Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death both in Poland and worldwide. In 2017, 45% of all deaths in Europe were the result of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, both preventing and treating these diseases is a major challenge for modern medicine, not only conventional medicine but also natural medicine.
One natural product that can support the cardiovascular system is CBD oil. The relationship between cannabidiol and the heart, both healthy and ailing, is very complex and even scientists cannot always explain the mechanism of action of CBD. Most research into the cardiovascular effects of cannabidiol is still in the pre-clinical phase. Nevertheless, the first observations are promising. What are cardiovascular diseases? Can CBD oil support patients and how?
Cardiovascular diseases - what they are and their cause
Cardiovascular diseases involve damage to the organs and tissues that make up the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries). To name just the most important dysfunctions of this system, as many as eleven must be mentioned. These include, for example, hypertension, heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, brain gift, atherosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmia, rheumatic heart disease, thrombophlebitis, varicose veins and peripheral artery disease.
These diseases are caused by various external factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, poor diet, lack of exercise, permanent stress, a sedentary lifestyle, polluted air, working in harmful conditions and many others.
CBD hemp oil and blood pressure
In 2017, a team of researchers from The American Society for Clinical Investigation conducted a study, admittedly on a small number of people, but the results are really promising. Well, they administered a single dose of cannabidiol (600 mg) or a placebo to nine healthy men and found that the blood pressure of those who took cannabidiol was reduced compared to that of those on placebo. The conclusions of this study are extremely interesting, with one of them saying: "Based on preclinical evidence, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that CBD would reduce the cardiovascular response to stress in healthy volunteers. We found that resting blood pressure was lower after CBD intake and that CBD attenuated the blood pressure response to stress, particularly during pre- and post-stress periods." This is important because abnormal blood pressure has a huge negative impact on the heart.
CBD hemp oil and cardiac arrhythmia
Cardiac arrhythmia is an ailment whose symptoms are acceleration, deceleration and irregularity in the functioning of the heart muscle. In some it is asymptomatic, while in others the symptoms are a life-threatening condition. The most common causes of cardiac arrhythmias are valve disease and also heart muscle disease. An arrhythmia sufferer may experience so-called palpitations, chest pain and dizziness. In extreme cases, arrhythmia can lead to heart failure or stroke.
In this case, the study was conducted on mice in which arrhythmia-induced ischaemia was induced. The rodents received cannabidiol 10 minutes before the onset of arterial obstruction and 10 minutes before reperfusion. The results of this study state, among other things, that: "CBD reduced both the total number of ischaemia-induced arrhythmias and infarct size when given before ischaemia, a dose-dependent effect. Infarct size was also reduced when CBD was administered before reperfusion." Promising, right?
CBD hemp oil and stress
Stress accompanies humans from an early age. It often has a motivating effect, but in excess it is harmful. There is no doubt that chronic stress is a cause of cardiovascular disease. Another important study leaves no doubt that: "Cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-psychotomimetic component of the Cannabis sativa plant, has promising therapeutic effects on human mental health, such as inhibiting psychosis, anxiety and depression. However, the mechanistic basis of CBD's action is unclear." That is, scientists can see that CBD hemp oil works, but they do not know on what principle. The likely reasons are that severe and prolonged stress increases blood pressure, but not only that. Additional factors that have a destructive effect on the cardiovascular system that are triggered by stress are an increase in the production of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. And hormones are also affected by CBD oil.
Prevention is better than cure and, in the case of heart disease, this is a key strategy. It is important to eat sensibly, keep fit and avoid a life of constant stress. Once heart disease strikes, it is a chronic ailment that is difficult to treat, and some are irreversible, such as a heart attack.
Therefore, it is worth including in your daily diet CBD hemp oilsas a preventive measure to look after the heart. However, if a disease has already developed, it is advisable to consult a specialist in the field of CBD oils.
Bibliography:
- "A single dose of cannabidiol lowers blood pressure in healthy volunteers in a randomised crossover study"; Khalid A. Jadoon, Garry D. Tan and Saoirse E. O'Sullivan (2017) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470879/
- "Acute in vivo administration of cannabidiol inhibits ischaemia-induced cardiac arrhythmias and reduces infarct size when administered during reperfusion"; Sarah K Walsh, Claire Y Hepburn, Kathleen A Kane and Cherry L Wainwright (2010) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2936031/
- "Effects of cannabidiol, a non-narcotic cannabis compound, on the cardiovascular system in health and disease"; Aleksandra Kicman, Marek Toczek https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32937917/
- "Anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol on chronically stressed mice depend on hippocampal neurogenesis: involvement of the endocannabinoid system"; Alline C Campos, Zaira Ortega, Javier Palazuelos et al https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23298518/
