5 Ways CBD Oil Can Help You Lose Weight

Reaching your ideal weight can be a huge challenge. At times, it might even seem impossible. People often hold this perspective on weight loss because they can’t seem to succeed despite their best efforts. Rest assured, if you’re one of these people, the problem isn’t you. The problem lies in your strategy.

Just like with evidence-based strategies to get a lean tummy, more often than not, weight loss is about the little evidence-based habits that add up to profound change.

If you’re already working on healthy habits, CBD Oil may tip the scales in your favor thanks to five key benefits that support weight loss.

1. CBD Oil May Help You Burn More Calories

Research suggests that the cannabidiol (CBD) in hemp can affect your metabolism, which could make it much easier to shed unwanted pounds.

One Korean study published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry discovered that CBD can affect specific proteins and genes in such a way that promotes lipolysis and reduces lipogenesis. In other words, CBD both promoted the breakdown of fat cells and discouraged the generation of new fat cells (1).

But that’s not all. The Korean researchers also discovered that CBD can modulate the body’s metabolism by promoting fat browning. A process where white fat is converted into brown fat. Why does that matter?

White fat is the type of fat that stores lots of energy. It forms when you consume too many calories and don’t exercise enough. You know, it’s the stuff you wish would go away when looking in the mirror. Brown fat, however, has a high number of mitochondria. This type of fat actually burns calories and can help you maintain a lean, healthy weight (2).

2. CBD Oil May Ease Temporary Inflammation

Inflammation and carrying excess weight often go hand-in-hand. This association is well-established in the scientific community. In fact, a simple search in the US National Library of Medicine results in over 10,000 articles on the topic (S). Without getting into the nitty-gritty science of this relationship, here’s a quick overview of some popular studies:

• Elevated inflammatory markers are often associated with future weight gain (3).
• Inflammation begins in fat cells themselves. As fat mass expands, inflammation proportionally increases (4).
• Inflammation causes insulin resistance (5), which in turn can promote obesity (6).

With this in mind, it makes sense that managing inflammation could help you maintain a healthy weight. This is where CBD oil comes into play. Researchers have found that the CBD in hemp may ease temporary inflammation by targeting α3 glycine receptors in the body (7).

The strong relationship between inflammation and weight gain is also why scientists have proposed that diets high in anti-inflammatory foods could help treat obesity (8).

3. CBD Oil May Improve Sleep Quality

When you’re looking to lose weight, sleep is probably the last thing you would think of, but it shouldn’t be. That’s because studies have found that decreased sleep duration and quality are associated with weight gain (9, 10). In some cases, it also increases the risk of obesity.

Experts believe this happens for several reasons. One of them being that reduced sleep duration and quality results in more fatigue. Less energy throughout the day means you will be less likely to exercise. Other studies have found that sleep deprivation can cause fluctuations in the hormones leptin and ghrelin which can increase your appetite (11).

Since poor sleep quality and deprivation can increase your weight, it makes sense to do the opposite: improve the quality of your sleep. CBD Oil may be the answer. Research has found that the CBD in hemp can have a positive impact on your sleep.

One systematic review, for example, found that CBD was effective at treating the symptoms of insomnia (12). That means CBD shows promise for reducing the time it takes to fall asleep, preventing disrupted sleep or nighttime waking, and improving daytime tiredness.

4. CBD Oil May Melt Away Stress

Stress is another important component of maintaining a healthy weight that people often overlook. Every time you get stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. In small doses, this is fine. But if you’re constantly stressed out, this chronic release of cortisol can cause you to gain a considerable amount of weight. One study even found that elevated cortisol levels from chronic stress can increase the accumulation of fat around your midsection (13).

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) also plays an important role in stress adaptation—or how you cope with stress (14). Cannabinoids such as CBD bind to receptors in the endocannabinoid system to balance the body. And research shows that CBD can significantly decrease the levels of cortisol in the body to help reduce the effects of stress (15).

5. CBD Oil May Reduce Oxidative Stress

The cannabinoids, including CBD, in hemp are also known to be powerful antioxidants (16). This means they can protect your body from oxidative stress. Why does this matter? Adipose tissue, or fat cells, can ramp up the body’s production of reactive oxygen species, or ROS (17). In turn, these ROS can cause oxidative stress and promote inflammation (18), which can result in weight gain.

In theory, this means the more weight you carry, the harder it is to lose. All thanks to oxidative stress. To drive this point further, studies have even shown that diets high in antioxidants have positive effects on weight loss (19, 20). Which is why antioxidant-rich hemp oil may help with weight loss.

The Bottom Line

CBD Oil is becoming an increasingly popular dietary supplement due to the growing body of scientific research that supports its benefits. This article specifically focused on the evidence supporting CBD oil’s ability to help you maintain a healthy weight.

Research suggests CBD oil does this by boosting your metabolism, promoting fat browning, easing temporary inflammation, improving sleep quality, reducing stress, and acting as an antioxidant in the body. All of this suggests that CBD Oil may have multiple benefits for your waistline.