Ask Our Experts 1/26/20: Are CBD Users Healthier?

 

Q: Are consumers of CBD healthier than people who do not use it?

By New Frontier Data

A: As with most of the current discussion about CBD, much revolves about known unknowns. Broadly speaking, individuals typically tend to consider themselves as health-conscious (regardless of CBD use). They agree to try and maintain a healthy diet, to exercise more, and to think accordingly when making purchasing decisions about products to consume. Overall — as analyzed in the New Frontier Data 2019-2020 European CBD Survey — individuals reporting having tried CBD are slightly more likely than not to claim a health-conscious outlook.

At the same time, however, such individuals are also among the likeliest target audiences for CBD marketers and brands hawking health benefits from CBD.

As noted by the Harvard Medical School, among others, some CBD manufacturers in the United States have drawn some government scrutiny for wildly indefensible claims, such that CBD is a cure-all for cancer, which it is not. More CBD research is needed; while CBD has been found capable of causing liver injury, anecdotal evidence conversely exists to suggest that it may offer options for managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain.

Until sufficient, high-quality evidence from human studies allows for understanding about precisely effective doses, it is very difficult to know with any certainty what one is dealing with. For now, the healthiest choice among those deciding whether to try CBD is to consult their doctor — if only to be sure whether it could affect any other medications being taken.

Source: New Frontier Data 2019-2020 European CBD Survey