Starving yourself, lack of appetite, overeating – can CBD help treat eating disorders?

Emotions are one of the factors influencing our relationship with food, and difficulty regulating one's own emotional states is a common symptom of eating disorders. In some forms of eating disorders, hemp phytocannabinoids CBD and THC may have a beneficial effect on the physical and mental health of patients, regulate appetite and the amount of food consumed.

What are eating disorders?

Feeling hungry and full

The processes related to feeling the need to eat are regulated by the hunger and satiety center located in the hypothalamus - a small part of the brain responsible for regulating physiological processes related to the body's homeostasis. The hypothalamus receives and processes information reaching the brain through hormones and other substances that are secreted by the body in connection with the intake of food or, on the contrary, its lack.

Metabolic, hormonal, thermal and motor signals (e.g. stomach contractions) go to the hunger center and the satiety center. These signals excite one center while inhibiting the other . Hunger is a signal that our body is running out of energy (“fuel”). Our feelings are caused by, among others, drop in glucose levels or noticeable stomach cramps.

Eating disorders

A healthy relationship with food is when we satisfy our hunger when it appears, we have an appetite and we enjoy eating, but we do not overeat - the feeling of satiety is an indication for us not to eat more. We are able to plan our meals in such a way that they provide us with the necessary nutrients and energy.

According to DSM-5 (diagnostic criteria for mental disorders of the American Psychiatric Association), eating disorders are manifested by persistent disturbances in eating behaviors that affect the degree of nutrition of the body, impair the absorption of food and have a negative impact on the health and psychosocial functioning of the sick person.

Eating disorders may be mild or severe and are assessed on a four-point scale. According to statistics, approximately 6% of all eating disorders result in death. The most common direct cause of death is body wasting. There is a high suicide rate among patients . 

A disordered relationship with food affects women and girls much more often than men. According to data collected in the United States in 2018-2019, nationwide there were 4.39 million cases of eating disorders in women/girls and 1.09 million cases in men/boys. The most frequently diagnosed eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders. We discuss them in detail here.

Eating disorders and emotions

In psychology, the term "emotional hunger" is used, which indicates that appetite or the need to eat are not always associated with the feeling of hunger. The desire/need to eat, according to psychologists, may result from the need to regulate emotions experienced at a given moment. Food plays a moderating role here: it enhances or inhibits emotions and is unrelated to whether the body needs food or not. In emotional hunger, people eat even though they do not feel hungry until they feel emotionally satiated.

Emotional hunger usually appears suddenly and concerns a specific type of food, which may change depending on the emotions involved in a given situation. Food can inhibit negative emotions and enhance positive ones. We also often talk about "comfort food", i.e. food that can help with emotional regulation - influence what emotions we feel and at what intensity.

Emotion regulation and eating disorders

Disturbed self-regulation of emotions is often associated with incorrect patterns of eating behavior, i.e. inappropriate quantity, quality and frequency of eating. Stopping eating or overeating may be related to stress that the person cannot regulate, anxiety or co-occurring with depression.  

Psychology says that patients' attitudes towards food reflect the emotions and emotional needs that they try to express in the form of eating behaviors. They can also satisfy or suppress emotions or needs in this way.

Visible problems with food may also include difficulties in accepting oneself (the whole person, appearance, gender, weight), difficulties in realizing and expressing felt emotions, difficulties in asking for help or traumatic experiences that the person cannot cope with. .

The endocannabinoid system, CBD and appetite

CBD and other hemp cannabinoids connect , is involved in regulating the work of the hunger and satiety centers. The endocannabinoid system also has a significant role in mood regulation, therefore it may be one of the goals in the treatment of eating disorders related to emotions.

The ECS modulates many physiological processes. CB1 receptors are abundant in areas of the brain that are responsible for controlling food intake, the dopamine reward system and maintaining optimal energy levels. Scientists believe that in humans and other mammals, CB1 receptors stimulate appetite and cause the reward system to respond after eating food.  

On the other hand, this process also includes substances that temporarily block the CB1 receptor, inhibit the intake of excessive amounts of food - inhibit overeating..

Data collected by researchers suggests that CBD can be used both in types of disorders in which people overeat and gain significant weight, and in those in which they refrain from eating for a long time (anorexia).

Additionally, activating CB1 receptors with CBD can:

• increase appetite, 
• reduce the level of anxiety and persistent thoughts related to weight, 
• serve as support for psychological therapy for people suffering from anorexia and bulimia. 

THC, anorexia and appetite

The results of a study published in the Israel Journal of Psychiatry show the positive effects of low doses of THC on young women experiencing anorexia. The study participants reported that:

•  during THC therapy they experienced fewer depressive symptoms. 
• they had less need for the so-called “ascetic behavior” (starvation, intense exercise and other self-limiting behaviors),
• they had a lower sense of lack of agency. 

Scientists concluded that cannabis can be a good support for psychotherapy in people with anorexia because it can help them gain distance from eating behaviors and help them look at them more realistically. They can also improve appetite once sick people start eating.