The relationship between cannabis and anorexia nervosa: a scoping review

Simple item page
Author(s)Rogers, Chloe I.
Author(s)Pacanowski, Carly R.
Date Accessioned2024-02-07T18:42:55Z
Date Available2024-02-07T18:42:55Z
Publication Date2023-10-19
DescriptionThis article was originally published in Journal of Eating Disorders. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00887-9. © The Author(s) 2023.
AbstractBackground Relapse rates in Anorexia Nervosa (AN) remain high, warranting exploration of further treatments. Cannabinoid agonists are of interest as they have shown successful outcomes in the treatment of associated conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This scoping review explores the endocannabinoid system (ECS), benefits/harms/null effects of cannabinoid treatment, and harms of cannabis use in AN. Methods PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched for studies published between 2010 and August 2023, with human participants that explored the ECS, cannabinoid treatment, or cannabis use, and included 1 or more keywords for both cannabis and AN in the title and or abstract. Reports describing secondary anorexia, reports not available in English, grey literature, reports combining data from AN with other conditions, and reports only reporting the prevalence of cannabis abuse/dependence were excluded. Data were extracted from 17 reports (n = 15 studies). For the ECS, outcomes included genetics such as allele expression related to the ECS, cannabinoid receptor availability, and circulating levels of endocannabinoids. For benefits/harms/null effects of cannabinoid treatment, outcomes included changes in weight, eating disorder (ED) symptoms, physical activity (PA), and hormones. For harms of cannabis use, outcomes included genetics related to cannabis use disorder and associations between cannabis use and ED symptoms. Results Eight studies (n = 8 reports) found abnormalities in the ECS in AN including expression of related alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes, availability of cannabinoid receptors, and levels of endocannabinoids. Three studies (n = 5 reports) found benefits/harms/null effects of cannabinoid treatment. Benefits included weight gain, improved ED symptoms and reduced PA, while null effects included no changes in weight or ED symptoms, and harms included increased PA and lowered adipose hormones. Four studies (n = 4 reports) expanded upon harms of cannabis use, including genetic predispositions to cannabis use disorder, and compensatory behaviors related to cannabis use. Conclusion Limited evidence suggests that abnormalities in the ECS in AN may render cannabis a potential treatment for weight restoration and associated symptoms. Future research may wish to investigate individualized dosing approaches to maximize beneficial effects while minimizing harms. Level II Evidence: Scoping Review.
SponsorThe first author received a fellowship from The University of Delaware’s 2022 Summer Fellows Undergraduate Research Program for her time conducting a portion of the work.
CitationRogers, C.I., Pacanowski, C.R. The relationship between cannabis and anorexia nervosa: a scoping review. J Eat Disord 11, 186 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00887-9
ISSN2050-2974
URLhttps://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/33954
Languageen_US
PublisherJournal of Eating Disorders
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
KeywordsCannabis
KeywordsEndocannabinoids
KeywordsCannabinoid receptors
KeywordsCannabis use disorder
KeywordsCannabis harms
KeywordsAnorexia nervosa
TitleThe relationship between cannabis and anorexia nervosa: a scoping review
TypeArticle
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
The relationship between cannabis and anorexia nervosa.pdf
Size:
1.34 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Main article
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
2.22 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Open Access Publications