Can Cbd Oil Help You Lose Weight

Medically reviewed by Dominique Fontaine, BSN, RN, HNB-BC, HWNC-BC — By Sara Lindberg and Sian Ferguson — Updated on January 9, 2023

The science is still emerging, and the data is very limited, and as such, there’s very little research to suggest that CBD can help with weight loss. But CBD might be able to help indirectly with factors that lead to weight gain, such as pain and sleeplessness.

Taking CBD without adjusting your calorie intake and exercise plan will not contribute to weight loss. But CBD oil may have an effect on pain, anxiety, and insomnia, all of which may hinder weight loss.

Science Backed Health Benefits Of Cbd Oil

CBD is an active compound in the cannabis plant. But unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another compound in the plant, CBD does not produce a euphoric, or “high, ” feeling.

To make CBD oil, a manufacturer will extract CBD from the cannabis plant and then dilute it with a carrier oil like hemp seed oil or MCT oil.

Many people use CBD to help ease stress, minimize anxiety symptoms, and decrease pain. But did you know that some experts also recommend it as an aid for weight loss, if that’s a goal?

Trim Cbd Weight Loss Oil

Although the research on the role CBD plays in weight loss is minimal and still evolving, some data suggest that it may help:

Reviewed the connection between obesity and chronic pain and found that the two conditions appear to co-occur frequently, with both having a negative impact on one another.

Since CBD oil may reduce chronic pain, using a CBD product to minimize symptoms from chronic pain may assist with weight loss goals.

Marijuana Gives You The Munchies. What About Cbd?

Noted that the endocannabinoid system plays a role in regulating food intake and inflammation, both of which can affect weight gain. Some

Show that CBD may also boost metabolism and reduce food intake by interacting with two endocannabinoid receptors in your body — CB1 and CB2.

The above-mentioned 2018 study also found that CBD may promote browning of fat cells, which is the fat responsible for generating heat by burning calories.

Cbd Oil And Cancer: What The Research Shows

It’s important to keep in mind that no one type or brand of CBD oil is best for weight loss. If you’re hoping to use CBD oil to help relieve pain, stress, or sleep issues that may be contributing to weight gain, focus on choosing a quality oil overall.

We typically choose to recommend products based on criteria we think are good indicators of safety, quality, and transparency. Every brand and product we feature is vetted by our team for medical and business standards.

However, because there’s a dire lack of research on using CBD for weight loss, we’ve chosen not to recommend any specific brands or products. This is especially because there is no consensus on which type of CBD works best for weight loss — or whether it can help you lose weight at all.

Does Cbd Help With Weight Loss? Here's What Experts Say

Each product we included in our roundup comes with instructions for use. That said, a good rule of thumb regarding dosage is to start small, track how you feel, and reassess after a week.

With so many variables to consider about dosage and safety, it’s always wise to seek advice from a doctor or another healthcare professional before trying weight loss aids or supplements, including CBD oils, or beginning a weight loss program.

Be sure to talk with a doctor or another healthcare professional before taking CBD, especially if you also take any medications or supplements.

Are You On A Weight Loss Journey? Learn How Cbd Oil Can Help You

There’s limited research in this area. While CBD oil alone probably will not help you lose weight, some people find it helpful as an extra layer of support for their weight loss plan, helping them sleep better and alleviating exercise-induced soreness and inflammation.

CBD itself will not show up on a drug test. But some CBD products also contain a small amount of THC. Even though it’s a small amount, it could be enough to trigger a positive result.

Eating a nutritious, balanced diet, which includes foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and regularly moving your body are important for losing weight. Although some over-the-counter products or medications may assist in the process, they will not work on their own or instantly.

Can Cbd Oil Help You Lose Weight?

Since the research on CBD and weight loss is limited, consider talking with a doctor or another healthcare professional about how to use CBD oil on your weight loss journey.

Is CBD legal? The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the legal definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. This made some hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3% THC legal at the federal level. However, CBD products containing more than 0.3% THC still fall under the legal definition of marijuana, making them illegal at the federal level. Some states have legalized CBD, so be sure to check state laws, especially when traveling. Also, keep in mind that the FDA has not approved nonprescription CBD products, and some products may be inaccurately labeled.

Has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.Research has linked cannabis, the plant CBD is derived from, to lower rates of obesity — but the jury is still out on whether CBD itself can do the same. Olena Ruban/Getty Images

Is Cannabidiol A Safe And Effective Sleep Aid?

A few years ago, most people had never heard of CBD (aka cannabidiol), but today more than half of American adults say they’ve tried a product containing it, according to a 2022 survey of 2, 000 Americans conducted for Forbes Health by OnePoll. The compound, one of many found in cannabis and hemp plants, has become a popular addition to gummies, drinks, sprays, and even pet products. What makes it so popular?

“Research indicates that CBD may be effective for decreasing inflammation, pain, anxiety, depression, insomnia, autoimmune and neurological disorders, and other debilitating conditions, ” says Janice Newell Bissex, RDN, a holistic cannabis practitioner at Jannabis Wellness and the program director of cannabinoid medical sciences at John Patrick University School of Integrative and Functional Medicine in South Bend, Indiana.

But those aren’t the only reasons people are reaching for CBD. The latest buzz says it may help you eat less and lose weight. Does it deliver? Here’s what health experts want you to know.

Cbd Supplements For Weight Loss

It’s easy to confuse CBD with cannabis (the plant that marijuana comes from), but they aren’t the same thing. CBD is one of more than 100 compounds known as cannabinoids that are found in cannabis and hemp plants, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. THC (aka tetrahydrocannabinol) is another cannabinoid in cannabis (but not hemp, research shows) — but unlike THC, CBD isn’t a psychoactive substance, so it won’t get you high.

That doesn’t mean it’s entirely legal. Because cannabis is still a controlled substance, CBD derived from the cannabis plant is illegal at the federal level, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On the other hand, hemp-derived CBD is legal in most states. But there are a few exceptions, and CBD laws are continually changing. The best way to know for sure is to check with your state’s health department.

It has long been known that cannabinoids interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating appetite and metabolism, among other functions. Because of that relationship, researchers have been interested in exploring CBD’s therapeutic use in weight loss and obesity.

Can Cbd Products Help You Lose Weight?

So far, however, most of the available research on CBD and weight has been conducted using animals or in vitro studies, not actual humans. Consider claims that CBD helps burn fat, for example. Those are based on a test-tube study that found that CBD may help convert unfavorable white fat into a calorie-burning type of fat called brown fat — in animal cells.

“Animal studies can tell us what to study in humans, but you can’t make a strong conclusion that CBD helps with weight loss based on animal studies, ” says Peter Grinspoon, MD, a primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Sometimes animal studies translate to humans and sometimes they don’t, which is why you really have to do the studies in humans to make sure they work.” In general, he says, there are not a lot of great studies that show that CBD promotes weight loss in human beings: “It might make some people gain weight and it might make others lose weight.”

There’s a little more research on CBD’s parent, cannabis. But cannabis contains hundreds of compounds beyond CBD, so they’re hardly equivalent. For example, a study published in 2020 in Diabetes found that cannabis users metabolized glucose more efficiently than nonusers, but it is a huge leap to assume the same holds true for CBD. Right now, the official word from the American Diabetes Association is that CBD is unlikely to improve blood sugar or insulin levels in people with diabetes.

Can Essential Oils Help You Lose Weight?

The results of a national three-year prospective study revealed that cannabis users are less prone to obesity than people who don’t use cannabis (in spite of marijuana’s reputation for making people pig out). And a study published in 2019 in the International