Can CBD (cannabidiol) help with weight loss? The answer appears to be yes. Sellers of CBD oil are increasingly marketing their product lines to consumers with weight loss in mind. And for convenience store consumers looking to control their weight, the issue is greater than mere vanity.

Obesity has long been acknowledged as an increasingly dire problem in the U.S., with one estimate by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine claiming it will grow by up to 33% over the next 20 years. Obesity, in turn, can raise the likelihood of severe diseases and conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and coronary heart disease.

CBD is widely credited with decreasing anxiety and stress, lowering chronic pain and helping people sleep. As reported by the Canadian Medical Association, increasing evidence supports the role of insufficient sleep in contributing to obesity. Lack of sufficient sleep may compromise the efficacy of common weight-loss interventions. Also, shifting sleep duration from a short to a healthier amount of time is associated with attenuated gain in fat mass. In fact, addressing sleep for weight management has recently been endorsed by the Canadian Obesity Network.

Scientists long ago determined that cannabinoids interact with humans’ endocannabinoid system, which takes part in regulating appetite and metabolism. In fact, research on animals has illustrated that food intake can be minimized and metabolisms boosted through the use of CBD. Clinicians indicated that CBD interacts with a pair of receptors called CB1 and CB2. Both are involved in controlling human metabolism.

Additional findings have indicated that CBD can stimulate the browning of fat cells. These are the cells that contribute to the generation of heat through the process of burning calories. Some companies competing in the CBD arena are insisting that it is effective in quickly shrinking belly fat. (It must be noted that other research still shows the opposite — that CBD may indeed increase appetite.)