CBD & Fitness – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana

CBD & fitness. Until now, we haven’t had much hard science on the topic. There have been some observational studies and plenty of anecdotal reports. And the results have been all over the map.

Does CBD lower inflammation? Does CBD alter body composition by influencing glucose metabolism? Can CBD increase oxygen consumption?

Do CBD and exercise go hand-in-hand? What are the health benefits of CBD? What are the benefits of CBD for fitness?

Fortunately, the latest CBD study, published in the Nutrients Journal, is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized control trial.

In other words – the gold standard for answering these kinds of questions.

Details of the CBD & Fitness Study

As mentioned, this latest CBD & fitness study is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Researchers examined the impact of oral CBD on 48 individual adults aged 18 to 50.

The participants did not use CBD or THC six weeks before the study. Neither of them had a history of problematic alcohol or drug use.

Only healthy individuals were selected. Researchers excluded people with metabolic or cardiovascular problems, pregnant or lactating mothers, and individuals with neurological disorders.

Researchers randomly assigned CBD capsules of 50mg daily over eight weeks. They looked at cognitive health, body composition, exercise patterns, the participant’s psychological well-being, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.

(CRP is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. Researchers use CRP levels as a marker of inflammation and infection.)

In addition to blood tests and self-reporting surveys, the participants also wore Fitbits so researchers could assess their physical activity.

Results of the CBD & Fitness Study

So are there benefits to combining CBD and working out? Did the researchers find any CBD health benefits at all?

Do you use CBD to work out? If you believe CBD is increasing the intensity of the workouts, then it may be the placebo effect.

However, while this CBD & fitness study found that CBD didn’t increase the intensity of workouts, the placebo group experienced a minor reduction over eight weeks.

This suggests that a daily regimen of 50mg of CBD helps prevent reductions in anaerobic power. Researchers said this was likely due to CBD’s antioxidant status.

By increasing levels of antioxidants, participants saw a decrease in free radicals. (Free radicals are reactive molecules that steal electrons from other molecules, damaging cells and tissues in a process called oxidation.)

CBD’s effect on body composition and other fitness measurements was inconclusive. The results varied among both the CBD and placebo groups, indicating that individual differences played a more significant role, at least in the context of this study’s measurements.

As such, while CBD benefits fitness, the researchers couldn’t answer our many questions. They concluded,

The present study observed that daily consumption of 50 mg of CBD for 8 weeks did not result in significant improvements in body composition, aerobic and other muscular strength measures, mental health, or inflammation in physically active adults.

They added while CBD won’t increase the intensity of your workouts, it can increase your average workout time.

Limitations of the Study

The researcher wrote,

The limitations of the present study should also be considered when interpreting the results. Future studies should consider longer intervention durations, higher CBD doses, and monitoring physical activity and exercise training during the intervention period. Overall, these findings contribute to the limited knowledge surrounding the effects of CBD on physical fitness, mental health, and inflammation, and highlight the need for further research to fully understand the potential benefits and limitations of CBD consumption in healthy individuals.

Of course, given the study’s parameters, one should not interpret this to mean CBD does not affect inflammation or mental health.

Other double-blinded studies on CBD and mental health show positive associations. As well this study looked at CRP levels for inflammation markers. Other CBD studies with a broader range have found CBD to reduce inflammation.

While this CBD study may not have yielded the results cannabis connoisseurs were looking for, it wasn’t infected with reefer madness either.

As the researchers mention, more rigorous studies will discover more health benefits (or adverse effects) of CBD. As it stands, this RCT found no adverse effects and that CBD increases your workout stamina.

Any other CBD and exercise benefits, at least for now, appear to be a placebo effect.