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A study on 9 endurance-trained male athletes has found that CBD could make exercise more pleasurable, improve VO2max, and reduce exercise-induced inflammation, all without impairing performance.
Researchers at the Charles Perkins Centre in Sydney say the results of the small study appear worthy of further investigation.
The research
The study, which you can find here, set out to examine the effects of participants’ physical and mental states when performing aerobic exercise, after orally ingesting CBD.
One-and-a-half hours before they began, athletes were given either CBD (300ml) in a 1:1 ratio, or a placebo, by a blinded physician using a pre-populated randomisation schedule.
They were also instructed to maintain their usual diet and patterns of exercise while avoiding using cannabis and cannabinoids for three months prior to the study.
On two occasions, participants were asked to run for 60 minutes at a fixed intensity (around 70%) before they finally completed an incremental run to exhaustion.
Measurements were also taken at three different intervals, which included:
- Heart rate
- Blood glucose levels
- Respiratory indices
- Lactate concentrations
- Pleasure-displeasure levels
The findings
Researchers recorded that “CBD appears to alter physiological and psychological responses to aerobic exercise.
““CBD appeared to increase V̇O2 (Volume of Oxygen), ratings of pleasure, and BL (Blood Lactate) during RUN 1 compared to placebo.
“CBD does not appear to impair aerobic exercise performance and could, therefore, have utility within the sporting context.”
Although more studies with a larger group of participants are required to solidify and better understand these results, the study concluded:
“The effects of CBD on submaximal and maximal oxygen consumption, feelings of pleasure during exercise, and exercise-induced inflammation are worthy of further investigation.”
CBD in Sport
Due to the lack of research in the past, the effects of CBD on sports performance have been somewhat unknown.
But these recent studies, and with more professional athletes promoting the use of CBD, it could lead to medicinal cannabis playing a huge role for many people with their overall performance and recovery in sport.
For example, English rugby players George Kruis and James Haskell are both massive advocates for CBD, with George founding his own CBD company after initially being recommended by a teammate to take it for his knee injury.
James has also uploaded multiple YouTube videos with his wife on the benefits of CBD.
There’s also the 2017 World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, who often talks about how he takes CBD to improve his physical wellness.
And not to mention arguably the greatest boxer to have ever lived, and probably the biggest advocate for CBD in sport, Mike Tyson.
Along with psychedelics, Mike has been a huge supporter of CBD for many years and is also the owner of a cannabis farm.
These are just a few of many athletes around the world who are raising public awareness surrounding the benefits of CBD.
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