Your Alzheimer’s risk can go up in smoke

It may sound crazy… marijuana supposedly makes you spacey and forgetful, right? But that’s just one of many stereotypes about “stoners.” If you take a closer look at marijuana’s effect on your brain, you’ll see that it actually helps you dodge a brain-destroying symptom — and you don’t even have to smoke it…

The current theory on Alzheimer’s is that it’s at least partially caused by a toxic protein known as amyloid beta. People who develop Alzheimer’s have a lot of this protein in their brains. And it contributes to the buildup of brain plaques that are basically the calling card of Alzheimer’s.

But according to scientists at the Salk Institute in California, THC and other compounds in marijuana help your cells get rid of amyloid beta and stop the inflammation in your brain caused by this toxic protein. This is great news because by stopping brain inflammation, THC actually prevents your brain cells from dying… which prevents you from joining the five million American with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells,” says Salk Professor David Schubert, the senior author of the study.

Researchers believe that the reason cannabinoid compounds like THC are helpful in the fight against brain inflammation is because they mimic a type of molecule in your brain known as endocannabinoids. And it appears these naturally occurring endocannabinoids are already working overtime to protect your brain cells from inflammation-related death. But they could use a little help… which is where cannabinoids from marijuana come in.

So if you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, you may want to consider giving your brain a dose of cannabinoids like you would find in CBD oil. Like THC, CBD is another cannabinoid that’s been shown to have major potential in Alzheimer’s prevention.

Medical marijuana plants are grown to be high in CBD, but do still contain varying degrees of THC. But unlike the plants higher in THC, CBD doesn’t get you high. Additionally, CBD oil products containing very little, if any THC at all, are extracted from industrial hemp plants. And you don’t even have to take much. Researchers believe that micro-doses should do the trick.

Or if the marijuana method of Alzheimer’s prevention is just not for you, you should know that exercise causes your brain to produce more endocannabinoids naturally. So a regular exercise routine could also deliver the Alzheimer’s prevention you’re looking for.

Sources:

1. Currais, O. Quehenberger, A.M. Armando, D. Daugherty, P. Maher, D. Schubert. “Amyloid proteotoxicity initiates an inflammatory response blocked by cannabinoids.” Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, 2016; 2.