Marijuana: The Next Diabetes Drug?

[Canadense]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/health/time-marijuana-diabetes/index.html?sr=fb052413marijuanadiabetes1230p

(TIME.com) -- Toking up may help marijuana users to
stay slim and lower their risk of developing diabetes, according to the
latest study, which suggests that cannabis compounds may help in
controlling blood sugar.

Although marijuana has a
well-deserved reputation for increasing appetite via what stoners call
"the munchies," the new research, which was published in the American
Journal of Medicine, is not the first to find that the drug has a
two-faced relationship to weight.

Three prior studies have
shown that marijuana users are less likely to be obese, have a lower
risk for diabetes and have lower body-mass-index measurements. And these
trends occurred despite the fact that they seemed to take in more
calories.

Why? "The most important
finding is that current users of marijuana appeared to have better
carbohydrate metabolism than nonusers," says Murray Mittleman, an
associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the lead
author of the study. "Their fasting insulin levels were lower, and they
appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to
maintain a normal blood-sugar level."

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The research included
over 4,600 men and women participating in the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2010. Among them, 48% had
smoked marijuana at least once in their lives, and 12% were current
cannabis smokers. The authors controlled for other factors like age,
sex, income, alcohol use, cigarette smoking and physical activity that
could also affect diabetes risk.

Even after these
adjustments, the current marijuana users showed fasting insulin levels
that were 16% lower than those of former or never users, along with a
17% reduction in another measure of insulin resistance as well. Higher
levels on both tests are associated with Type II diabetes, which is
linked with obesity.

Marijuana users also had
higher levels of high-density lipoprotein, the so-called good
cholesterol, which can protect against heart disease. And the regular
smokers also boasted smaller waistlines: on average, they were 1.5
inches (3.8 cm) slimmer than the former users and those who had never
smoked cannabis.

Researchers don't yet
know how to explain these correlations -- and since the study was not a
controlled trial, it's not clear whether marijuana or some other factor
in marijuana users' lifestyles actually accounted for the beneficial
effects.

Studies showed, however,
that the cannabinoid brain receptors affected by marijuana are deeply
involved in appetite and metabolism. But the exact details of how the
compound alters the relationship between appetite, caloric intake and
insulin response isn't obvious yet.

One clue, however, may
lie in the effects of a diet drug that was developed to have the
opposite effect that marijuana has on the brain. That drug, rimonabant,
produced significant weight loss and a drop in fasting insulin levels by
affecting certain cannabinoid receptors in the exact opposite way that
THC, marijuana's main psychoactive ingredient, does.

This action is complex:
rimonabant doesn't simply block the receptor and keep the natural
cannabinoids from activating it. Instead, while the natural cannabinoids
elevate the normal level of activity already going on in the system,
rimonabant lowers it so the result is precisely the reverse of
activating the receptor naturally.

However, because of
psychiatric side effects like increasing suicide risk, rimonabant was
pulled from the European market and never approved in the United States.

TIME.com: Reverse engineering the marijuana 'munchies:'
What causes binge eating?

How could both marijuana
and a compound that has the opposite effect of pot act on the same
brain receptors and lead to weight loss?

Natural marijuana
includes many different potentially active compounds, and one of them --
rather than THC -- could be responsible for this effect. One potential
candidate is a substance called cannabidiol, which also affects
cannabinoid receptors, but in a different way from the way THC or
rimonabant does.

Another possibility
involves tolerance: repeated use of a drug can make receptors less
sensitive over time. "The most likely explanation is that prolonged
cannabis use causes the (receptors) to lose sensitivity and become
inactive," says Daniele Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology at the
University of California, Irvine, who was not associated with the new
research.

"This has been shown to
happen in people who smoke marijuana. This weakening of (these
receptors) translates into a lower risk for obesity and diabetes because
the inactive receptor would be unable to respond to our own
cannabis-like molecules, which we know are important in keeping us
chubby."

While marijuana may
initially promote appetite and overeating, in the long run it has the
opposite effect because it desensitizes cannabinoid receptors and may
even protect against obesity.

So don't skip the gym
and break out the bong just yet: there's still not enough data to tell
whether marijuana, like alcohol, could have health benefits in
moderation. Mittleman says the study relied on self-reported use of
marijuana, which can be unreliable. However, he points out that since
people are more likely to hide drug use than they are to falsely claim
it, the findings could even underestimate marijuana's effects.

TIME.com: Marijuana slims? Why pot smokers are less
obese

But whether that's true,
and whether marijuana might be a window into understanding how to best
control glucose and insulin to prevent diabetes, isn't known yet.

"It is much too early to
say," says Mittleman. "We need much more research to better understand
the biologic responses to marijuana use. We really need more research to
allow physicians and patients to make decisions based on solid
evidence." An editorial that accompanied the study also urged government
action to reduce barriers to such research.

Even with 18 states now
approving marijuana for medical uses, the politics of pot will always
overshadow research efforts to understand how cannabinoids work in the
brain -- or affect disease. But, as Piomelli says, "the (new) study
suggests that smoking marijuana (may) protect people against obesity and
diabetes." And following up on that finding could yield new insights
into how to tackle one of our biggest public-health issues.

