Studies have found that CBD (cannabidiol), a component of marijuana, has miraculous effects in anti-cancer, anti-epileptic, pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory, and sleep aid. At the end of 2018, after the U.S. legalized CBD (cannabidiol) across the U.S., CBD derivatives quickly broke out. CBD can be seen in various fields such as food, beverages, daily chemicals, and medicine.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a safe non-addictive substance and one of more than one hundred “phytocannabinoids”.
In Yunnan, China, hemp (industrial hemp) has been legally grown and extracted for more than ten years, and legally added to the field of cosmetics (including sports soothing oil) for five years.
In 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from the list of prohibited substances for professional athletes, including the International Federation of Athletics. Because they are aware of the many benefits of CBD to the human body and do not have the typical characteristics of other prohibited drugs.
Many athletes now use it to improve performance, speed up the body’s recovery process, and optimize muscle function.
There are many different ways to use CBD. It can be made into soothing oils, capsules, lotions, ointments, creams, and even as a ready-to-eat food.
On the Internet, we often see many athletes and sports enthusiasts sharing CBD’s help to them. So how does CBD (cannabidiol) help bodybuilders?
CBD helps balance the endocannabinoid system
There is an endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the human body, which regulates the physiological functions of pain, stress, appetite, energy, cardiovascular function, reward perception, reproduction and sleep.
Cannabinoids can affect our body through the endocannabinoid system. CBD affects ECS by acting on cannabinoid receptors, thereby affecting human body functions. This is the medical principle that CBD affects our exercise effects.
CBD can reduce stress and anxiety
Before the game, through high-intensity training and exercise, the body will feel deeply stressed and anxious. When this happens, the athlete will become tired and unable to train.
CBD helps the body suppress anxiety and stress, allowing athletes to continue training without the body reacting negatively. CBD reduces stress and anxiety by creating an appropriate amount of anti-stress and anxiety hormones in the brain.
CBD can reduce inflammation and relieve pain
Sports and fitness injuries are inevitable, especially for some high-intensity exercises, such as weightlifting and ironing exercises. Sprains and bruises may be unavoidable.
Acute sprains and strains are mostly accompanied by severe pain. CBD has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and can well resist inflammation and pain caused by sports injuries.
The research team of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor investigated 73 patients, and 2/3 of the patients said that CBD has the effect of relieving pain. During the fitness process, CBD oil can be applied to the painful area to relieve pain.
In fact, many European and American athletes choose to use CBD to relieve their pain. “CBD is an effective but mild analgesic without the intestinal bleeding and liver problems caused by NSAIDs or the highly addictive defects of drug opioids.”
CBD helps sleep and relax
During the competition, the athlete’s body was under a lot of pressure. Everyone knows that sleep is very important for body recovery. The application of CBD in the medical field is mainly based on its calming and protective effects on the nervous system.
In other words, CBD can soothe your nervous anxiety and reduce its fluctuations, so that people can sleep peacefully.
CBD can help control weight
There are CB1 receptors in fat cells, and they are directly involved in the endocannabinoid system. Many studies have proved that there are functional endocannabinoids in the physiological mechanism of fat cells. Moreover, adipocytes are also involved in the entire biochemical pathway of the synthesis and degradation of endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system affects the synthesis and release of adipokines. These adipokines are produced by fat cells and affect energy balance and metabolism.
Cannabinoids work in conjunction with the endocannabinoid system. It can target CB1 receptors in fat cells and help regulate the production of leptin and adiponectin. The production of leptin and adiponectin is essential for fat loss, and it can also improve lipid and glucose metabolism.
The CB1 receptor of fat cells may also be a very valuable research area for fat browning treatment (fat burning/calorie burning).
CBD is good for muscle building
People who like to exercise must have heard of cortisol. Cortisol is a common catabolic hormone in the human body. It regulates the ratio of protein and glycogen and has a decisive influence on our muscle gain and fat loss. Overtraining may lead to elevated cortisol levels.
Cortisol is a metabolic hormone. When it rises, not only fat and glycogen will accelerate the decomposition, but muscle loss will also accelerate, and its effect on muscle decomposition is very obvious! High levels of cortisol can also cause diseases such as high blood pressure and deterioration of muscle tissue.
Cortisol is not without benefits, otherwise the body would not produce it. It can help the liver remove toxins from the body. Cortisol plays an important role in maintaining the immune system, regulating blood sugar levels, and enhancing short-term memory. At a natural level, cortisol is quite beneficial, too much cortisol will have negative effects.
As early as 1993, Brazilian researchers discovered that CBD can regulate cortisol levels in the human body. Using CBD oil as a supplement before and after exercise can help control cortisol levels, which is beneficial for muscle growth.