CBD and Dementia

CBD and Dementia

Dementia is something everyone fears, especially for their loved ones. This is because there is currently no medical treatment that can stop or even slow the progression of this disease. Because dementia has no cure, we must continue searching for alternatives so we can improve patients’ quality of life. One plant could possibly hold some answers for this disease, check this out.

First off, what is dementia? To keep it short, dementia is a general term that is used and thought to be from different pathogenic causes, and it affects our cognitive function, memory, behavior, and quality of life (1). If you have ever had to deal with a loved one and dementia you know how debilitating dementia is. 

What researchers do understand is the connection to this disease and neuroinflammation. In fact, the disease pathways of neurodegenerative diseases are not well understood for disease like dementia, but what we do know is the role that inflammation in the brain (neuroinflammation) contributes towards this disease big time (2). 

A specialized group of macrophages that are found in the central nervous system (CNS) called microglial are responsible for protecting the brain by providing immune defense and detection of pathogens (2). These specialized cells when stimulated trigger neuroinflammation by releasing proinflammatory chemokines, cytokines, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) (2). This inflammatory process leads to oxidative stress, increasing ROS, and free radicals which damages cellular components like our DNA, proteins, and lipids, which leads to neuronal dysfunction and neuronal loss (4). Therefore, all aims at treatment should be to reduce neuronal inflammation to reduce its destructive effects of ROS (3). 

When these specialized cells (microglial) release these proinflammatory responses for prolonged periods of time, it can be destructive, triggering neurodegeneration, just as I mentioned a second ago (2). This neurodegeneration destroys parts of our nervous system that alters the way our brain works, eventually leading to dementia and more specifically, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). It is also important to note that inflammation plays a central role in many, if not all diseases processes. Therefore, having something health promoting that can reduce inflammation will go a long way when it comes to disease prevention, which is why we see cannabinoids like CBD and their potential to affect many different disease processes.

The first step we should take to prevent and possibly even treat dementia is to reduce neuroinflammation so we can stop the destructive effects that inflammation has on the brain and central nervous system. This is where cannabinoids like CBD come into play…

Although there is no conclusive data that says CBD can treat dementia due to limited research, when we look at the neuroprotective role that CBD has for our brain and central nervous system, the future of cannabinoid medicine seems promising.

CBD has recently gained popularity for their potential therapeutic effects to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, for which these same neuroprotective benefits can also be applied when discussing dementia (more broad term than AD) (3).

CBD was shown to reduce ROS production and increase the effects that endogenous antioxidants (ones we make on the inside) have on our cells, which was shown to minimize oxidative damage to our cells (4). I want to pause right here and note that oxidative stress is so destructive that it damages our cells all the way down to our DNA, which is involved in the initiation and progression of various cancers like melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, oral, pancreatic, ovarian, bladder, breast, cervical, brain, gastric, liver, lung, and prostate cancer (4). So, when we are reducing ROS and oxidative stress, we are protecting our cells from much more than just neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and AD, diseases like cancer also originate from oxidative stress and its destructive effects.

Squirrel, ok back to it. Lol 

In addition to CBD minimizing and reducing oxidative damage to our healthy cells through their antioxidant properties, CBD was also shown to inhibit the migration of activated microglial cells, suppress the expression and activity of proinflammatory mediators, and induce anti-inflammatory cytokines, which was shown to mitigate or control the harmful effects of chronic neuroinflammation (4). 

Now what I want to point out is that they told us that cannabis kills brain cells, when in fact it is shown to do the exact opposite by displaying amazing antioxidant properties that were shown to reduce neuroinflammation to a degree that no medication out there can achieve. I now see why this plant was such a big threat. The threat isn’t to our health but to big pharma’s wallet! The best part (worst part in their case) is that this natural plant can be grown in anyone’s backyard! Sheeeeeewwwww, if I was big pharma, I would have made this plant illegal too (kidding, I would never work for these losers)!

Thank God for the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill here in America so we can study this natural, safe, and effective plant and all that it has to offer humanity! All light will shed on these evil intentions to take advantage of humanity by demonizing a plant with this much potential when used as a medicine. This plant is nothing new, humanity has relied on this plant for its medicinal properties for thousands of years. 

One amazing plant with seemingly endless potential, now that’s what I call medicine!

Ps. The main driver behind Alzheimer’s Disease is the accumulation of Amyloid plaques in the brain tissues, which are proteins that clump together in the brain that disrupts cell function. Cannabinoids like CBD were shown to reduce oxidative stress (which I just mentioned above), reduce amyloid plaque formation, and reduce neurofibrillary tangle formation (5). Humanity has never seen a powerful plant like this, and the best part is that we are just starting to scratch the surface of the therapeutic potential that this plant has to offer. Cheers to cannabinoid medicine and the future studies!

Bee Well,

Brandon Farless

*This information is for education purposes only and I am simply sharing information pertaining to these studies. No medical advice or claims are being made on my behalf. 

References

1. Cao, Q., Tan, C. C., Xu, W., Hu, H., Cao, X. P., Dong, Q., Tan, L., & Yu, J. T. (2020). The Prevalence of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 73(3), 1157–1166. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-191092

2. Ahmad, M. A., Kareem, O., Khushtar, M., Akbar, M., Haque, M. R., Iqubal, A., Haider, M. F., Pottoo, F. H., Abdulla, F. S., Al-Haidar, M. B., & Alhajri, N. (2022). Neuroinflammation: A Potential Risk for Dementia. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(2), 616. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23020616

3. Hickey, J. P., Collins, A. E., Nelson, M. L., Chen, H., & Kalisch, B. E. (2024, May 6). Modulation of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation by Cannabidiol (CBD): Promising targets for the treatment of alzheimer’s disease. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/1467-3045/46/5/266 

4. Iqbal, M. J., Kabeer, A., Abbas, Z., Siddiqui, H. A., Calina, D., Sharifi-Rad, J., & Cho, W. C. (2024, January 2). Interplay of oxidative stress, cellular communication and signaling pathways in cancer - cell communication and signaling. BioMed Central. https://biosignaling.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12964-023-01398-5# 

5. Abate, G., Uberti, D., & Tambaro, S. (2021). Potential and Limits of Cannabinoids in Alzheimer's Disease Therapy. Biology, 10(6), 542. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10060542