Whether it’s to make you feel better, to help you become more mobile, or for your health, there are many reasons why you might want to lose weight. But as much as you might want to, dropping pounds is a lot easier said than done.

The good news is that CBD oil may be able to give you a helping hand in your weight loss journey.

What Is CBD Oil?

CBD oil is one of the most common forms of CBD. Also known as cannabidiol, CBD is an active compound that can be found in cannabis plants. CBD is one of the most abundant chemicals in these plants and is often referred to as a major cannabinoid.

While CBD is an active cannabis compound, it can’t get you high. CBD is not responsible for the psychotropic effects of cannabis; another major cannabinoid called THC is instead the compound that causes the infamous cannabis high.

CBD has received a lot of attention recently thanks to its impressive health benefits. Research into CBD has shown that CBD could be effective in helping to treat conditions from inflammatory diseases to anxiety (1, 2).

Can CBD Help You Lose Weight?

Research tells us that CBD oil can have a significant effect on the body and a range of bodily processes. Because of how CBD interacts with several bodily processes that impact weight, it is possible that CBD oil could aid with weight loss.

CBD Oil and Metabolism

Metabolism refers to the processes during which your body converts what you eat into energy. Someone with a “high” metabolism burns more calories both during rest and when active than someone with a “low” metabolism. This is why most people are after a high metabolism, to help them lose weight easier.

One way that CBD oil could help you lose weight is by boosting your metabolism.

We know that CBD is able to interact with receptors that are thought to play an important part in the regulation of metabolism and appetite, indicating that CBD could directly impact your metabolism (3).

While more research is needed to fully explore how CBD might impact your metabolism, this early research is promising. When combined with other research about how CBD induces weight loss in rodent models, the evidence for CBD as a weight-loss tool becomes even more significant.

CBD’s Weight Loss Effects

Animal studies have also given us a strong indication of CBD’s metabolism-boosting potential. One study published in the journal Neuroscience Letters investigated the effects of CBD on the bodyweight of rats. Rats in this study received CBD injections daily for two weeks and had their body weights recorded. The study found that CBD significantly reduced weight gain in the rats (4).

Another study also highlighted the weight-reducing potential of CBD and other cannabinoids. This rat-model study delivered a range of cannabinoids to rats and then analyzed the animals’ feeding behaviors. After analysis, CBD was shown to significantly reduce food intake, indicating that this cannabinoid could have possible anti-obesity effects (5).

How CBD Could Affect Your Fat Cells

Another way that CBD oil may be able to help you lose weight is by converting your fat cells from white fat to brown fat.

White fat refers to the fat in your body that stores energy, while brown fat is more readily used up for calorie burning. People within a conventionally healthy weight range tend to have more brown fat than people who are considered overweight (6).

White fat can be turned into brown fat by activities like exercise, cold temperature exposure, and a good night’s sleep (7, 8). It turns out the process of converting white fat to brown, or “browning,” could also be enhanced by CBD.

One study found that the application of CBD to white fat cells led to browning occurring in specific white fat cells. Overall, the study suggested that CBD may be able to induce the browning of white fat cells and, therefore, should be explored as a potential obesity prevention tool (9).

Is CBD Oil Safe?

Alongside its weight loss potential, another reason to love CBD oil is its high safety profile.

As we know, provided that it doesn’t contain any THC, CBD oil can’t get you high. So you don’t have to worry about any psychoactive effects when taking CBD oil solely for its potential weight loss benefits.

Studies have shown that CBD oil can be used safely and effectively at doses as high as 1,500 mg per day, and no lethal dose of CBD has ever been found. In fact, it’s highly unlikely that an overdose from CBD is even possible. CBD receptors are not located in the area of the brainstem that controls respiration, meaning that it is unlikely that an overdose could occur even from large amounts of CBD (10).

When side effects do occur from CBD use, they tend to be mild in nature. Mild side effects from CBD oil can include sleepiness, decreased appetite, and diarrhea (11).

CBD Oil Isn’t a Cure-All to Lose Weight

While there is some impressive early-stage research that points to CBD oil’s weight-loss potential, it’s important to remember that CBD oil isn’t a miracle weight loss cure.

More research is needed to understand exactly how CBD impacts both metabolism and weight loss. Studies involving CBD and weight loss/metabolism in humans are especially needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

For now, though, the evidence is promising, and with CBD’s high safety profile, it may be worth a try for you as a weight loss aid.

The Bottom Line

CBD is an impressive therapeutic tool that we are only just now starting to understand properly. Early-stage research tells us that CBD holds a lot of potential as a weight-loss tool. Thanks to its ability to target receptors involved in metabolism control and fat cells, CBD oil could be just the thing that helps you reach your weight loss goals.