A new study has found that consuming cannabis before a workout may increase enjoyment and enhance the “runner's high,'' which is also associated with an increased feeling of exertion.
A paper by researchers at the University of Colorado published last week in the Journal of Sports Medicine found that using marijuana before exercise “may increase both the positive and negative aspects” of the experience.
This finding held true regardless of whether participants used THC-based or CBD-based products, but those who used CBD experienced greater enjoyment and increased physical activity. reported that there were few.
The authors believe this study is “the first to investigate the acute effects of commercial cannabis on subjective responses to exercise in a laboratory setting.”
“Our findings show that among individuals who have used cannabis with exercise, smoking or vaporizing cannabis flower before exercise is associated with positive aspects of the exercise experience (e.g., emotions, enjoyment). “Our results suggest that both negative aspects (such as physical activity) may increase,” they wrote in the report.
“Participants reported higher levels of positive mood states (such as enjoyment) when exercising under the influence of cannabis.”
The five-author team called the study “an important first step in a nascent field that has so far consisted primarily of cross-sectional surveys and studies examining the acute effects of cannabis on exercise and sports performance.” .
However, they state that recreational users “tend to use cannabis for reasons other than performance enhancement (such as enjoyment or pain management) and generally agree that cannabis does not improve athletic performance.” Ta.
To conduct the study, researchers recruited participants from around Boulder, Colorado. In addition to meeting certain health criteria, participants had to have used cannabis while running or jogging in the past, had no adverse effects, and were able to exercise for 30 minutes.
Researchers conducted baseline assessments, cannabis exercise activities, and non-cannabis exercise activities over three visits. Prior to their cannabis visit, participants were asked to choose one of two cannabis flower products: a THC-dominant product (24% THC and 1% CBD) or a CBD-dominant product (1% THC and 20% CBD). )”. However, due to Institutional Review Board regulations, the team cannot dictate which product subjects use, so participants could either accept the assignment or switch to another product formulation.
On the day of the cannabis exercise appointment, researchers drove a “federally compliant, university-accredited mobile pharmacology laboratory” to participants' homes, and participants were asked to use the product according to their typical usage patterns. Participants identified their consumption method and weighed the product before and after use to determine approximate intake.
After driving to the exercise facility, participants warmed up on a treadmill and exercised on the machine for 30 minutes while their heart rate and other measurements were recorded. They then completed a post-exercise questionnaire and drove home.
Of the 42 participants included in the team's final analysis, most reported using cannabis in conjunction with running or jogging (32 participants), hiking (24 participants), or cycling (17 participants).
“At baseline, most participants reported that cannabis increased their enjoyment of exercise (90.5%), reduced their level of pain and discomfort during exercise (69.0%), and improved their concentration during exercise ( (59.5%) and increased motivation to exercise (57.1%). Only 45.2% reported that cannabis made time pass faster during exercise, and only 45.2% reported that cannabis improved exercise performance. was only 28.6%.
Data from the study showed that participants during cannabis exercise activities reported having more fun while exercising, regardless of whether they used THC- or CBD-based products. However, participants who used CBD reported a significant difference in enjoyment compared to working out without cannabis.
“Participants reported having significantly more fun during their cannabis (non-cannabis) exercise appointments.”
CBD use was also associated with more pronounced improvements in emotion compared to the group using THC, but the researchers' analysis found that both groups reported better effects. Ta.
Cannabis use was also associated with experiencing more symptoms of runner's high during exercise, with participants in the THC group experiencing its effects more than those who used CBD-dominant products. There are some signs that.
Despite the clear benefits of pre-workout cannabis use, participants “reported doing significantly more exercise” during post-cannabis activities. Those who used THC-dominated products reported a significant difference in exercise levels between cannabis and non-cannabis exercise periods.
Differences in other measures such as pain and emotional arousal were not statistically significant, the report said.
The research team noted that the ongoing federal prohibition on cannabis imposes certain limitations on research, stating that the regulations “prohibit the adoption of standardized dosing procedures; “further limits the ability to pinpoint causal relationships.”
“Additionally,” they continued, “federal regulations prohibit the ingestion of state-regulated commercial cannabis products in a laboratory setting, so participants are free to consume designated cannabis products at home. The mobile pharmacology labs create an average delay of 32 minutes between cannabis ingestion and cannabis exercise. ”
Because the use took place at home, the researchers were also unable to inform participants of the levels of cannabinoids in the products. “Participants were aware of the cannabinoid content of their assigned products, as state law requires all commercially available products to be labeled with THC and CBD content.”
The authors also noted that the overwhelming majority (90.5%) of participants reported already enjoying a combination of cannabis and exercise at the start of the study, and most of them exercised regularly. .
“The important thing is that this very “All participants were healthy regular exercisers and reported an average of 383 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise per week, which is significantly above minimum guidelines,” they wrote.
According to the report, the inclusion criteria meant that men over 40 and women over 50 were excluded due to safety concerns regarding cardiovascular health, and that “a significant portion of the sample was 21 years old The sample consisted of non-Hispanic white men between the ages of 40 and 40. ” Future studies should make “aggressive efforts” to collect more diverse samples, the journal added.
of study More and more research is being done on marijuana and its effects. A recent analysis by advocacy group NORML shows that researchers have published more than 32,000 scientific papers on marijuana in the past decade.
As for other exercise-related findings, another study published in July surveyed 49 runners and found that participants experienced “less negative emotions, more positive emotions, tranquility, and enjoyment” while consuming cannabis. , increased feelings of dissociation, and more symptoms of runner's high.'' Non-cannabis) is performed. Using marijuana allowed participants to run 31 seconds per mile slower, but researchers said this was not statistically significant.
The positive effects of cannabis reported by runners are consistent with a 2019 study that found that people who use cannabis to increase their physical activity tend to have a healthier level of physical activity.
Another study published in 2020 found that older adults who consume cannabis are more likely to be physically active.
Similarly, in another stereotype-busting study published in 2021, researchers found that people who frequently use marijuana are actually more likely to engage in physical activity than non-users. It was revealed by et al.
Another study released last month found that sports medicine providers “generally have favorable views of CBD and cannabis” and support legalizing cannabis for recreational and medical use. did. The majority also argued that marijuana should be removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of banned substances.
Although WADA removed CBD from its list of prohibited substances in 2018, marijuana remains prohibited in competition, as well as international organizations and many other professional and international sports bodies.
Meanwhile, in September, the NCAA Committee recommended that the association's governing bodies remove marijuana from the list of prohibited substances for college athletes.
Advocates urged WADA to enact reforms after American runner Shakari Richardson was suspended from Olympic competition in 2021 after testing positive for THC.
In response to the suspension, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said international rules on marijuana “need to change,” and the White House and President Joe Biden himself suggested it was time for a new policy. Lawmakers amplified that message.
USADA previously expressed sympathy for Richardson and suggested it might be time to reevaluate marijuana prohibition, but the group later issued a further statement explicitly calling for policy change. Announced.
“President Joe Biden has best explained the way forward,” the group said, noting that “rules are rules,” but that regulations may need to be reevaluated.
Another study published last month found that while college basketball recruiting improved significantly in states that legalized marijuana, results for football teams worsened.
More states set to legalize marijuana and psychedelics in 2024 as federal cannabis schedule review completes
