How does Cannabis control diabetes?

How does Cannabis control our blood sugar?

There are three types of diabetes. All three types involve the production and secretion of a hormone known as insulin which is produced in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is where an autoimmune process has destroyed the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. Insulin is the essential hormone produced by the pancreas to convert glucose into energy. Type 2-diabetes is the most common version of the condition which develops over time where the body gradually becomes unable to use insulin properly or doesn’t produce enough insulin. Thirdly there is gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, genetics and lifestyle.

It is estimated that there are between 700 000 and 1.5 million people suffering from type 1-diabetes (insulin dependent) in America and it doesn’t look any better in South Africa where we are heading for serious trouble with our ever increasing diabetes numbers. Around 3.5 million people about 6% of the population suffer from diabetes and many more remain undiagnozed. Further it is estimated that another 5 million South Africans have pre-diabetes which is a condition where insulin resistance causes blood glucose levels to be higher than normal but not high enough yet to be classified as type 2-diabetes. It is projected that diabetes cases in Africa are expected to double by 2030 with the main causes being urbanization and obesity as millions of people migrate from the rural areas looking for a better life and end up adopting a westernized diet high in fat, sugar and salt and get far less exercise than they are used to. It is also ironic that there are serious interactions between drugs administered for tuberculosis (TB) and HIV and diabetes. Anti-retroviral drugs come with the side effect of causing glucose intolerance and people with diabetes are at a greater risk of contracting TB because diabetes reduces the body’s immunity. This is why it is so difficult to control these disease because of the interactions of the drugs to treat both TB and diabetes actually reduces the effectiveness of both sets of drugs.

It is well known that obesity is a major contributing factor to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia are common features of obesity in modern times. Diabetic patients can often reverse their insulin resistance simply by decreasing their body weight. We now know that Cannabis is able to both stimulate and suppress our appetite in different individuals. The OB (obesity) gene presents on the 7^th chromosome and codes for the cytokine known as Leptin to be produced in the adipose tissue which controls food intake and energy expenditure. Mutations in the OB gene results in obesity and insulin resistance, and this serves as a model for increased food intake leading to further obesity and insulin resistance. So again obesity and diabetes really do have a lot to do with genetics. It is becoming more and more obvious that our hormones play a very important role in the way our bodies uptake and regulate energy and there are other hormones also involved in insulin production. The importance of this is that Cannabis and our EC system also regulates the functions of our hormone system The Endocrine system.

Because of the way in which our EC system and the chemicals within the Cannabis plant protect and regulate our hormone system Cannabinoids are continuing to show potential with scientists in the field of metabolic regulation and we can see how it is the impact of hormones which affects our metabolism and this is how Cannabis is able to regulate blood sugar levels by controlling the secretion and release of the hormones insulin, MCH, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and melatonin all of which are crucial to the regulation of blood sugar.

Scientists now know that MCH (Melanin Concentrating Hormone) produced in the brain is known for its role in increasing human appetite and also plays a role in the growth of insulin-producing beta cells and the secretion of insulin. When we eat food our bodies need more insulin. When MCH induces appetite it also increases insulin secretion from the beta cells and enhances the growth of the beta cells. Melatonin is the hormone usually associated with our sleep waking patterns but research now reveals that this hormone has a specific function on the controlled insulin secretion from the islets of the pancreas proving that Melatonin has a distinct and detailed effect on insulin secretion based on the biological fact that the pancreatic beta cells are presented with melatonin receptors. It is also well known that sleep disorders and shift working is closely associated with a higher risk of reduced glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. 20 years ago scientists had no idea of the functional importance of hormones like melatonin but through the study of receptor expression we now realise that many hormones act on diverse physiological processes in the body.

Cannabis through the EC system not only controls our production and secretion of insulin but also stimulates our uptake of another important hormone Vitamin D and this in turn stimulates the production of melanin to increase our insulin secretion. Cannabis also stimulates the Pineal gland to increase its uptake of melatonin through its control of the Endocrine system. This is the reason why Cannabis can heal virtually any medical condition in the shortest space of time compared to pharmaceutical drugs, because of its regulatory role on our system of hormones.