A National Institute of Health study published earlier this year found that cannabis may treat celiac disease by activating the body’s natural cannabinoid receptors. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine which some people are genetically predisposed to.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Teramo in Italy, aimed to “investigate the expression of CBR [cannabinoid receptors] at transcriptional and translational levels in the duodenal mucosa of untreated celiac patients, celiac patients on a gluten-free diet for at least 12 months and control subjects. Also biopsies from treated celiac patients cultured ex vivo with peptic-tryptic digest of gliadin were investigated.”
Researchers found that; “In conclusion, we demonstrate an up-regulation of CB1 [cannabinoid receptor 1] and CB2 [cannabinoid receptor 2] mRNA and protein expression, that points to the therapeutic potential of targeting CBR in patients with celiac disease.”
The study, which as first published online in April, can be found in its entirety by clicking here.
Source: thejointblog.com