[Lone_Wolf]

Segue a materia traduzida.Pra quem tem essa merda de doenca correndo solta na familia,interessa e muito hehe.

"Fumar um pode ajudar os usuarios de
maconha a se manterem magros e diminuir o risco de desenvolver
diabetes,de acordo com o ultimo estudo,que sugere que os componentes
da canabis podem ajudar a controlar o acucar no sangue.

Embora a maconha tenha uma merecida
reputacao de aumentar o apetite,efeito que os usuarios chamam de
“larica”,a nova pesquisa,que foi publicada no American Journal of
Medicine,nao e a primeira a “descobrir” que a droga tem uma
relacao de duas faces com o peso corporal.

Tres estudos anteriores mostraram que
os usuarios de maconha tem menos probabilidades de se tornar
obeso,tem um risco menor de desenvolver diabetes,e tem uma medida de
massa corporal menor.E essas

tendencias ocorreram idependentemente
do fato de que eles tendem a ingerir mais calorias.

Porque? “O mais importante achado e
que os usuarios atuais de maconha aparentam ter melhor metabolismo de
carboidratos que os nao usuarios.” diz Murray Mittleman,um
professor associado de medicina na universidade de medicina de
Harvard e o autor lider do estudo. “Seus niveis de insulina eram
menores,e eles aparentavam ser menos resistentes a isulina produzida
por seus corpos para manter o nivel normal de acucar no sangue”

Como pode a maconha e um composto que
tem o efeito oposto a maconha atuarem nos mesmos receptores do
cerebro e levarem a perda de peso?

A maconha natural,tem muitos diferentes
compostos potencialmente ativos,e um deles – ao inves do THC –
pode ser responsavel por esse efaeito.Um candidato em potencial e uma
substancia chamada de cannabidiol,que tambem afeta os receptores de
canabinoides,mas de uma maneira diferente do THC e do rimonabant(??
nao sei traduzir isso).

Outra possibilidade involve a
tolerancia: o uso repetido da droga pode fazer seus receptores se
tornarem menos sensiveis ao longo do tempo. “A explicacao mais
provavel e que o uso prolongado de canabis ( aos receptores) a perda
de sua sensibilidade e eles se tornam inativos.” diz Daniele
Piomelli, professora de farmacologia na Universidade da
California,Irvine, que nao esta associada a nova pesquisa.

“Isso tem se demonstrado em pessoas
que fumam maconha.Esse esfraquecimento (dos receptores) se traduz em
um risco menor de obesidade e diabetes, por que os receptores
inativos seriam incapazes de responder aos estimulos das moleculas
como as da canabis,produzidas por nos mesmos, que sao sabidamente sao
importantes em nos manter “gordinhos”

Enquanto a maconha pode inicialmente
promover o apetite e o exagero na hora de comer,no longo prazo ela
tem o efeito oposto,porque ela desensibiliza os receptores de
“canabinoides” e pode ate proteger contra a obesidade.

Entao nao deixe a academia e pegue seu
bong ainda:nao existe ainda dados suficientes para dizer se,assim
como o alcool,a maconha pode trazer beneficios a saude,se consumida
moderadamente. Mittleman diz que o estudo se baseia no uso
auto-relatado da maconha,que pode ser desconfiavel.Embora ele aponte
que as pessoas mais comumente escodem seu uso de drogas do que alegam
falso uso das mesmas,e o estudo pode ate mesmo estar subestimando os
efeitos da maconha.

Mas se isso e verdade,e se o uso de
maconha pode ser uma janela no entendimento de como melhor controlar
a glicose e a insulina para controlar a diabetes,nao e ainda sabido.

“E muito cedo para dizer” diz
Mittleman. “Nos precisamos de muito mais pesquisa para melhor
entender as respostas biologicas ao uso de maconha.Nos realmente
precisamos de mais pesquisas para possibilitar aos medicos e aos
pacientes tomarem decisoes baseadas em evidencias solidas.” Um
editorial que acompanha o estudo pede ao governo urgencia em reduzir
as barreiras para tal pesquisa.

Mesmo com 18 estados agora aprovando o
uso medicinal da canabis,as politicas por tras da maconha sempre vao
fazer sombra nos esforcos de pesquisa para entender como os
“cannabinoides” agem no cerebro – ou na doenca afetada.
Mas,como Piomelli diz, “ o (novo) estudo sugere que fumar maconha
(pode proteger) protege as pessoas contra obesidade e diabetes” E
continuar pesquisando sobre essa descoberta pode colher novos
insights sobre como abordar um dos nossos maiores problemas de saude
publica.

Abracos

[PLR]

O país do proibicionismo à frente dos melhores estudos envolvendo a cannabis e salvando vidas.

E o Brasil?

...

[ntfsmount]

como dizer pro laranjeiras um negocio desse...

tinha q enfiar uma reportagem dessa no meio do cerebro dele

[Santa Ka ya]

ja sou magro, fumo pra caralho, como pra caralho nas laras, e nunca engordei ....

e como bem mais desde q começei a fumar