Cannabis improves appetite in cancer patients

23^rd February 2011 - The active ingredient in cannabis can help cancer patients who have gone off their food regain their appetite, according to new research.

The Canadian study, published in Annals of Oncology, only involved a few people, but it could have useful implications for people with cancer who no longer enjoy eating as much, either because of the cancer itself or because treatment has affected their sense of taste and smell. This in turn can lead to weight loss, anorexia, a declining sense of enjoyment and shorter lifespan.

The trial

The researchers analysed data from 21 patients with advanced cancer - excluding brain cancer - who had experienced a loss of appetite as a result of their illness for two weeks or more. All were either being treated with chemotherapy or had been in the past.

Eleven of the patients had been given capsules containing 2.5mg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis - and 10 patients had been placed in a ‘control group’ and given placebo capsules.

The patients receiving the THC pills took one each day for the first three days and then two capsules each day after that. They were given the option to increase the dose to a maximum of 20mg a day if they wished. Most kept to the recommended dosing levels, although three patients increased their THC intake to 7.5mg a day.

The treatment lasted for 18 days.

Results

Patients were asked to fill in questionnaires before, during and after the trial. When these were analysed, it was found that 73% of THC-treated patients reported an increased overall appreciation of food compared with only 30% of patients receiving placebo. Additionally, 55% of those taking THC said they “made food taste better”, compared with only 10% in the placebo group.

Furthermore, the majority of patients taking THC pills (64%) had increased appetite and three patients (27%) showed no change. No THC-treated patients showed a decrease in appetite (there was incomplete data for one patient). By contrast, the majority of patients receiving placebo had either decreased appetite (50%) or showed no change (20%).