Can CBD Cause Loss of Appetite?

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CBD, the non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in hemp, is known for various potential benefits and has been researched extensively in recent years for its relationship to our ECS (or our endocannabinoid system) and the relationship they share with our metabolism, body weight, and appetite stimulation. But if CBD causes some people to feel hungry but not others, could CBD cause a loss of appetite? We’ve got some answers for you! Let us help you with all things related to CBD and the stomach.

Can CBD Cause Loss of Appetite?

In short, no—not really. CBD gummies, tinctures, and oils don’t trigger appetite loss. It's important to remember that CBD is in no way a leading cause of a suppressed appetite, nor does it directly relate to causes of weight gain. That said, it won't affect your ability to feel hunger. However, some people have reported feelings of decreased appetite when using CBD as part of their daily food intake. This has caused speculation that it’s the CBD itself causing it. In a physical sense, however, it doesn't. It’s a bit more complicated than that.

When we start feeling down from sadness, stress, lack of energy from poor sleep, or needing distractions from bad vibes, our bodies may experience an increased appetite for high-calorie foods, sugar, carbs, salt, caffeine, and alcohol.¹ The issue is many of those cravings have effects similar to addiction, making it a lot more difficult to curb them.²

CBD could help boost your mood, in addition to helping support healthy sleep-wake cycles and soothing minor aches and pains.³⁻⁴ When you take the factors that lead to those high-calorie cravings out of the equation, you tend to be less likely to find comfort in stress-eating—enabling you to slow down on the snacking (which may make you feel like you have less of an appetite).

CBD's effects on the ECS and our mood, along with its potential support in healthy sleep cycles, may help you feel more balanced in your emotions. This makes cutting back calories a bit more manageable. However, there's even more to it than that.

CBD, Appetite & The ECS

The ECS (endocannabinoid system) is responsible for coordinating a whole host of background processes within the body—including sleep-wake cycles, mood, memory, pain responses, stress levels, and appetite.⁵ Its mission is to keep the body in balance—or homeostatic. By keeping all those natural processes in check, it helps facilitate and optimize overall bodily function. It does all this by releasing endocannabinoids, which serve as chemical messengers.

Endocannabinoids bind to receptors throughout the body and the central nervous system to help keep us regular. By binding to these receptors, CBD may help improve the overall function of the ECS. As research is still coming to light, CBD appears to have a more therapeutic effect on the ECS—better enabling your body to manage disruptions to these background processes so it can continue functioning in its most optimal state.

With that said, if CBD and the ECS work together to reach an optimal baseline, there's a bit of a contradiction. Individuals prone to overeating due to a sour mood, emotional discomfort, or poor sleep could feel less inclined to eat when taking CBD—as its interactions with the ECS might curb cravings. While on the other hand, those who lack appetite from nausea or physical pain may feel more hungry when they add CBD to the mix seeing as its interaction with the ECS could help them overcome food aversion and increase their appetite.

CBD itself doesn't increase or decrease appetite, however. It mainly interacts with your ECS to help the body find its baseline and keep you feeling and functioning at your best.

Will CBD Make Me Hungry?

While CBD won't give you “the munchies” in the same sense that THC does, it might improve appetite by alleviating nausea and promoting gastrointestinal health when introduced into the ECS.⁶ That said, cannabis can potentially increase appetite indirectly by interacting with receptors that do affect appetite, pain, inflammation, and metabolism.

By reducing feelings of physical nausea, CBD may help you feel hungry and help enable a more healthy appetite.⁷ Research indicates that CBD could activate serotonin receptors—which may promote calm, balanced feelings that help better manage stress and anxiety (along with occasional nausea they tend to bring).⁸

CBD may also play a role in inflammation and, in harmony with the ECS, may help to alleviate sensations of pain and inflammation.⁹ Reducing the effects of pain and inflammation might help support gastrointestinal health but could also make people experiencing food aversion from pain or medications feel well enough to eat again.

CBD, Metabolism & Weight

Can CBD boost metabolism? Another important area where CBD can play a role in appetite and food intake is metabolism. While CBD doesn’t boost metabolism, it may trigger the ECS to find a baseline metabolic speed in relation to body weight—which has the potential to make it easier for you to store and burn fat, metabolize food into energy, as well as optimize insulin levels.

Another study found CBD may transform white fat into beneficial brown fat, which is significantly easier to burn.¹⁰ Your body naturally transforms white fat into brown fat when exposed to colder temperatures, sufficient rest, and exercise. However, some of the processes the ECS and CBD help facilitate could expedite the transformation of white fat into brown fat—which might help with weight loss.

CBD could stimulate the ECS to communicate with the proteins needed for breaking down fat. It may also help boost the activity of the mitochondria found in your cells—thus enabling them to improve the rate they process energy. Lastly, it could also help regulate the release of proteins the ECS produces to create new fat cells in the body.

One study found that mice given CBD had a decreased appetite and weight loss when CBD was specifically targeted to their CB2 receptors—likely due to increased metabolic function thanks to the ECS.¹¹ However, it's important to remember that CBD doesn't directly trigger appetite loss or a boosted metabolism. Rather, it may assist the endocannabinoid system in its duty of keeping the body in balance by automating other background processes—which may increase metabolic rate. In doing so, CBD has the potential to help make it easier for the body to store and burn fat, metabolize food into energy, and optimize insulin levels.¹²

Bottom Line: CBD & Appetite

In summary, CBD may increase or decrease your appetite due to its interactions with the ECS. Your body's primary goal is to stay healthy, balanced, and functioning at its best—so remember that CBD may make you feel hungrier as it helps manage the pain or nausea that typically makes you feel too uncomfortable to eat. However, if you're overeating due to stress, anxiety, and/or a lack of sufficient rest, CBD could reduce your appetite and curb cravings—partnering with your ECS to help your body regulate and return to homeostasis.

It's important to think of CBD as more of a supplement than an appetite suppressant/stimulant. Taking it consistently and incorporating it into your daily wellness routines could help support the ability of your ECS to keep your body level and maintain a healthy appetite—that way, you can listen to what it truly needs as you continue on the life-long journey toward wellness.

Here at Lazarus Naturals, we have a variety of CBD products for all cannabis users, such as CBD edibles, CBD softgels. And if you’ve had a long night out with alcohol involved, consider taking CBD for hangover relief. CBD can help in many ways and on many occasions. Browse our collection today to see which product is best for you.

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