To find out how cannabis affects food preferences, researchers fed small worms cannabis and found striking similarities between them and us. It may lead to the development of drug therapy.
The phenomenon caused by cannabis use and colloquially known as ‘munch’ has been known for centuries, but scientists have described it with the fancy term ‘pleasure amplification’.
Hedonism is an ethical theory that proposes that pleasure represents the highest good and that the right purpose of human life is to seek pleasure and self-satisfaction. Therefore, an amplification of hedonic eating following smoking or consuming cannabis refers to an increased desire to eat pleasurable foods.
Cannabis is a cannabinoid. The body produces endocannabinoids, similar to cannabinoids, as part of the signaling system responsible for maintaining homeostasis or balance in the body. The major endocannabinoid is anandamide, which binds to the same brain receptors as delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis.
Animal studies have found a strong link between endocannabinoid signaling and energy homeostasis. That is, match calorie intake with energy expenditure. These studies show that administering THC or endocannabinoids not only increases food consumption, but also alters food preferences in favor of high-calorie foods, such as those high in sugar and fat.
Researchers at the University of Oregon fed tiny bacteria-eating worms with a cannabis-like substance to see if it changed their food preferences.
Caenorhabditis elegansagain Nematode In short, they are biology’s favorite worms because they share many genes with humans, and many of the molecular signals that control worm development are also found in humans.
The researchers soaked the worms in anandamide and placed them in a T-shaped maze. The left side of the maze had high quality food. Low quality on the right. From an evolutionary perspective, “high quality” food means food packed with calories that guarantee survival. In other words, it’s the worm equivalent of junk food.
“The endocannabinoid system helps keep starving animals from eating high-fat, high-sugar foods,” said Sean Rockery, the study’s corresponding author.
Worms naturally show a tendency to prefer high-quality food, but researchers found this tendency to be much stronger in anandamide-affected worms. Stayed there longer than usual. From their results, the researchers concluded that anandamide induces pleasure eating. Nematode.
“This increase in pre-existing preference suggests that it’s akin to eating more of the food you crave anyway,” said Sean Lockery, the study’s corresponding author. “It’s like choosing between pizza and oatmeal.”
The researchers also conducted experiments to see how anandamide affected neurons in worms. Nematode The parasite, whose specific neurons and muscles were genetically engineered to fluoresce, showed that the anandamide-affected nematodes were more sensitive to the odors of high-quality food and less sensitive to the odors of low-quality food. I have found that I am less sensitive to odors.
But how does this study relate to humans? Researchers say it shows how long the endocannabinoid system has been around. Humans and earthworms finally share a common ancestor That was over 600 million years ago, but today both species show similar changes in food preferences in response to cannabinoids.
“This is a really beautiful example of what the endocannabinoid system was probably intended for in the first place,” Rockery said.
The results of this study also suggest that: Nematode It may provide a useful model for future studies of the endocannabinoid system and the development of drugs that target cannabinoid receptors in the body.
Medical cannabis is currently used to treat several medical conditions, but it has side effects. For example, it may effectively reduce pain, but it can negatively affect your ability to concentrate.
“If we can quickly find signaling pathways in worms, it could help us identify better drug targets with fewer side effects,” said Lockery.
The study was published in a journal biology today.
Source: University of Oregon via EurekAlert!
