PULLMAN, Wash. — Everyone gets hungry at some point.
However, for some people with certain conditions, hunger is more complicated than the stomach pains you feel.
A study conducted by researchers at Washington State University and the University of Calgary recently looked into how the increase in appetite with the use of cannabis.
The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Carrie Cuttler, a WSU psychology professor and the director of the Health and Cognition (THC) lab.
She worked on the study with Ryan McLaughlin, a professor at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“There’s very little documentation of the munchies phenomenon, but this paper really starts to tap into some of the mechanisms that might be responsible,” Cuttler said.
Cuttler and McLaughlin also worked with Matthew Hill and Catherine Hume, who ran similar studies at the University of Calgary.
Cuttler laid out how the “munchies” could benefit people with certain conditions.
“There are a lot of different diseases, conditions and disorders associated with wasting syndromes and lack of appetite, and this study really supports the idea that cannabis can be used medicinally to increase appetite in people who have conditions like HIV, AIDS, or who are on chemotherapy,” said Cuttler.
The study included 82 volunteer subjects ages 21 to 62.
Participants were given a vape containing either 20 or 40 milligrams of cannabis or a placebo.
The researchers examined endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, which regulate mood, memory, pain, immune responses and appetite.
The study found that patients ate much more food.
And they didn’t shy away from certain food groups either.
Their food of choice seems to range from carb-heavy to protein-heavy snacks.
The findings seem to match those of earlier University of Calgary studies on rats.
“That’s what the natural endocannabinoid system does in the hypothalamus,” McLaughlin said. “But THC hijacks that entire system. So even though you’re not necessarily hungry, THC can stimulate cannabinoid receptors in the brain and make you feel hungry.”
Researchers hope the study will help guide future treatments for people with conditions that affect how much they eat.
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