Marijuana Shows Positive Outcomes For Patients With Anorexia And Restrictive Eating Disorders

Large International Survey Finds Cannabis Helps Restrictive Eating Disorders

A new study published in the Journal of Eating Disorders found that using marijuana appears to have a “positive outcome” on people struggling with some eating disorders.

Respondents represented 76 countries, with most residing in Australia (29.7 percent), the United Kingdom (21.7 percent) and the United States (17.6 percent). The paper found that “cannabis is widely used by people with eating disorders and is widely perceived as beneficial in restrictive and food-averse, but not binge, eating disorder subtypes.”

The study found that “cannabis received the highest mean ratings of any drug for improving ED symptoms” among people with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, anorexia nervosa and other specified feeding and eating disorder. People with unspecified feeding or eating disorder “also reported a favorable rating.”

Reported Effects On Anorexia And ARFID

For people with anorexia nervosa specifically, the study found that “cannabis use drove reductions in food-related anxiety and guilt, which, together with appetite stimulation, helped normalise their eating.” The researchers wrote that “the gastroprotective and antinausea properties of cannabis appear to provide additional therapeutic benefits over and above those provided by appetite stimulation and anxiety reduction.”

In contrast, people with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa “provided lower ratings” for marijuana’s efficacy, perhaps because “the appetite-stimulating properties of THC may exacerbate binge/purge symptomatology,” the paper said. Participants reported improved ability to eat, improved awareness of hunger cues, reduced guilt, less nausea and diminished food-related anxiety.

Limitations And Next Steps

The researchers noted that the self-report and naturalistic nature of the study means no strong causal conclusions can be drawn, saying that “future clinical trials of cannabis products are warranted in eating disorders.” They also flagged concerns about cannabis dependence and “other adverse effects” of frequent use reported by some participants.

The research follows an earlier paper by some of the same authors in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found marijuana and psychedelics were “the highest rated” drugs in effectively addressing eating disorder symptoms. Symptom improvement did not vary overall based on cannabis product type or cannabinoid composition, though daily use of cannabis flower was associated with higher ED symptom improvement scores than intermittent use.

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