For the first time, a study establishes a causal link between inhaling cannabis and a reduction in stress. According to work carried out on rats, females are more sensitive than males.
“Smoke a joint”, is it often recommended, as a joke, to anxious people. Because cannabis is known to reduce stress. It is even today scientifically proven for the first time on rats. And these effects would be much more noticeable in females than in males. However, in this study recently published in the journal Neurobiology of Stress, scientists point out that the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, is not all bad. In particular, it aims to help us respond to threats from our environment.
In their study, researchers from Washington University (WSU), in the United States, worked with rats. After training the rodents to poke their noses into an infrared beam whenever they wanted a puff of cannabis vapor and measuring their level of corticosterone (the animal equivalent of cortisol), the researchers had them inhale vaporized cannabis daily for one month. This delivery system allowed the rats to self-administer cannabis whenever they felt like it. Thus the same neurobiological circuits have been observed as when a person takes drugs of their own free will.
After 30 days, the researchers measured the levels of the stress hormone in the males and in the females. And, while initially all animals showed similar spikes in corticosterone when confronted with a stressful situation, after the period of cannabis self-administration, only the females who had had access to the drug showed a reduced physiological response to stress.
A causal link proven for the first time
Another interesting observation:Rats that were given access to higher potency cannabis tended to be less responsive and had lower concentrations of THC in their blood after the experiment than rats that were given access to medium potency cannabiscomments Ryan McLaughlin, assistant professor of integrative physiology and neuroscience at WSU and co-author of the article. The cause of this difference as well as why females seem to be more receptive to the effects of cannabis on stress are two things we intend to investigate in the future.”he continues.
While many questions remain, this is the first time that a study has established a causal link between cannabis and stress reduction. “We were able to show quite conclusively that chronic cannabis use can, in fact, significantly attenuate stress reactivity in female rats.therefore welcomes Carrie Cuttler, assistant professor of psychology at WSU and co-author of the study. So far, no one has been able to establish whether this blunted stress response is the cause or consequence of cannabis use..”
This is for the simple and simple reason that in human studies, scientists cannot assign their subjects to use cannabis or prevent them from doing so for a certain period of time before starting an experiment.
The stress hormone has its uses
The researchers point out, however, that the release of stress hormones most often serves a purpose of adaptation. It is thanks to it that humans are able to mobilize the reserves of energy they need to respond appropriately to the threats that surround them.
“Failure to mount an appropriate hormonal response to stress could have detrimental effects that could potentially be detrimental to the individualtherefore insists Carrie Cuttler. Cannabis research is only accelerating due to legalization, and our future work will play an important role in better understanding the benefits and potential consequences of chronic cannabis use in women and men.”she concludes.
Apart from stress peaks to react to danger, cortisol helps maintain the body’s energy balance throughout the day. Unfortunately, the body doesn’t discriminate between stressful situations and doesn’t just produce cortisol in a dangerous situation. It also does this when you are stuck in traffic or stressed at work, which is very detrimental to well-being. Excess cortisol can therefore be harmful, leading in particular to weight gain.
Medical cannabis increasingly used
The results of this study come just as the United Nations has just recognized the medical usefulness of cannabis for the first time. Studies have shown its usefulness in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), to alleviate stomach aches or to help women manage the symptoms of menopause.
In France, experimentation with therapeutic cannabis will begin on March 31 at the latest, on at least 3,000 patients. The latter will be people with serious pathologies (multiple sclerosis, epilepsy of neuropathic pain, side effects of chemotherapy, palliative care). As for the treatments, prescribed only “in case of insufficient relief or poor tolerance” with the already existing treatments, they will be delivered in the form of capsules, dried flowers to vape or oil containing medical cannabis.
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