drug, GWP4204, is currently in its second phase of testing after a small but successful double-blind study. That study featured 62 type 2 patients who received various levels of the oral-administered drug or a placebo.”
More: http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2013/07/20/7933/cannabis-derived-drug-for-type-2-enters-phase-2–
“The role of spinal cannabinoid systems in neuropathic pain of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice was studied…
… A low dose of WIN-55,212-2 significantly recovered the tail-flick latency in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice… The selective cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist L-759,656 also dose-dependently recovered the tail-flick latency in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice…
These results indicate that spinal cannabinoid systems are changed in diabetic mice and suggest that cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonists might have an ability to recover diabetic neuropathic pain.”
“The regulation of glucose, lipid metabolism and immunoreactivities of insulin and glucagon peptides by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) in diabetes were examined in an experimental rat model…
These results indicate that Δ9-THC may serve a protective role against hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia in diabetic rats.”
“Preclinical study data published online in the scientific journal Nutrition & Diabetes reports that tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) — a naturally occurring analogue of THC — possesses positive metabolic effects in animal models of obesity.
British researchers assessed the effects of THCV administration on dietary-induced and genetically modified obese mice. Authors reported that although THCV administration did not significantly affect food intake or body weight gain in any of the models, it did produce several metabolically beneficial effects, including reduced glucose intolerance, improved glucose tolerance, improved liver triglyceride levels, and increased insulin sensitivity.
Researchers concluded: “Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), either alone or in combination with existing treatments. Given the reported benefits of another non-THC cannabinoid, CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus.””
“One of the classic effects of cannabis on people is raging hunger-the “marijuana munchies.” The drug has been used to good effect on people with diseases that diminish appetite, helping them to regain a healthy interest in food. So it is a bit ironic that British drug maker GW Pharmaceuticals has created a cross-bred cannabis plant whose appetite-suppressing qualities could be used to treat type 2 diabetes.”
In 2010, GW introduced a cannabis-based drug to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Already, the company has found 60 cannabinoids in the cannabis sativa plant. A company spokesman says that only 12 to 15 of them have been explored in any depth.
*Cannabinoids are the active ingredients in cannabis sativa that create the plant’s physical and mental effects when it is ingested or smoked.”
http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/06/30/7200/looking-at-cannabis-based-type-2-treatment/
“Δ9-Tetra-hydrocannabivarin (THCV) is a naturally occurring analogue of the psychoactive principle of cannabis, Δ9-tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC).
THCV is a new potential treatment against obesity-associated glucose intolerance with pharmacology different from that of CB1 inverse agonists/antagonists.
In conclusion, THCV produces therapeutic metabolic effects in two different mouse models of obesity. In particular, its strongest effects are exerted on plasma glucose and insulin levels, especially following an OGTT in DIO mice and on liver triglycerides in ob/obmice.
Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes, either alone or in combination with existing treatments. Given the reported benefits of another non-THC cannabinoid, CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus.”
Full Text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671751/
“People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance – a diabetes precursor – than those who never tried the drug, in a new study.
The findings, based on surveys and blood tests of about 4,700 U.S. adults, aren’t enough to prove marijuana keeps users thin or wards off disease. And among current pot smokers, higher amounts of marijuana use weren’t linked to any added health benefits, researchers reported in The American Journal of Medicine.
“These are preliminary findings,” said Dr. Murray Mittleman, who worked on the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
“It looks like there may be some favorable effects on blood sugar control, however a lot more needs to be done to have definitive answers on the risks and potential benefits of marijuana usage.”
Although pot smoking is a well-known cause of “the munchies,” some previous studies have found marijuana users tend to weigh less than other people, and one suggested they have a lower rate of diabetes. Trials in mice and rats hint that cannabis and cannabinoid receptors may influence metabolism.”
We’ve all heard about “the munchies,” that urge to eat more when under the influence of marijuana.
But a new study published by the American Journal of Medicine finds despite the habit among recreational pot users to take in more calories, it doesn’t lead to weight gain. And the benefits of marijuana don’t end there.
“What we saw was that people who were current users of marijuana had improved sensitivity to insulin compared to non-users, they had better good cholesterol, and reduced waist circumference,” said Dr. Murray Mittleman, lead author and researcher at Harvard Medical School.
The research included more than 4,600 men and women participating in a national nutrition survey in the last decade. Marijuana users maintained more normal blood sugar levels compared to non-users, which meant their bodies were regulating insulin well. That puts them at a lower diabetes risk.
“When somebody smokes marijuana there are a variety of compounds that are present in marijuana, some of which may partially block some of the receptors as well as stimulate others, which is why people use it presumably,” said Mittleman.
Blocking certain receptors could be what’s behind the health benefits found in the study. Researchers say the findings point to the importance of more marijuana research.
“We just had the medical marijuana passed here in Massachusetts. But two states now have recreational use approved and we really are opening up the doors to the use of this drug. Yet we don’t have the information that we need to make sensible recommendations,” said Mittleman.
As for the latest findings, could marijuana be the next diabetes drug?”
Despite its reputation for increasing one’s appetite, three prior studies have also shown that pot use often leads to a reduced chance of becoming obese, resulting in a lower body-mass-index and less of a chance of developing diabetes, notes Time.”