How diet enhances your cannabis and wellness experience

Canna oil isn’t the only oil that affects the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and promotes your health and wellbeing. Bad fats work against good nutrition and can even have mixed effects on your cannabis experience. Basically, diet and the endocannabinoid system go hand in hand.

Wake and Bake – A Breakfast Story

A system of receptors – the ECS – reacts after a good waking up and baking. The body and brain are then flooded with neurotransmitters called endocannabinoids. Accordingly, these neurotransmitters are polyunsaturated fatty acids and belong to the same family as healthy omega-6 fats. (1, 2) Because of this similarity, breakfast decisions affect the neurotransmitters triggered by cannabis components and the overall ECS.

Unique chemical preparations of cannabis offer a certain range of (pharmacodynamic) effects due to different concentrations of different components such as cannabinoids and terpenes. (3) Furthermore, different food choices could contribute to this (hypothetical) entourage effect even without a cannabis diet.

The wake and bake can be noticeable due to the body’s metabolic state after a night of fasting while you sleep. Unsurprisingly, the morning provides a fresh slate for cannabinoids to attach to receptors and interact with the ECS. Just keep in mind that good or bad breakfast choices will affect how you wake up and bake up two hours later.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Burning out the endocannabinoid system with fat

What goes up has to go down – a motto that applies to cannabis, but not every high comes with burnout. THC-Forward (Type 1) cannabis, for example, is released and expressed with endocannabinoids, which are eventually broken down into molecules that promote inflammation. In comparison, different types of fat that are found in our daily diet as well as endocannabinoids are broken down into the same pro-inflammatory agents.

Homeostasis lies between endocannabinoids, their precursors, and especially the metabolites they produce. Although polyunsaturated fats get bad press because they make up the anti-inflammatory agent arachidonic acid. However, arachidonic acid turns into endocannabinoids that increase the tone of ECS. By and large, this benefits both homeostasis and health.

Polyunsaturated fats like linoleic acid are far healthier and are also metabolized into the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-AG, which interact with THC. (1, 2)

In which fat category do endocannabinoids fit?

Endocannabinoids are technically polyunsaturated fats, so let’s examine what makes fat so unique.

Various fatty acids – a long chain of aliphatic molecules that can be either saturated or unsaturated – are the building blocks of fat. Every molecule of a fatty acid is linked by either a single or a double bond (electrons). The presence and position of these molecular bonds characterize each fatty acid and affect its overall function, similar to cannabinoid isomers. Unsaturated fatty acids must contain two molecules that are bound by an electron pair (double bond). Whereas saturated fats are held together by a single electron between each molecule.

Cannabinoids are polyunsaturated because they contain multiple double bonds. Unsurprisingly, a diet high in unsaturated fat reduces heart disease, diabetes, and death. (4)

Different types of fat can be defined by their molecular structure. There have been mixed reports of coconut oil benefits and good / bad cholesterol build-up. In addition, a recent meta-analysis showed no difference between concentrated polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements and a corn oil pill. (5) Polyunsaturated fats are great for ECS health, but supplementation can be unnecessary with a proper diet.

Endocannabinoids beyond humans and cannabis

Diet emphasizes endocannabinoid health and cannabis experience in many ways other than just fat. Some foods contain the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide as well as related therapeutic plant molecules. In addition, certain ingredients at least interact with the ECS and, in some cases, protect it. Truffles, for example, contain small amounts of anandamide. Maca root and chocolate not only contain endocannabinoid relative oleoylethanolamide (OEA), they also inhibit the breakdown of anandamide. (6)

In addition, various sugars act on the ECS and ultimately affect cannabis activity and general well-being. We discussed sugar and leptin in a previous review by this author. In summary, glucose interacts with and blocks cannabinoid receptor activity in the peripheral nervous system during metabolism.

After all, the sluggish feeling after a large, fatty meal and the sugar crash both depend on endocannabinoid activity. So don’t be surprised that diet affects the quality of your cannabis experience. In summary, endocannabinoid health is a linchpin of physical and mental wellbeing, but it’s far more diverse than a few puffs or a nightly gummy bear.

Let us know your best cannabis diet in the comments. And stay tuned to learn more about how exercise affects the endocannabinoid system.

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• Oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, competes inversely with arachidonic acid.
• Linoleic acid is metabolized to arachidonic acid and then anandamide before being broken down back to arachidonic acid.
• Polyunsaturated fats are backed by good enzymes and enzyme inhibitors to help keep arachidonic acid in check while holding on to anandamide and OEA.
• Palmitic acid is a precursor to palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an ECS relative that promotes PPARs, which in turn is beneficial for health and regulates lipid homeostasis.
• Palmitic acid can be harmful to the heart in large doses, but it can lead to mixed reports of foods high in saturated fat and heart disease due to PEA.

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2. Alvheim, AR, Torstensen, BE, Lin, YH, Lillefosse, HH, Lock, EJ, Madsen, L., Frøyland, L., Hibbeln, JR, & Malde, MK (2014). Dietary linoleic acid increases endocannabinoids 2-AG and anandamide and promotes weight gain in mice fed a low-fat diet. Lipide, 49 (1), 59-69.
3. LaVigne, JE, Hecksel, R., Keresztes, A. et al. Cannabis sativa terpenes are cannabimimetic and selectively enhance cannabinoid activity. Science representatives 11 8232 (2021).
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