Is It Possible for CBD to Help in Muscle Growth?

CBD has an unending list of benefits for overall well-being and health. There is a growing popularity for the use of CBD, especially in enhancing bodybuilding regimes. Let's find out if CBD can help in muscle growth.

Working out is considered healthy, especially for the body's muscles. After working out, the body replaces muscle fibers that have been damaged by fusing them to form new muscle protein strands. Once they are replaced, they multiply and enlarge to create muscle hypertrophy or growth. Muscle growth happens when muscle protein production is more than muscle protein breakdown, and this happens when your body is resting. Maintaining a healthy weight helps you avoid weight-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the many compounds of the cannabis plant. There are two main cannabis plants in which CBD can be extracted: the hemp plant and marijuana. CBD can be found in various forms: oils, gummies, tinctures, edibles, spa products, and many others. Of the many compounds found in cannabis, CBD and THC are the main natural compounds used by many people. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is not psychoactive.

 According to PATRON, CBD comes in three types with different compounds and concentrations. They include;

• Full-spectrum: full spectrum products contain no more than 0.3% of THC. They contain all compounds from the hemp plant.
• Broad-spectrum: It contains most compounds of the cannabis plant. These products contain a smaller amount of THC.
• Isolates: Isolates contain no other compound of cannabis except CBD. They have no traces of THC. Products containing isolates may not produce any notable effects.

CBD has been claimed to serve tremendous medical benefits to humans and treat various health conditions such as epilepsy, heart disease, insomnia, neurological disorders, and other age-related diseases.

The Physiology of Muscle Growth

Leyva (2013) posited that muscle growth occurs when there is stress on muscles and subsequent disruption in homeostasis. Three main instances contribute to muscle growth, muscle tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress. Muscle growth is achieved when greater stress than usual is applied to your body muscles to cause muscle tension. This tension leads to muscle cell activation with motor units allowing for growth. Muscle damage also contributes to the growth of muscles. You've probably experienced muscle damage, especially after a workout. Damaged cells are repaired and fused to form new muscle protein strands, which then enlarge and multiply to form new muscle cells. Metabolic stress makes cells swell around the muscle, causing muscle growth without necessarily increasing the size of muscle cells.

Leyva suggests that hormones also contribute to muscle growth based on their role in regulating satellite cell activities. The major hormones in muscle growth are testosterone and insulin growth factor (IGF). For instance, testosterone can stimulate growth by increasing the presence of neurotransmitters in the damaged area, activating tissue growth. IGF facilitates glucose uptake and activates satellite cells to increase muscle growth. 

Health Benefits of Muscle Mass

Muscle mass is important and plays a vital role in your health. According to Wolfe (2006), muscles play a major role in the body's protein metabolism, which is important in stress management. Wolfe further suggests that increasing protein or amino acid intake optimizes muscle strength and metabolism, improving the body's overall well-being. Muscle mass enhances the recovery process. It is a key role in recovery from illness and trauma. Cancer and heart conditions such as cardiac failure are common chronic diseases associated with extensive muscle mass and strength loss. Muscle mass helps prevent such conditions and other chronic diseases.

Furthermore, muscle growth is important because it gives you more energy and strength to work effectively. Unfortunately, low mass can impact your overall health. It can prolong the recovery period from illness, therefore causing physical dysfunction and stress. Sometimes it could result in death.

Muscle mass can help boost your immune system. It is through working out that your muscles grow and strengthen. Regular exercise causes an anti-inflammatory effect which improves your immune system. Regular exercises also delay age-related conditions and help people live long and healthy. Muscle-building workouts may also relieve stress and anxiety. Strickland & Smith (2014) established that resistance training or strength training in muscle-building exercises has anxiety-reducing effects.

CBD and Muscle Growth

CBD is becoming trendy with several benefits in treating health conditions and the pursuit of bodybuilding. The cannabis derivative can manage sports and body-building-related problems such as muscle soreness, injury healing, recovery periods, and getting enough rest. The full-spectrum extracts are the most effective for muscle growth.

Although there is no direct evidence that CBD can help with muscle growth, it is believed that CBD might help with processes such as digestion, lowering stress levels, and the process of injury healing. These processes can enhance muscle development and increase muscle mass over time. In addition, CBD has anti-catabolic properties; the anti-catabolic potentially lowers stress levels by suppressing the levels of cortisol production. Decreased cortisol levels can speed up muscle growth, especially when your body is resting. There are other benefits of CBD usage, which may enhance muscle growth. They include; speedy muscle recovery, improved sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, weight management, and boost of energy levels. CBD can also reduce Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Russo (2008) showed that many bodybuilders claimed that CBD facilitated their DOMS deceleration and helped them return to the gym quickly.

Conclusion

Muscle growth is beneficial and vital to your immune system and other health conditions. Claims that CBD might help with muscle growth are limited. However, CBD can increase muscle mass, which benefits your health and overall well-being. It can also reduce inflammation when used on muscles. This helps in muscle recovery from workouts and body exercises. In addition to muscle growth, CBD can be used in weight management, healing injuries, reducing swelling, calming the body, and enhancing general body recovery, especially after bodybuilding workouts.

References

Leyva, J. (2013). How Do Muscles Grow? The Science of Muscle Growth. Built Lean.

PATRON, B. A. Canal Health: What Is CBD Oil? Uses Case, Health Benefits & More.

Russo, E. B. (2008). Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat     pain. Therapeutics and clinical risk management, 4(1), 245.

Strickland, J. C., & Smith, M. A. (2014). The anxiolytic effects of resistance exercise. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 753.

Wolfe, R. R. (2006). The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease. The         American journal of clinical nutrition, 84(3), 475-482.