Diabetes

[Storm Crow]

Shoot! I must have cut and pasted this first one, no URL- so try googling the title " Non-psychoactive Cannabinoid Reduces Incidence of Diabetes, Study says"

This one on diabetic retinopathy, I have the URL for-- http://www.mcg.edu/news/2006NewsRel/Liou022706.html

My advice- keep on toking! Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness. Cannabis also helps with diabetic neuropathy pain. I tested my blood sugar before and right after toking, only dropped 8 points. Of course your results may differ.

[COmidnightrider46]

[email protected] Writes,

"I have Type I IDDM (insulin dependent diabetes mellitis), and am a cell & molecular biology major who has studied the effects of cannabis on diabetes. Besides the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) displaying agonist activity upon binding of plant cannabinoids, another receptor called the PPAR-gamma (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor) also displays binding affinity for cannabinoids. Whats important is that recent evidence has linked insulin sensitivity to activation of the PPAR-gamma receptor, possibly through co-expression or a common secondary messenger. I have personally been recording the effects of various strains, different dosages, on the effect of my blood glucose levels. Indeed there is a reduction in glucose levels, but I need a larger sample population than myself to make a statistically significant quantitative analysis of just how much of a reduction occurs.

Another good point for type II diabetics who are using marijuana. Obesity is a common effect of this disease, and recent research has linked type II diabetic obesity to a chemical called TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor). This is a common inflammatory molecule secreted by immune cells and recently discovered to be made in adipose tissue. Several cannabinoids, including THC, reduce TNF-alpha production.

A common secondary effect of diabetes is retinopathy, resulting in loss of eyesight. This can result from poor oxygen flow and production of superoxide anions, which are extremely toxic to cellular metabolites. The cannabinoid CBD has been shown to prevent superoxide anion formation in retinal tissues. Furthermore, the marijuana plant has at least 20 flavanoids, which act as antioxidants=prevention of superoxides. In fact, one cannabis flavanoid tested with 30x the antioxidants effects of vitamin C! CBD and several other cannabis products have also been shown to have non-receptor mediated neuroprotective properties.

Overall, my opinion is that marijuana can help diabetics, but not everything is perfect, as any drug will have potential side effects. The first could be the muchies. It is up to the individual diabetic to eat healthy meals and cannabis does make us hungry. If you cannot regulate your dietary habits and are diabetic, you should not use this plant. Other people may have an extreme sensitivity, as I read in one of your comments about the Type II individual who had to stop using because it lowered their blood sugar so much.
Anyways, note that I am only a student, not a Dr. so I am not telling anybody to do anything. I'm just saying what I have come to understand through current medical research, and believe marijuana to be relatively harmless for diabetics, and potentially medically beneficial."// Matt.

[bluntman3000]

I enjoy chewing mushrooms, and was wondering if I were to get diabetes, and chewed mushrooms would this affect me in anyway?....blood sugars?....or anything else?

Thanks

[Escher]

I have diabetes type 1 and I smoke almost every day and don't notice any change in blood sugar levels. It does feel like my sugar gets lower after I smoke though.