Cannabis-related ‘munchies’ are real, and could help people with AIDS, cancer

PULLMAN, Wash. — The urgent onset of “the munchies” after cannabis use isn’t imaginary, and new research suggests it is a cognitive response that happens regardless of sex, age, weight, or recent food consumption — findings that researchers say could offer clues for helping people who struggle with appetite loss.

A collaborative study by researchers at Washington State University and the University of Calgary was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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“There are a lot of different diseases, conditions, and disorders associated with wasting syndromes and lack of appetite, and this study really supports the idea that cannabis can be used medicinally to increase appetite in people who have conditions like HIV, AIDS, or who are on chemotherapy,” said Carrie Cuttler, a WSU psychology professor.

The research was led in part by Cuttler, who directs The Health and Cognition (THC) Lab at WSU, and WSU College of Veterinary Medicine professor Ryan McLaughlin. University of Calgary researchers Matthew Hill and Catherine Hume ran a similar series of studies using a rat model.

The human clinical trial examined 82 volunteer subjects ages 21 to 62 from the greater Pullman community. Participants were randomly selected to vape either 20 or 40 milligrams of cannabis or a cannabis placebo, which served as the control group.

“The human study found that, irrespective of body mass index, time of last food consumption, sex, or how much cannabis was consumed, human participants who used cannabis during the trial ate significantly more food,” McLaughlin said.

Researchers also tracked what foods participants wanted. Of the options available — ranging from carbohydrates to protein to fatty snack foods — some items were more popular than others.

“Beef jerky was one of the No. 1 things intoxicated people gravitated toward, which I don’t understand. Honestly, I would have thought chocolate, chips, Rice Krispies treats — things like that,” Cuttler said, adding that water was also high on the list of desirable items.

In the University of Calgary rat study, researchers exposed rats to cannabis in a controlled environment and offered multiple food options. The rats had to pull a lever to receive food. Researchers found that, regardless of the food offered, rats under the influence consistently worked for it.

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“The sober animals are kind of like, ‘I’m full. Why do I care?’ They don’t put in any effort at all. They barely work in any capacity to get access to food. But you get them stoned again, and even though they’re now full and they’ve eaten, they go right back as if they’re starving,” Hill said.

Researchers said the rats’ food preference did not appear to drive the effect.

“The same thing we saw in the humans we saw in the rats. We kind of thought it would make them want to eat carb-rich foods, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It just seemed to be any food,” Hill said.

Researchers said the study adds scientific support to a phenomenon that has been widely discussed but not well documented, and it helps clarify the physiological mechanisms behind appetite stimulation.

Endogenous cannabinoids, also called endocannabinoids, are naturally produced by the body and help regulate mood, memory, pain, immune responses, and appetite to maintain balance.

“That’s what the natural endocannabinoid system does in the hypothalamus,” McLaughlin said. “But THC hijacks that entire system. So even though you’re not necessarily hungry, THC can stimulate cannabinoid receptors in the brain and make you feel hungry.”

Another key finding, researchers said, is that appetite stimulation appears to be driven by cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Pharmacology studies at the University of Calgary found that blocking cannabinoid receptors in the peripheral nervous system in rats did not curb appetite, but blocking those receptors in the brain did.

“That’s what really gives us the opportunity to look at whether this is something brain-mediated or gut-mediated, and this generally shows ‘the munchies’ are mediated by the brain,” McLaughlin said.

With hunger tied to receptors in the brain, researchers said they hope the findings can help inform future treatments for people experiencing appetite loss.

“There’s very little documentation of the munchies phenomenon, but this paper really starts to tap into some of the mechanisms that might be responsible,” Cuttler said.

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