This year for American Heart Month, the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) is encouraging all individuals, but women especially, to focus on their cardiovascular health and to speak up to protect their hearts. Women in the United States are experiencing heart-related illnesses and death at avoidable, yet unacceptable rates due to delayed recognition, diagnosis, and treatment for cardiac events. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
Heart disease and heart attacks may be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices that normalize your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. These lifestyle choices include healthy food and beverages, maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular physical activity, and abstaining from cigarette smoke.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been explored for its many therapeutic health benefits, with heart health being one of the areas of research. Specifically, it is being studied for the ways it may help reduce symptoms or prevent heart disease.
CBD is one of two major cannabinoids of the cannabis sativa plant that interacts with our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is considered the largest neurotransmitter system in the body impacting many functions to include appetite, memory, mood, sleep, and the cardiovascular system.
The ECS and Cardiovascular Function
Two key endocannabinoids identified in our ECS are Anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Their role has been associated with mediating low blood pressure as well as normalizing levels of high blood pressure. In recent years we have seen through research that cannabinoids have profound blood pressure-lowering effects on hypertensive animal models but do not have that effect in non-diseased animal models. This leads to the hypothesis that cannabinoids may be used to target hypertension.
In certain inflammatory conditions, it has been demonstrated that endocannabinoids are released in large amounts by white blood cells and platelets. They subsequently exert their actions on the heart and vascular cells, which leads to vasodilation, blood pressure lowering, and slowing the heart rate.
The role of the ECS has also been studied in metabolic syndrome, a complex and serious health condition that puts individuals at a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Insulin resistance is believed to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. For insulin resistance in the setting of increased caloric intake, insulin amounts increase as the muscle is unable to effectively absorb excess glucose, leading to further insulin production. The excess glucose is converted to extra fat in the liver, increasing free fatty acid levels that cause extra fat deposition on the muscles and organs, ultimately leading to a cycle of abnormally increased insulin in the blood, abnormal inflammation, and increased excess fat. All of these obesity associations can increase cardiovascular disease events. The ECS regulates appetite and food intake through activation of the cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1). Studies have shown that introducing CB1 antagonists in overweight or obese individuals may induce significant weight loss and improvement of metabolic alterations.
CBD for Cardiovascular Improvements
Currently, there are very few natural pharmaceutical solutions available for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. In 2023 researchers published findings analyzing a full-spectrum cannabis oil (CBD:THC, 2:1) to understand the usefulness of cannabis in metabolic syndrome, notably for blood pressure, serum metabolic parameters, and liver damage. Their study showed data that resulted in significant improvements across several metabolic syndrome parameters in animal models fed a sucrose-rich diet. They observed lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, decreased serum levels, improved liver abnormalities, and pain relief.
Researchers in 2017 reported CBD’s impact on blood pressure in healthy humans following an oral dose of 600mg showing that increased blood pressure levels as a result of stressful situations were weakened. Over time we have seen repeated actions of acute or chronic CBD treatment in reducing the cardiovascular response to models of stress, making it known to be an anxiolytic.
Regarding heart failure, experimental and clinical evidence shows that inflammation is a critical factor in the development and progression of heart failure. CBD has shown a substantial protective effect from fibrosis and inflammation. In models of oxygen deprivation, CBD has been shown to reduce infarct size and increase blood flow in animal models of stroke.
Just as observed with endocannabinoids, CBD also influences the survival and death of white blood cells, white blood cell migration, and platelet aggregation, which offers explanation as to how CBD may have the ability to delay or prevent the development of cardiovascular disorders.
Summary and Next Steps
Cannabinoids are being widely recognized across a wide range of therapeutic effects, to include the cardiovascular system. However promising, we still have a lot to understand as far as cannabinoid dosing and interactions with alternative cardiovascular treatments. If you are in need of resources while considering cannabinoid therapy for you or a loved one, Realm of Caring Care Specialists are here to help with free one on one support. Send us an email to info@realmofcaring.org, call us at 719-347-5400, or schedule an appointment online!
Additional Heart Healthy Resources
