CBD has been recently used by high-performance athletes. For instance, we know the case of the Diaz brothers in MMA. Both Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz have been supporters of the use of CBD for after-fight recovery.
A not long time ago, we saw Nate Diaz vaping CBD after his UFC fight against Conor McGregor:
Nate Diaz, UFC fighter vaping CBD
Moreover, many athletes are investing in the CBD business. Perhaps because they find CBD interesting for athletic performance and also as a very lucrative business that is expected to generate billions of USD in the next years.
An athlete needs a good sleep and a fast recovery to perform well. Therefore, CBD could be very useful for athletes, as it helps to deal with insomnia, it reduces inflammation and helps to recover fast after competitions.
Cannabis Medical Use
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) classified cannabis and its constituents as “narcotics”. The pharmacological conditions were modified by the Convention on Psychotropic Substances signed in Vienna (1971). This rule does not affect the previous legislation on “narcotic drugs” (the Single Convention of 1961) and it added to the table of controlled or strictly prohibited substances numerous other drugs.
Both hemp and cocaine were classified as narcotics, and when enacting a law on non-narcotic drugs it seemed appropriate to withdraw one and the other from the preceding regulations and incorporate them as “psychotropic” substances. This was proposed by many pharmacologists, as the 1971 Convention included amphetamines (drugs very analogous to cocaine), and also THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) as psychotropic substances. However, removing them from the “narcotics” legislation meant recognizing the mistake of the previous classification, and after some closed-door discussions, it was decided to leave things as they were.
The prohibition of cannabis and hemp meant that cannabinoids largely disappeared from the scientific view. Consequently, we knew very little about cannabis and its medical use.
The medical use of cannabis became a political issue in the 1980’s at the height of the AIDS crisis. Many people who suffered from AIDS campaigned for the use of cannabis as an antiemetic drug.This was followed by the approval of drugs to treat nausea such as Marinol and dronabinol.
There are also approved drugs such as Sativex to treat pain (active cannabinoid components THC and CBD) and Epidiolex (to treat epilepsy).
It is a pity that decades of prohibition have slowed the progress in the use of cannabis and its derivatives.
CBD for Athletic Performance
CBD or cannabis are not performance-enhancing drugs. It’s mainly useful for its pain-management properties and to reduce inflammation. Moreover, CBD does not reduce your physical performance either. On the other hand, THC-the other most common cannabinoid-is associated with motor performance impairments. However, CBD oils, e-liquids, tinctures contain very low THC quantities and hence it is not associated with motor performance impairments.
CBD and athletic performance are mainly associated with:
1) Anti-inflammatory properties: this will allow the athlete to recover faster and experience less muscle inflammation.
2) Calming and anxiety reduction effects: athletic performance could improve if the athlete experiences less anxiety. CBD for athletic performance is useful for anxiety reduction and to experience more calmness.
3) CBD and concussion: CBD could have neuroprotective properties as well as its pain-relief ones.
There are many other properties associated with CBD that could be helpful for athletes. For instance, there are some studies that claim that CBD can also help you to lose weight.
Nonetheless, it is important to take all CBD news with a pinch of salt. Many CBD news are exaggerations written by CBD sellers. Although we are also part of the CBD business, we want to emphasize that many researches are still in a preliminary phase. We believe it’s very important to inform our customers about CBD products and what studies are still ongoing researches. For instance, we cannot assure that CBD cures cancer even though there are very promising studies about CBD and cancer, for example, how CBD can effectively modulate tumor growth. But, as previously mentioned, we still need more research about this important topic.
Conclusion: CBD and Athletic Performance
We know that CBD is great for anxiety treatment. Anxiety isn’t a good ally to get a good performance, not only in athletics, but in any other discipline. When we feel anxious or stressed, we don’t think clearly. Therefore, CBD can also help athletes who suffer from anxiety.
There are cases of amazing athletes that had to retire prematurely due to anxiety issues. For instance, I remember the case on Sebastian Deisler, a footballer who played for Bayern Munich. Sebastian Deisler was injury-prone in part due to his anxiety. In addition, I also remember the case of Per Mertesacker, a football world champion with Germany and a former Arsenal center back. Per Mertesacker stated that he didn’t enjoy playing football and that he suffered from nausea and nervousness before every match. His anxiety didn’t allow him to enjoy football. These are just two cases of athletes who suffered from anxiety. They could have benefited from the use of CBD but unfortunately for them, CBD wasn’t legal.
CBD for athletic performance isn’t just great if the athlete suffers from anxiety but also to reduce inflammation and as a pain reliever.
Author: Imoto
We are IMOTO, a fully dedicated CBD vaping brand. We develop, manufacture and market CBD hardware, and one of the leading brands in the industry.
Originally published at https://www.imototech.com on October 22, 2019.
