Marijuana May Slow Effects Of Aging

Discussion in 'Cannabis News & Industry Updates' started by weedboss, Apr 28, 2003.

  1. Cannabis, the third most popular recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco, could become as widely used as Aspirin in the 21st century.

    There is growing evidence that its compounds may protect the brain against the damaging effects of aging.

    Although the drug distorts perception and affects short-term memory, it may also help prevent degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and motor neurone diseases.

    Scientists at the Institute of Neurology in London, say the "huge potential" of cannabis compounds is emerging, as understanding of its biological and pharmacological properties improves.

    Professor Alan Thompson and his colleagues wrote in Lancet Neurology:

    "Basic research is discovering interesting members of this family of compounds that have previously unknown qualities, the most notable of which is the capacity for neuroprotection."

    The results of two trials in patients with multiple sclerosis ( MS ) are expected this summer and the first cannabis-based medicines are being considered for licensing.

    None of them will have the psychoactive properties of the raw drug when smoked or ingested.

    Thompson's team says: "Even if the results of these studies are not as positive as many expect them to be, the fact that we are only just beginning to appreciate the huge therapeutic potential of this family of compounds is clear."

    Cannabis was thought to affect the cells like alcohol by seeping through the cell membrane. But in 1990 the first cannabinoid receptor was found, which revolutionized the study of cannabinoid biology.

    The discovery revealed an endogenous system of cannabinoid receptors, similar to the opioid system, to which the drug bound when it was ingested.

    Just as endorphins are the body's natural equivalent of heroin, a fatty acid called anandamide ( Sanskrit for "inner bliss" ) is the natural equivalent of cannabis.

    The natural system of cannabinoid receptors plays a role in maintaining the balance of chemicals in the brain, which regulate the rate at which neurons fire.

    By altering this system, scientists believe it may be possible to slow or prevent the process of brain decay.

    David Baker, lead author of the Lancet review and senior lecturer at the Institute of Neurology, said: "Alzheimer's disease is the result of very slow degeneration caused by the death of nerve cells. We probably don't see symptoms until 30 to 40 per cent of the nerve cells have died.

    "Something regulates this decay and if we could slow it by even a small fraction we might delay by a decade the point where someone loses their memory."

    But cannabis is a double-edged sword, with potentially damaging side effects.

    "It may be possible to develop drugs that allow selective targeting of different areas of the brain and spinal cord and there may be a way of limiting the negative effects," Baker said.

    A study by Baker and colleagues, in which the natural system of cannabinoid receptors was removed in mice, showed that the rate of nerve loss was increased, indicating its role in preserving brain function. The study, accepted for publication in a medical journal, "really clinches the argument," Baker said.

    He added: "Cannabis has gone from the drawing board into trials in record time, largely because of patient pressure. Hopefully it will work and be acceptably safe."
     
  2. perhaps not a good idea to give it to kiddies then. ;)

    baker says we might be able to make drugs that limit the damage...? since when has damage limitation been a priority of pharmaceuticals?!?
     
  3. i hope we dont start using weed as much as asprin cuz it fucks with your sperm so if everyone did it we would end up having the whole human population die out.
     
  4. that was a joke right?
     
  5. i highly doubt that mike
     
  6. It fucks with your sperm? lol..no kids for me..
     
  7. idk if it fucks with your sperm LOL it makes me wanna wack off
     
  8. What a way to go...LOL
     

  9. I say we all smoke up then, we are beginning to see an over abundance of people in this world and it can only get worse.
     
  10. Wow, this post is from 2003. Way to bump this Honor Roll, your name is obviously not applicable to yourself.
     
  11. It seems that most people my age do indeed partake of the fruit. It's like if you think they do, they do. And when you think they don't, they do.

    Holy shit huge bump! Haha way to be dude.
     

  12. hahaha im sorry i found this on google i was looking up that topic and i didnt realize the date. (was high)
     
  13. :eek:

    We're all going to wind up like the heads in Futurama!
     
  14. Lmao no problem, good article actually. Glad I saw it!
     
  15. wait if it fucks up your sperm...how the hell did all those hippies have kids then? I doubt it fucks your sperm up...rather I think it helps in the creation of sperm...your sperm is made out of protein and certain cannaboids are extremely rich in protein (especially consumption from a hemp seed)...so rather it would make you have more semen than usual....

    why is a thread from like 7 years ago getting revived today?
     



  16. That's why, I'm guessing.
     
  17. Nice find! but thats a hell of a bump lol.

    I could enjoy being a floating brain.. what if instead of OD-ing on 1400 pounds of marijuana in a short time.. you evolved.... hmm
     
  18. 8 year old thread

    wtfnecro
     
  19. I have to be apart of this. lol. Not every day we see a time capsule like this float back to the surface. Imagine the different world we were in...:smoke:

    Ditto.
     
  20. Classic way to revive a 6 year old thread. :laughing:
     

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