Why should you use CBD as an athlete
Athletes and the use of CBD
Athletes undergo stress during physical training, which can be a great strain on both body and mind. One possible therapeutic agent is CBD, the cannabidiol found in cannabis. According to a recent literature review, CBD may have some effects that athletes may benefit from.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of many compounds found in Cannabaceae plants. It can be extracted from both marijuana and hemp. CBD oil doesn't cause a high, but it does interact with brain chemistry, so saying it's completely non-psychoactive isn't entirely accurate.
Science about CBD and sports
In 2019, researchers discovered that CBD binds to specific receptors involved in anxiety and pain.
In another study, researchers looked at more than 200 previously published studies on the physiological, biochemical, and psychological effects of CBD that may be important for sports performance.
The researchers were inspired to conduct the study after noticing that an increasing number of well-known professional athletes were speaking openly about their CBD use.
About 15 years ago, cannabis use during competition in all sports was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, so science on CBD and sport is limited. However, in 2018, CBD was removed from the banned list following mounting scientific evidence that CBD is safe, well tolerated by humans, and has few psychoactive effects.
Why should you use CBD as an athlete
Unfortunately, the benefits of CBD for athlete health and performance are difficult to determine, as no studies have focused specifically on athletes and CBD, although some positive results have been reported for THC and CBD in combination. Therefore, CBD was investigated in the context of sports performance, mainly based on preclinical studies with laboratory animals and a limited number of clinical studies that did not include athletes.
According to the findings, CBD appears to play an active role in modulating inflammatory processes, blunting immune cell accumulation and stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines.
This effect may be important in the context of athletic performance, as strenuous exercise is known to damage skeletal muscles and surrounding tissues.
CBD also appears to have neurologically protective effects, potentially aiding in concussion and recovery from non-concussion skull trauma.
Not many studies have examined the therapeutic effect of CBD administered alone for pain management, yet most preclinical studies appear to have observed a marked analgesic effect, the authors concluded.
The analgesic effects of CBD depend on several factors
The type of pain and the treatment dose are important. Low doses of CBD do not cohesively reduce pain; while higher doses show varying effects.
It is known that heavy exercise pumps blood into the muscles, heart, lungs and skin. Other tissues and organs experience a lack of oxygen and nutrients, including the gastrointestinal tract.
Reduced nutrient absorption and gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, nausea, abdominal angina and bloody diarrhea can negatively impact performance and post-workout recovery.
Why should you use CBD as an athlete and not other anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen? Drugs with chemistry can exacerbate gastrointestinal damage and disrupt the intestinal barrier.
Stress and anxiety in sports
Many professional athletes experience stress and anxiety before a competition, which can ultimately affect their athletic performance. This fear can result from both direct and indirect effects, such as loss of sleep, increased energy consumption.
Overall, studies suggest that CBD has little impact on anxiety under low-stress conditions. However, at relatively high doses, CBD has been found to relieve anxiety in individuals under stressful conditions, such as before competitions.
