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When it comes to suffering from diabetes, just like blood sugar levels there are a lot of highs and lows. Diabetes is one of the most common ailments affecting millions of people every day. In fact, diabetes in its various types is so prevalent that upwards of 1 in every 3 Canadians can suffer from its effects at some point in their lives. Today, around 11% of all Canadians aged 20 or older currently experience some symptoms of diabetic conditions.
What’s also startling is that each new day brings about 550 new diagnoses of diabetes type I or II. The prevalence of diabetes in Canada should not be understated, but not even these alarming numbers account for rising diabetic statistics amongst children and infants.
Of the population of Canadians diagnosed with diabetes, roughly 10% of cases are Type I. Type I diabetes is characterized as a genetic disorder that someone is born with, whereas Type II can be triggered by diet, lifestyle or extraneous circumstances. Type I diabetes is generally considered to be a more serious condition because it cannot be outright cured, only managed. On the flip side, Type II diabetics can keep their condition at bay or even reverse it through stringent dietary & fitness strategies.
Despite the seriousness of these rising diabetic figures in our Canadian populace, living with diabetes is very possible. Millions of Canadians are able to keep their blood sugar levels within normal ranges with a healthy diet, consistent exercise and by avoiding certain detractors like junk foods, alcoholic beverages or smoking. If you have Type II, however, insulin levels need to be carefully managed throughout your life. This can mean relying on medications in addition to strict diet & lifestyle requirements.
One way to live with diabetes that many have not considered has to do with cannabis. That’s right – dropping cannabis edibles for diabetics can be a good thing. Really?! Nothing sweet or high in sugars can be good for diabetics, but cannabis itself has actually a very strong background of research that supports its positive influences on this common condition.
You might not want to stick to bud-filled brownies or munch on some cannabis gummies for diabetes. Nevertheless, there are a ton of sugar free edibles options and other ways to consume cannabis to your benefit. Let’s explore the pros and cons of taking cannabis for diabetes.
Cannabis For Diabetes: What’s The Skinny?
You might not have assumed that cannabis has any practical applications for managing blood sugar levels, but the truth is that weed is no dope when it comes to helping us maintain healthy cardiovascular systems. Not only does cannabis help in many ways, but despite stigmas there’s no evidence to suggest that marijuana is actually addictive. In a study done around 10 years ago, groundbreaking findings surrounding cannabis’ veracity as a diabetes treatment came crashing onto the scene. This study surmised that:
● Cannabinoids have positives effects on blood sugar control
● Cannabis consumption can actually help to regulate appetites, reduce nausea and maintain healthy gastrointestinal systems
● Cannabis users consistently exhibit good cholesterol, despite the stigmas surrounding cannabis consumption and “the munchies”
● Consistent cannabis ingestion was linked to more stable carbohydrate metabolism than non-cannabis users
● Cannabis use can lead to lower fasting insulin levels while maintaining normal blood sugar levels
These benefits included smoking of cannabis flowers as well as ingestion of cannabis oils and even cannabis edibles for diabetics. While the respondents of the study weren’t taking diabetic gummies necessarily, they did consider the different forms cannabis comes in as part of their experimentation. We’ll discuss the different ways to take cannabis for diabetes – such as sugar free edibles for diabetics or cannabis diabetic gummies – later on in this article.
First let’s consider the ways in which cannabis can affect positive changes in your health. Through a number of studies, cannabis has been shown to:
● Stabilize blood sugars
● Combat inflammation, specifically arterial inflammation that is common in many diabetics
● Reduce nerve pain, inflammation and neuropathy associated pain through its interactions with the body’s ECS (endocannabinoid system)
● Relieve muscle spasms, cramping and soreness
● Soothe gastrointestinal conditions
● Keep blood vessels balanced, open and support healthy circulation
● Lower blood pressure over time through long-term, consistent use
● Benefit cardiovascular health and help to reduce tingling, numbness or nerve-related pain associated with diabetes
It seems like, at first glance, that the primary ways in which cannabis can benefit diabetics has to do with its anti-pain & anti-inflammatory properties. By regulating your body’s soreness and swelling you can effectively remove a good portion of symptoms of many conditions, including diabetes. That being said, it’s important to understand these processes more thoroughly so that you can get the right kinds of cannabis edibles for diabetes or cannabis flowers to help support good health.
