Two compounds found in cannabis might hold potential for reversing fatty liver disease, which affects around a quarter of Americans and often goes unnoticed.
This metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most widespread chronic liver issue globally, often linked to obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
A research team in Israel has been investigating how CBD (cannabidiol) and CBG (cannabigerol)—non-psychoactive compounds in cannabis—could possibly restore liver health by addressing chronic MASLD.
Both CBD and CBG are federally permissible in the U.S.; CBD is frequently used for relaxation, anxiety relief, and pain management, while CBG is associated with inflammation and digestive benefits. Despite their popularity in various forms, like tinctures and edibles, strong scientific support for these uses is still largely anecdotal.
To assess their impacts on liver health, researchers administered these compounds or a placebo to obese mice.
However, the outcomes were unexpected. Instead of interacting with the usual cannabinoid receptors, CBD and CBG seemed to change the metabolism of the liver, leading it to utilize a different energy system.
Mice receiving treatment demonstrated increased levels of phosphocreatine, an essential energy reserve in cells, and showed enhanced lysosomal activity, which helps in cellular maintenance.
This allowed the liver to better deal with fat accumulation and reduced markers for inflammation, all without altering diet or activity levels.
Interestingly, the benefits extended beyond the liver. Mice treated with either compound exhibited improvements throughout their bodies, such as lower cholesterol and decreased fat mass, despite not changing their high-fat diets. This suggests that these compounds might help the liver adapt better to excess fat.
In a controlled study, researchers fed male mice either a standard or high-fat diet for 14 weeks, replicating conditions that could lead to MASLD in humans. The mice were then divided into groups receiving either CBD, CBG, or a placebo for four weeks, all while continuing their high-fat diets.
The treatment dosage began at five milligrams of CBD per kilogram of body weight, increasing to ten milligrams in the final week, while CBG started at twelve point five milligrams and escalated to twenty-five milligrams.
Researchers tracked various health markers throughout the treatment. After four weeks, liver tissues and blood samples were examined for fat accumulation, cholesterol levels, and overall energy metabolism.
Mice treated with CBD and CBG saw reductions in fat and increases in lean mass, indicating a fundamental shift in how their bodies processed energy.
The cannabinoids also normalized fasting glucose levels that had risen due to the high-fat diet.
When examining insulin resistance, researchers noticed a significant increase in a certain score for the high-fat group, indicating poor insulin response. Treatment with CBG notably lowered this score, while CBD contributed to improvements as well.
Conversely, the high-fat diet resulted in elevated triglyceride levels in the bloodstream, but both compounds successfully reduced these levels, particularly showing pronounced effects on total and LDL cholesterol—which are often seen as harmful.
In the liver, the compounds activated AMPK, an energy regulator that promotes energy production rather than consumption, effectively enhancing glucose uptake and fat burning.
Rather than showing standard increases in fat-burning mechanisms, treated mice displayed high levels of creatine and phosphocreatine, which serve as energy reserves for cells. This hydraulic system isn’t typically relied on by the liver but seemed crucial under obesity-related stress when treated with CBD and CBG.
In an effort to comprehend the compounds’ influence at a molecular level, researchers analyzed all lipids in liver tissue. The findings, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, indicated that these compounds didn’t just reduce fat amounts; they changed the liver lipid makeup significantly.
Triglycerides—a major contributor to fatty liver—were reduced substantially, and ceramides, linked to insulin resistance and metabolic inflammation, were also decreased. At the same time, levels of beneficial phospholipids increased, suggesting improved lipid recycling in the liver.
While the results are promising, the researchers emphasize that the specific CBD and CBG formulations used in their experiments are not directly applicable to products available on the market, which can vary greatly in concentration and efficacy.
As obesity and diabetes become more prevalent, the relevance of finding effective treatments like this continues to grow. Still, the journey from these animal studies to human applications remains a significant step yet to be undertaken. If similar mechanisms are present in humans, these cannabinoids could pave the way for new therapies targeting MASLD.
