Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
"Cannabis 'munchies' explained by new study," The Guardian reports. "Munchies" is widely used slang for a common effect of cannabis: sudden hunger pangs, even if a user has just eaten. A new study set out to find why cannabis causes increased appetite.
Previous studies have shown certain pathways of nerve cells in the hypothalamus of the brain (called pro-opiomelanocortin, or POMC) have a role in regulating our appetite.
This latest study found that when mice were given a chemical to stimulate cannabinoid receptors (the parts of the brain that respond to cannabis), this caused increased feeding.
A series of subsequent tests confirmed this feeding response was being driven by the activation of POMC nerve cells. This caused a release of beta-endorphins (opioid-like proteins that can have various feel-good effects).
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/02Febru...ve-unmasked-mystery-of-cannabis-munchies.aspx
Previous studies have shown certain pathways of nerve cells in the hypothalamus of the brain (called pro-opiomelanocortin, or POMC) have a role in regulating our appetite.
This latest study found that when mice were given a chemical to stimulate cannabinoid receptors (the parts of the brain that respond to cannabis), this caused increased feeding.
A series of subsequent tests confirmed this feeding response was being driven by the activation of POMC nerve cells. This caused a release of beta-endorphins (opioid-like proteins that can have various feel-good effects).
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/02Febru...ve-unmasked-mystery-of-cannabis-munchies.aspx