CBD is not only becoming increasingly popular in professional sports - many amateur athletes now also swear by CBD. And rightly so, we say - because athletes benefit from taking CBD by reducing pain, inflammation and swelling caused by injury.
For you amateur scientists, sports fanatics and inquisitive minds, we have analyzed the studies in more detail to confirm the hypothesis:
CBD acts on cells involved in inflammatory and painful processes: CBD modulates receptors involved in inflammatory processes such as CB2 or adenosine, a receptor that can downregulate overreactive immune cells. CBD therefore lowers various inflammatory markers such as cytokines, prostaglandin E2, nitric oxide and the production of free oxygen radicals and reduces edema.
CBD also regulates pro-inflammatory signaling molecules and influences receptors involved in pain perception.
More research is now also being conducted into sports injuries. Some data suggests that CBD has potential benefits for bone inflammation, overuse-related muscle soreness, overuse injuries associated with neuropathic pain and concussions.
CBD is also able to inhibit the sensitivity of pain receptors, thereby reducing spontaneous pain triggered by joint degeneration or inflammation, as well as hyperpain-sensitive reactions due to central sensitization following neuropathic pain.
A receptor (TRPV1) that is involved in the so-called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which leads to considerable performance limitations due to muscle fibre damage, inflammation and oxidative stress, can be desensitized by CBD.
In short, swelling, oxidative stress and inflammation can be attenuated during DOMS by the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, which in turn would result in a reduction of muscle soreness induced by strenuous exercise. CBD is therefore also particularly interesting in the treatment of overuse injuries characterized by chronic inflammation and neuropathic pain.
Sources:
Esposito, C. Scuderi, M. Valenza, G.I. Togna, V. Latina, D. De Filippis, Cipriano, M.R. Carratu, T. Iuvone, L. Steardo, Cannabidiol reduces Abeta-induced neuroinflammation and promotes hippocampal neurogenesis through PPARgamma involvement, PLoS One 6 (12) (2011) e28668.
E.J. Carrier, J.A. Auchampach, C.J. Hillard, Inhibition of an equilibrative nucleoside transporter by cannabidiol: a mechanism of cannabinoid immunosuppression,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 103 (20) (2006) 7895-7900.
A.M. Malfait, R. Gallily, P.F. Sumariwalla, A.S. Malik, E. Andreakos, R. Mechoulam, Feldmann, The nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an oral antiarthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.A. 97 (17) (2000) 9561-9566.
H.T. Philpott, M. O'Brien, J.J. McDougall, Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis, Pain 158 (12) (2017) 2442-2451.
Mizumura, T. Taguchi, Delayed onset muscle soreness: involvement of neurotrophic factors, J. Physiol. Sci. 66 (1) (2016) 43-52.