Scientists from the University of Oregon have discovered that worms, like humans, want to eat after using cannabis, which proves the antiquity of the endocannabinoid system in living organisms. Research published in the journal current biology.
One of the most well-known effects of cannabis use is a strong increase in appetite. Scientists gave roundworms in a new study. C elegans They took high doses of anandamide, a substance found in cannabis, and studied their response to food. Roundworms feed on bacteria found on decaying plants.
The scientists then proposed five types of bacteria to the worms. These bacteria differed in how quickly they caused nematode growth after being eaten. The team found that after the worms were treated with anandamide, they quickly ate the growth-promoting bacteria and barely touched the others. The results mean that anandamide causes the worms to not only prefer growth-promoting food, but also eat it quickly.
The biologists then replaced the worms’ anandamide receptor with a human one and repeated the experiment with the same result.
“Cannabinoid receptors are interchangeable in worms and humans. This highlights the commonality of the effects of cannabinoids on nematodes and humans, despite the 500 million years of evolution separating them,” the scientists explained.
The scientists’ discovery suggests that the endocannabinoid system probably performs similar functions in many animal species, and that these functions are key to the survival of these species. These essential functions include the control of food intake and specifically those associated with ‘hedonic nutrition’, i.e. craving for tasty, high-calorie food.