CBD: weight maintenance for athletes

Many factors influence athletic performance. They are genetics, exercising regime, kind of training, psychological state, age, gender. Often an athlete faces one more serious challenge – a coach recommends to lose a few pounds as a way to improve overall performance.

For an adult athlete, when achieved incorrectly, weight loss can become quite a negative factor. When you are worried about your overall performance, and at the same time, you want to decrease weight smoothly, think of CBD. It can bring many metabolic and dietary benefits for athletes.

Major scientific claims

Some findings show that CBD can stimulate fat browning1. It is very important for athletes as brown fat helps us burn calories while regular white fat passively stores energy from our consumption. According to recent findings, activated brown fat can increase our metabolism by 15 %. For a typical adult, it means brown fat can burn up to 300 calories a day2. So, CBD can help you focus on building muscle mass and develop lean muscle.

Another essential benefit of CBD for athletes is that is can suppress appetite3. With CBD, one can control calorie intake and avoid taking in more fuel than the body actually needs.

Also, some studies found that CBD can help regulate metabolism3 as the endocannabinoid system plays a vital role in the metabolic processes in the body. Athletes taking CBD can better modulate their eating behaviour and maintain the ideal body weight.

Other benefits for athletes

CBD can help protect the central nervous system, thus assisting individuals in staying focused. It may help prevent burnout effect, and thus help train better. CBD may help synchronise neural signaling and balance neurotransmitters4 and promote neuronal health.

For athletes, CBD may help better adapt to their training. Some findings show that CBD has some qualities of adaptogens, and so it may assist in stress management and better workout5.

Taking tips for athletes

  • Try out CBD twice a day: in the morning and evening. Some people say morning dose help them experience a subtle boost in concentration and energy6. They are more productive and energised. At the same time, an evening dose may help relax and have a good quality sleep. Findings show that people taking CBD before going to bed fall asleep faster and sleep undisturbed through the night7.
  • Take an extra dose when it comes to appetite: taking CBD supplements may help avoid snacking between meals as one may feel less hungry.
  • CBD oil or gummies are more convenient for beginners.
  • Try CBD ointment or cream for rubbing onto the skin, muscles and bruises.
  • Combine CBD with compounds like whey protein to increase efficiency and build more muscle mass.
  • Explore the products. Choose good quality products for maximum benefits.

Currently, CBD is becoming an essential product for athletes that helps them in many ways. Especially one may find it helpful if struggling with weight fluctuations. CBD may contribute to weight stabilisation and better overall performance.

References

  1. Parray HA, Yun JW. Cannabidiol promotes browning in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Mol Cell Biochem. 2016;416(1):131-139. doi:10.1007/s11010-016-2702-5
  2. Knight K. The biology of fat. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 2018;221(Suppl 1):jeb178020. doi:10.1242/jeb.178020
  3. Hawkins MN, Horvath TL. Cannabis in fat: high hopes to treat obesity. J Clin Invest. 127(11):3918-3920. doi:10.1172/JCI97042
  4. Prenderville JA, Kelly ÁM, Downer EJ. The role of cannabinoids in adult neurogenesis. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(16):3950-3963. doi:10.1111/bph.13186
  5. Blessing EM, Steenkamp MM, Manzanares J, Marmar CR. Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders. Neurotherapeutics. 2015;12(4):825-836. doi:10.1007/s13311-015-0387-1
  6. van de Donk T, Niesters M, Kowal MA, Olofsen E, Dahan A, van Velzen M. An experimental randomized study on the analgesic effects of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis in chronic pain patients with fibromyalgia. PAIN. 2019;160(4):860–869. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001464
  7. Shannon S, Lewis N, Lee H, Hughes S. Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. Perm J. 2019;23. doi:10.7812/TPP/18-041

 

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