A new federally funded study is challenging a longstanding stereotype about marijuana munchies leading to obesity in lazy stoners—finding that whole extract cannabis is linked to both weight loss and and reduced risk of diabetes.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine set out to investigate potential reasons behind a scientific paradox. That is, if cannabinoids such as THC stimulate appetite, why have multiple previous studies found that marijuana users have healthier weights on average, as well as a lower risk of developing diabetes?

The study, published in the Journal of Physiology, first involved feeding mice with a “Western diet” rich in fat and sugar. The subsequently obese rodents were then treated with either full-spectrum cannabis extract or THC alone for 30 days.

“Our key findings demonstrate that THC and cannabis extract robustly reduced body weight and visceral adiposity in [diet-induced obesity] mice with notable improvements in glucose homeostasis particularly with cannabis extract—but not THC alone—improving glucose clearance,” the researchers wrote.

Fat cells in healthy organisms release signaling molecules that enable the regulation of insulin secretion from the pancreas, whereas those with obesity and type-2 diabetes often experience disrupted communication to that end.

Notably, the cannabis extract proved to be significantly more effective at helping mice regulate glucose compared to THC. And while extracts normalized glucose clearance in obese mice to levels seen in lean mice, the same could not be said of obese mice treated with isolated THC.

This seems to be more evidence of the “entourage effect,” with marijuana proving more therapeutically effective when its cannabinoids work together rather than individually.

“THC and cannabis extract robustly reduced body weight and visceral adiposity in [diet-induced obesity] mice.”

“The enhanced metabolic effects observed with cannabis extract relative to THC alone in the present study may therefore reflect combinatorial or synergistic interactions among multiple cannabinoids,” the study authors wrote, adding that looking at the “contribution of individual phytocannabinoids will be an important direction for future studies.”

Nicholas DiPatrizio, professor of biomedical sciences at UCR School of Medicine and lead author of the study, echoed that point. He said the data suggests “THC alone is not responsible for the metabolic benefits associated with cannabis use.”

“Other compounds in the plant appear to play a critical role,” DiPatrizio, director of the UCR Center for Cannabinoid Research, said.

While the preclinical research shouldn’t be taken as proof that humans should use marijuana as a weight loss or diabetes prevention supplement, he said the findings could eventually inform the development of therapeutics from non-intoxicating phytocannabinoids in the whole plant.

“Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers should stay tuned and pay attention to this space,” he said. “We need evidence-based approaches to fully understand both the risks and potential benefits of cannabis and its components.”

“Chronic cannabinoid exposure, particularly with cannabis extract, reduces body weight, improves glucose homeostasis and normalizes adipose tissue function in a mouse model of” diet-induced obesity.

The research—which was supported by grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of California’s the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program—ultimately underscores that there may be a potential mechanism through which fat tissue communicates with the pancreas.

This is one of the latest examples of research peeling back the mysterious relationship between cannabis and body weight.

For example, a study released last year on the use of marijuana components to aid weight loss found that use of a combined product containing the cannabinoids THCV and CBD “was associated with statistically significant weight loss” as well as a slimmer waistline, lower blood pressure and decreased cholesterol.

A separate study in 2024 found that regular marijuana users were less likely to be obese than people who don’t consume cannabis. In fact, the analysis showed a “dose-response relationship between marijuana use and [body mass index], with the lower the BMI classification, the higher marijuana use.”

People who’d used cannabis within the past month were “31 percent less likely to be obese than non-users, after adjustment,” the study says, while “daily marijuana users are 32 percent less likely to be obese than non-users.”

Additional research published in 2020 found that “compared to older adult nonusers, older adult cannabis users had lower [body mass index] at the beginning of an exercise intervention study, engaged in more weekly exercise days during the intervention, and were engaging in more exercise-related activities at the conclusion of the intervention.”

Another 2024 study found that young to midlife adults were neither more sedentary nor more intensely active after consuming cannabis. In fact, recent marijuana use was associated with a “marginal increase” in light exercise.

“Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity,” authors of that paper wrote, adding that “the stereotypical ‘lazy stoner’ archetype historically portrayed with chronic cannabis use does not acknowledge the diverse uses of cannabis today.”

A study published in 2023 separately linked marijuana use to an enhanced “runner’s high” and lower pain during exercise. Participants experienced “less negative affect, greater feelings of positive affect, tranquility, enjoyment, and dissociation, and more runner’s high symptoms during their cannabis (vs. non-cannabis) runs,” according to those findings.

And in 2021, researchers found that frequent marijuana consumers are actually more likely to be physically active compared to their non-using counterparts.

Yet another study, in 2019, found that people use cannabis to elevate their workout tend to get a healthier amount of exercise. It also concluded that consuming before or after exercising improved the experience and aided in recovery.

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.