Eight Weeks of Daily Cannabidiol Supplementation Improves Sleep Quality and Immune Cell Cytotoxicity

Summary & key facts

Researchers gave 28 healthy, college-aged adults either a 50 mg cannabidiol pill or a matching placebo every day for eight weeks. People who took cannabidiol reported better sleep quality on a standard sleep questionnaire, and their blood showed stronger natural killer immune-cell activity in lab tests. There were no clear changes in body weight, body fat, how long people slept, or on mental health questionnaires. The study is small and used healthy young adults, so the results suggest possible benefits but are not proof that cannabidiol will help everyone.

Key facts:

• Twenty-eight healthy adults took part, with an average age of about 26 years. They were randomly assigned to take either 50 mg of cannabidiol each day or a placebo for eight weeks.
• People who took cannabidiol had measurable improvements in sleep quality on a sleep questionnaire compared with the placebo group.
• Blood tests showed the cannabidiol group had improved natural killer cell function. Natural killer cells are immune cells that help destroy infected or abnormal cells.
• There were no significant changes between the groups in body weight, body fat percentage, or how long people slept each night.
• There were no significant differences between the groups on the mental health surveys the researchers used.
• Because the study was small, short, and done in healthy young adults, the findings suggest possible benefits but need confirmation in larger and more diverse studies.

Abstract

Background: The endocannabinoid system is active in nervous and immune cells and involves the expression of two cannabinoid receptor genes (CB1 and CB2), along with endogenous endocannabinoid ligands, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and arachidonoyl ethanolamide (anandamide), and their synthetic enzymes. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating exogenous cannabinoid agonist derived from plants that, at high doses, has received FDA approval as an anticonvulsant for epileptic seizures, and at low doses is marketed as a food-grade supplement for improved mental health, sleep quality, and immunological function. At present, the predominance of published CBD clinical research has focused on ameliorative or disease-specific intervention, with few trials investigating CBD effects in healthy populations. Methods: This clinical study aimed to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of 50 mg oral CBD on mental health, sleep quantity and quality, and immune cell function in healthy, college-aged individuals. Twenty-eight participants (average age 25.9 ± 6.1 y) were randomized to receive either daily oral capsules of 50 mg of CBD (CB, n = 14) or a calorie-matched placebo (CN, n = 14). Participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments, including anthropometric measurements, mental health surveys, sleep analysis, and immunological function assessments. Results: After completing the 8-week intervention, there were no significant changes in body weight and BMI (CN: 1.09 ± 0.89%: CB: 1.41 ± 1.07%), or body fat percentage (CN: 9.01 ± 7.51%: CB: 8.57 ± 7.81%), respectively (values are % change pre to post, p > 0.05). There were also no significant differences between CB and CN groups with respect to mental health measures, sleep quantity, or circulating immunophenotype as a result of the intervention. However, the CB group experienced significant improvements in sleep quality measured objectively using a sleep questionnaire (p = 0.0023) and enhanced Natural Killer (NK) immune cell function assessed in situ (p = 0.0125). Conclusions: Eight weeks of daily 50 mg CBD may improve sleep quality, and NK immunosurveillance in healthy, younger adults.

Topics

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Agonist Alternative medicine Cannabidiol Cannabinoid Cannabinoid receptor Cannabis Endocannabinoid system Immune system Immunology Internal medicine Medicine Pathology Pharmacology Placebo Psychiatry Receptor

Substances

Cannabis

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Sleep disorder Anxiety or worry Poor sleep