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Can People With Diabetes Use Cannabis Products?

Can People With Diabetes Use Cannabis Products?

Statistics show that around 8.5 adults have diabetes globally. Diabetes, caused by the body’s inability to produce and regulate insulin, can cause blindness, heart attack, lower limb amputation, stroke, and kidney failure. 

Although research into the benefits of marijuana to people with diabetes is still in its early stages, marijuana has shown its importance in preventing and managing diabetes. You can use cannabis products such as sprays, edibles, creams, tinctures, smokables, and capsules to manage diabetes. You can find these cannabis products at Just Cannabis Store.

Here are some ways cannabis products can help people with diabetes:

Increases Insulin Sensitivity

The endocannabinoid system has an important role in how the body responds to insulin since it can increase or decrease insulin sensitivity. Since people with diabetes are not sensitive and responsive to insulin, cannabinoids can increase their insulin sensitivity and help fight insulin resistance. It does this by influencing the adiponectin protein, which has been linked with improved insulin sensitivity.

Reduces Neuropathic Pain

Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage that mostly affects the hands and feet. It is caused by high blood sugars that damage nerves throughout the body. People with diabetes can use cannabis products to manage diabetic neuropathy since cannabinoids increase neurons, alleviating nerve pain. 

You can use a spray that combines THC and CBD on your hands and feet to ease the pain and tingling sensations common with diabetic neuropathy. These products can also ease the inflammation from nerve damage.

Cannabis may also help relieve the sleeplessness that comes with neuropathy. It calms overactive nerves, relaxes muscle tension, and soothes restless legs. The higher the THC levels, the higher the impact on pain. 

Photo by Zane Bolen on Unsplash

Alleviating Inflammation

Diabetes is an inflammatory condition, and cannabis has anti-inflammatory effects that can relieve the disease symptoms by preventing damage to the walls of blood vessels by diabetes.

A study in the American Journal of Pathology found that CBD may reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular hyperpermeability, and cell death associated with diabetes. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis may also help treat secondary symptoms of cannabis, including heart problems, eye problems, and pain. It can destroy some of the arterial cholesterol caused by diabetes that can lead to cardiovascular disease.

It Protects against Diabetic Retinopathy

High glucose levels in diabetes can deprive the retina of oxygen, forcing it to grow more blood vessels that can leak and destroy your vision. CBD can help keep your eyes healthy and prevent them from growing leaky blood vessels. Research shows that using CBD treatment for one to four weeks can prevent vision loss in people with diabetes. 

Diabetic retinopathy can also be caused by glial cells, which supply nutrients and oxygen to the nerve cells, as they eat nerve cells that are dying from lack of oxygen. More blood vessels grow in the retina as a compensation mechanism to try to stop the role reversal. Cannabidiol is an antioxidant that can save the retina by neutralizing toxic superoxides and inhibiting the self-destructive system.

It Helps Stabilize Your Blood Sugar

According to a 2016 study, cannabis products can help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugars. They can reduce the hormone resistance that contributes to insulin resistance. In addition, the cannabinoids THC and CBD increase insulinotropic peptide, which is dependent on glucose. The increased levels prompt the release of insulin. Tetrahydrocannabivarin has also been shown to have benefits for blood sugar control.

Helps With Gastrointestinal Issues

Diabetes is a systemic disease that affects the organ system, including the gastrointestinal tract. It can damage the vagus nerve, causing food emptying from the stomach to be delayed. The retention of stomach contents may cause abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Cannabis products can help in such cases to relieve gastrointestinal cramping and pain. It can also alleviate nausea and vomiting.

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Some diabetic people battle stress and anxiety, which can make the condition worse. When you feel stressed, the body releases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. The stress hormones stimulate glucagon release, causing your blood sugar levels to rise and worsen your condition. You can use CBD to relieve anxiety and stress related to diabetes. 

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It Can Promote Good Fat

CBD oil can help your body turn white fat into slimming brown fat. Your body can use glucose better with the good kind of cholesterol. A published article by an Arizona professor of medicine found that marijuana increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol blood levels. This kind of cholesterol helps remove bad cholesterol that damages the walls of blood vessels from your bloodstream.

Conclusion

While cannabis products can have many benefits to people with diabetes, there can be some potential downsides. Cannabis can increase appetite, which can make you eat large amounts of junk food. These foods contain high levels of refined sugar and may cause your blood levels to rise too quickly.

When using cannabis products for diabetes, ensure that you purchase them from legit and regulated dealers that adhere to standards. You should also speak to a physician first if you take prescribed medication and insulin to prevent any cannabinoid-drug interaction.

 

 

References

https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00313-6/fulltext

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/39/10/1777

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2955420/

https://ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S0002-9440(11)01027-3/fulltext 

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