How Can Cannabis Can Treat Diabetes
Cannabis research and testing almost always focuses on the two most well-known cannabinoids: THC and CBD. Both of these cannabinoids can achieve similar positive changes in our minds & bodies, albeit with different short- and long-term effects. THC – tetrahydrocannabinol – is one of the primary psychoactive agents responsible for the “high” feeling many people experience under the influences of cannabis. CBD – cannabidiol – is non-psychoactive and can actually work to reduce the mind-altering effects of THC when taken together.
For these reasons in particular, most of the positive accolades about cannabis for diabetes has to do with CBD. All cannabinoids like THC, CBD, CBN, CBG and the hundreds of others we’ve discovered so far can have positive influences on your health. This is especially true when they’re taken together. Something called the ‘entourage effect’ can occur whereby cannabinoids taken in-tandem can boost the effects of one another.
So it seems like taking full-spectrum cannabis products can lead to greater benefits than simply focusing on particular cannabinoids. When you commit to trying cannabis for diabetes, you can expect several benefits to your overall health that can also contribute to reduced symptoms/severity of diabetes.
Cannabis For Managing Blood Sugar
Studies have shown that cannabis consumption can help with insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance has to do with conditions wherein a person’s body does not respond to insulin in normal ways. Insulin sensitivity similarly occurs when a person’s ability to manage insulin levels is impeded or over-reactive to small shifts in blood sugar levels. Both of these conditions can be associated with obesity and poor diets, but they’re also known to be genetic in origin.
Cannabis as it relates to blood sugar management also shows promise for A1C control. A1C hemoglobins are essential to track a person’s health as it relates to their diabetic condition. Higher A1C levels can indicate a person is in danger of diabetic shock. Consistent cannabis ingestion of sugar free edibles, for instance, could serve to regularize a person’s A1C without impacting their blood sugar levels like other gummy products would.
Most of the cannabis products used in these kinds of studies focused on CBD consumption, but THC has also been reviewed as having a positive relationship to blood sugar management.
Cannabis for Maintaining Healthy Weight
One of the most important things that a diabetic person can do to reduce the impacts of their condition has to do with healthy eating, exercise and body weight. Obesity is a major contributor to severe diabetic conditions, so keeping a slimmer waist and healthy diet are essential. For many Type I diabetics, what they eat/drink has the most profound effects on their condition. Diabetics need to have a firm grasp on their cravings, manage their diets stringently and they must be committed to leading active lifestyles.
You might be wondering: how can cannabis contribute to healthy lifestyles like eating well and exercising? Well, believe it or not cannabis products are becoming favorites of many athletes & active individuals. Cannabinoids like CBD can help to focus a person’s mind, ease their pain, reduce swelling, soothe muscle cramps & spasms, and regulate their appetites and sleep cycles.
Regular cannabis use can support good health and fitness, especially if you’re refraining from smoking or vaping cannabis products as these delivery systems can do the trick, but they’re ultimately detracting from your long-term health.
Cannabis for Preventing Peripheral Neuropathy
Cannabis’ pain & inflammation reducing effects are particularly helpful when it comes to diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This complication occurs when high blood sugar levels go uncontrolled for longer periods of time, leading to nerve damage in the extremities. Cannabis’ ability to block pain receptors and reduce swelling through modulation of your CB1 and CB2 receptors can support both short- and long-term resistance to this kind of neuropathy. Chronic inflammation also impacts your arteries, so any kind of swelling reduction serves to strengthen your body’s ability to manage soreness and swelling.
Cannabis and Diabetic Retinopathy
Cannabis is also well-documented for its capacity for reducing the effects of harmful conditions like arterial disease, heart attacks and diabetic retinopathy. Damage to the eyes related to diabetic symptoms include weakening sight, blurring or loss of vision. Consistent cannabis use has been linked to avoiding these issues. Cannabis can lead to reduced inflammation and a decrease in oxidative stress on the eyes can be the difference between maintaining healthy vision or experiencing blurriness or blindness.
Diabetic gummies or sugar free cannabis edibles for diabetes might not be the first things you think of to treat the symptoms of your diabetic condition, but they’ve got a lot to offer. Haute Health has a wide variety of cannabis products that can help to minimize the symptoms of your diabetes. Whether you’re after sugar free edibles for your diabetes, or would like to try a potent cannabis oil to treat your diabetic symptoms, Haute Health has what you need for weed.
Check out their great offers on every sort of cannabis you can imagine. When it comes to cannabis edibles that suit your condition, nobody is better than Haute Health. Also keep your eyes open and your wallets ready for Haute’s Smokin Daily Deals where you can find the absolute best prices on all the best buds.
