Regular Cannabis Use Leads to Alterations in Fat Cells
New research sheds light on why people who frequently use cannabis tend to be leaner and less prone to diabetes despite their increased appetite due to stimulation. The study shows that cannabis exposure during adolescence disrupts energy balance and adipose organ homeostasis. Changes are rooted in molecular alterations in fat cells, causing them to produce proteins usually found only in muscle and the heart, affecting their ability to store and release nutrients. These alterations might impact physical and mental processes that depend on a steady influx of nutrients to the brain.
Impact of Cannabis Exposure on Adolescents
University of California, Irvine researchers suggest that cannabis exposure during adolescence can wreak havoc in the fine-tuned processes that govern energy storage, making the body leaner and less susceptible to obesity but also less capable of mobilizing stored nutrients needed for brain and muscle activity.
Mice that had been treated as adolescents with low daily doses of THC had reduced fat mass and increased lean mass, were partially resistant to obesity and hyperglycemia, had higher-than-normal body temperature, and were unable to mobilize fuel from fat stores, indicating that these phenotypes result from lasting changes in energy balance established during adolescence.
Adolescent Exposure to THC Causes Adipose Organ Dysfunction
Further analysis of the molecular changes caused by THC revealed that fat cells of mice treated with THC looked normal under the microscope but produced large amounts of muscle proteins, which are normally not found in fat. Muscle, on the other hand, made fewer of those same proteins. The effort required to make these “alien” proteins interferes with the healthy functioning of fat cells and thus with their ability to store and release stored nutrients.
This adipose organ dysfunction may in turn affect not only physical activity but also mental processes, such as attention, that depend on a steady influx of fuel to the brain. These findings suggest that interfering with endocannabinoid signaling during adolescence disrupts adipose organ function in a permanent way, with potentially far-reaching consequences on physical and mental health.
Key Takeaways
– Regular cannabis use can disrupt energy balance and fat storage, making users leaner but also affecting the body’s nutrient mobilization.
– Changes are rooted in molecular alterations in fat cells, causing them to produce proteins usually found only in muscle and heart.
– This alteration might impact physical and mental processes that depend on a steady influx of nutrients to the brain.
About the Study
The research, published in Cell Metabolism, titled “Adolescent exposure to low-dose THC disrupts energy balance and adipose organ homeostasis in adulthood,” was conducted by giving low daily doses of THC or its vehicle to adolescent mice at the University of California, Irvine. After the animals had reached adulthood, researchers carried out a thorough assessment of the animals’ metabolism.
Conclusion
Cannabis might be known for its stimulating effect on appetite, but frequent use of the drug can disrupt energy balance and fat storage, resulting in a leaner physique but potentially at the expense of the body’s nutrient mobilization. The study shows that these changes are rooted in molecular alterations in fat cells, which might impact physical and mental processes that depend on a steady influx of nutrients to the brain, with potentially far-reaching consequences on physical and mental health.
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