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Commonly Asked CBD Questions: Is CBD An Antioxidant?
We have all heard of antioxidants and that we need to be sure to consume some on the daily. Antioxidants can prevent or slow the damage caused to cells by free radicals in the body. The role of antioxidants to potentially aid in reducing the risks of heart disease, cancer or other diseases makes it an essential to everyone’s daily nutrition. But how do you get your daily dose of antioxidants? There are countless measures that can be taken to get antioxidants into your system, and CBD may be one of them.
What Are Antioxidants?
Though we have likely all heard of them, many don’t know what antioxidants actually are and what their function is. Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals. These free radicals are compounds that can cause harm in high levels. Your body works to create its own antioxidants for defense, but some additions could be useful. Antioxidants can be found in foods and drinks, commonly found in fruits, vegetables and many plant-based foods. Some vitamins, such as C and E, are also known to be effective antioxidants.
What Are Free Radicals?
Free radicals are molecules in the body that do not have a paired electron. Electrons like to be in pairs, but the body is constantly splitting oxygen atoms, meaning these unpaired electrons are scavenging the body as they seek out another electron to pair with. This “scavenging” can cause damage to cells and DNA. An excess of free radicals can lead to a multitude of disease, from Parkinson’s to Alzheimer’s. Free radicals can spawn from the foods we eat, the medications we consume, the air we breathe, among other outside factors that produce a byproducts that negatively impact cells. Without antioxidants, free radicals can cause serious harm rapidly. If free radicals outnumber antioxidants, it can lead to oxidative stress which can further cell and DNA damage . Our bodies need to maintain a certain balance of free radicals and antioxidants. CBD could help to maintain this equilibrium.
CBD As An Antioxidant
When it comes to CBD being an antioxidant, just ask the US Government. A patent created by the government under the Dept. of Health and Human Services years ago explains how cannabinoids work in different ways to help repair oxidative damage.
“[T]he ischemic or neurodegenerative disease may be, for example, an ischemic infarct, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Down’s syndrome, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), dementia, myocardial infarction, or treatment and prevention of intraoperative or perioperative hypoxic insults that can leave persistent neurological deficits following open heart surgery requiring heart/lung bypass machines, such as coronary artery bypass grafts.”
-Patent 1999/008769
Although research surrounding CBD is still limited but emerging, there is promise in the direction of its function as an effective antioxidant. CBD is known for its neuroprotective properties and anti-inflammatory abilities, reasoning these factors could be related to its antioxidant properties. Cannabinoids, found in both CBD and naturally within the body’s endocannabinoid system, are thought to be the contributing factor. Cannabinoid receptors within the ESC are triggered to help prevent oxidative damage when CBD enters the system. As early as 2000, the National Institute of Mental Health did a study centered on the neuroprotective antioxidants coming from cannabis plants. The research exemplified that CBD and THC, another cannabinoid found in cannabis plants, can act antioxidants that reduce the hydroperoxide-induced oxidative damage possible. Another study done by the Department of Human Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Rome, suggests CBD is a encouraging tool capable of influencing neural inflammatory responses just like that of a powerful antioxidant.
Using CBD As An Antioxidant
Though still limited, research is promising in the direction of CBD as antioxidant. Cannabinoids may have the potential to aid in the fight against free radicals and support an antioxidant or protective impact for the body. Adding CBD to your daily nutritional scope could help to strengthen your overall antioxidant defense system. Turning to companies like Blue Ribbon Hemp, that deliver a potent yet pure dose of CBD and sought-after cannabinoids (THE-free), could be the boost to your body you have been waiting for.