Can CBD Improve Your Gut Health?

When focusing on the benefits of CBD for gut health, the existence of cannabinoid receptors reflects in mind. Their existence promotes one's health because when the gut becomes imbalanced, and a state of dysbiosis exists, it impacts each body system. This article will explain more about CBD and how it improves your gut health.

The ripple impact of dysbiosis threatens all body parts, including your immune system. CBD can improve imbalances in your gut, therefore improving your health and wellness. CBD has anti-oxidant properties that protect the body tissues from oxidative stress. Additionally, CBD has analgesic properties that reduce muscle and joint pains and anti-inflammatory properties that alleviate inflammation.

The mechanism by which the benefits of CBD for gut health come about involves two factors: inflammation and the immune system. While purchasing CBD products, ensure you properly read the product label and customer reviews. Read on to discover CBD, its therapeutic benefits, and how it improves gastrointestinal health.

Inflammation

Inflammation is likely to play a role in various health conditions experienced by an individual. A wide range of signs and symptoms may occur when inflammation affects any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Furthermore, a condition known as malnutrition can occur due to a lack of absorption of nutrients, and its symptoms include dehydration and fatigue resulting from diarrhea.

According to Pellati et al. (2018), cannabidiol can help minimize inflammation in a person's digestive system. In the stomach, CBD diminishes the sensitivity of the capsaicin receptor. The Capsaicin receptors stimulate inflammation in the mucous membranes of the gut. Therefore, many people experience it after consuming spicy foods.

Immune Response

CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system, which is key in the immune response. It helps improve the functionality of the immune processes that emanate from the gut. According to Shi et al. (2017), there is a significant relationship between gut bacteria and the immune system. The gut is where the major part of the immune system is normally found.

A person's immune system can become hyperactive and generate a large amount of inflammation due to gut dysbiosis. CBD dampens the hyperactive immune response. This reduces inflammation and improves the immune system's handling of toxins and allergens.

Reduction of Stress

Laczkovics et al. (2021) suggested that CBD also improves gastrointestinal health by reducing high stress and anxiety levels. The constant two-way communication between the gut and brain massively improves CBD's efficacy in improving gut health. However, stress alters the movement and contraction of the gut, especially during digestion. This increases inflammation and increases the risk for infections and decreased immune response.

Adrenal Fatigue and Your Stress Response

Adrenal fatigue occurs when your adrenal glands become overburdened by the heightened cortisol hormone levels, especially when your body is under stress. Serotonin, the stress-fighting hormone, works to alleviate the adverse effects of stress. If stress becomes chronic and severe, the demand on your adrenals to alleviate higher cortisol levels in your body may become too much of a burden. This begins with Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). At first, the symptoms of AFS may present as too vague for conventional lab tests to pick up. However, as the condition progresses, these symptoms can become debilitating.

The NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response describes another aspect of your body's attempt to handle stress. Once the adrenals become overwhelmed, this system becomes activated. Six circuits of three organs or organ systems make up this response. These circuits overlap to an extent and interact when stress hits. Their main goal remains to keep your body functioning optimally even under stress. However, should the stress become enough, these circuits become dysfunctional, resulting in significant symptoms. Learn more about cbd and employment drug testing

How CBD for Gut Health Affects Your Inflammation Circuit

The Inflammation circuit of the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response activates early on when stress affects your body. Your immune system, gut, and microbiome comprise this circuit's three organs.

When this circuit becomes dysfunctional, the gut goes through significant changes. The single layer of epithelial cells making up the gut lining usually has tight junctions between the cells, limiting permeability. Stress affects this lining by making these junctions looser. This allows undigested food particles, viruses, bacteria, and fungi to access your bloodstream.

When these substances are absorbed into your bloodstream, your immune system begins identifying them as foreign invaders of your system and, therefore, as a threat. This leads to increased inflammation in the gut to find and destroy these substances. The potential for the immune system to become hyperactive rises as more of these substances cross the gut barrier. Furthermore, a hyperactive immune response can lead to autoimmune conditions.

Stress also negatively affects the microbiome. The dysbiosis resulting from increased stress can lead to an imbalance of bacteria in the microbiome. The imbalance causes small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn's disease. Learn more about can endometriosis cause weight gain?

CBD and the Gut Barrier

One of the ways CBD can help improve the situation involves CBD's ability to strengthen and protect the gut barrier. The crossing of this barrier by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) works to trigger the endocannabinoid system. This can lead to metabolic endotoxemia.

When the ECS becomes triggered in this situation, it can be overactive, leading to increased gut barrier permeability. CBD works to counter this effect. The ECS works in a biphasic manner. If the ECS doesn't work well enough, it serves to allow the breakdown of the gut barrier. On the other hand, if the ECS works too well, the same result occurs. CBD for gut health works to maintain the functioning of the ECS at an optimal level.

CBD for gut health also helps to relieve the pain felt with some of the conditions brought on by dysbiosis of the gut and microbiome. Ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and Crohn's disease all contain a component of pain.

How Else Does CBD Improve Gut Health?

The bidirectional communication between your gut and brain leads to mental health issues when dysbiosis of the gut exists. CBD helps to re-balance the bacteria in your gut, resolving the issue of dysbiosis. In this way, it also helps resolve mental health issues.

Regarding how CBD for gut health can help people who suffer from Allergic Fungal Sinusitis (AFS), all of the above factors adequately help. In addition, CBD can help alleviate stress overall, bringing broad relief to those suffering from stress-influenced AFS symptoms.

Conclusion

CBD for gut health appears to bring several benefits to your GI system. It serves to aid in digestion and thus improve the absorption of vital nutrients. In addition, it works to strengthen the gut barrier and prevent or remediate leaky gut. It also helps boost the immune system's functioning and decrease inflammation levels.

CBD works to balance the microbiome, helping to alleviate mental health issues. Overall, CBD decreases stress's effects, broadly helping those suffering from AFS.

More specifically, CBD for gut health helps reduce the symptoms of conditions such as Crohn's disease. This reduces the stress on the microbiome and gut as well. CBD's ability to lower inflammation levels also helps relieve the pain and inflammation associated with irritable bowel syndrome.

In addition, CBD balances the functioning of your naturally-occurring endocannabinoid system. This system affects all aspects of your health.

References

Pellati, F., Borgonetti, V., Brighenti, V., Biagi, M., Benvenuti, S., & Corsi, L. (2018). Cannabis sativa L. and nonpsychoactive cannabinoids: their chemistry and role against oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer. BioMed research international, 2018.

Shi, N., Li, N., Duan, X., & Niu, H. (2017). Interaction between the gut microbiome and mucosal immune system. Military Medical Research, 4(1), 1-7.

Laczkovics, C., Kothgassner, O. D., Felnhofer, A., & Klier, C. M. (2021). Cannabidiol treatment in an adolescent with multiple substance abuse, social anxiety, and depression. neuropsychiatric, 35(1), 31-34.