Endocannabinoids in Delicious Food may be Good for the Heart
Recently, a major discovery added greatly to understanding the evolution of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Researchers in Italy discovered that truffles, also known as “the diamond of the kitchen,” produce the endocannabinoid called anandamide. The presence of anandamide in fungi suggests that the proteins that make endcannabinoids evolved before the cannabinoid (CB) receptor. This ability to produce anandamide was preserved because lots of living things evolved to have cannabinoid receptors in useful places. The authors stated, “Therefore, it can be proposed that the presence of AEA [Anandamide] in truffles might represent a nutritional reward to truffle eaters, like long-footed potoroo, meerkat, chacma baboon and grizzly bear. Remarkably, these animals are all mammals, that are well-equipped with eCBs-binding receptor… accumulated evidence supports an involvement of eCBs in the initiation of the suckling response and in appetitive and consumption processes.” The concentration of anandamide found in the researchers truffle samples was 300-400 nanomolar or approximately 0.00010-0.00013 grams per liter. The authors speculate that this could be enough to attract and have an effect on an organism.
So, why is anandamide produced in truffles when these fungi have no CB receptors? The authors speculate it promotes a food reward pathway, similar to the endocannabinoids in mammalian breast milk. The mechanism of food reward does extend beyond the gut and brain to our periphery. In other words, fungi produce anandamide in their fruiting bodies in hopes of attracting something with CB receptors to eat it. And CB receptors are also found in olfactory neurons suggesting, for example, that the nose of a pig could tip you off to the presence of cannabinoids.
Black pepper contains a compound that stimulates CB2 receptors.
Maybe the next time you eat, reach for the black pepper, or as one of my friends says, “Pass the beta-caryophyllene.”
THC and anandamide do not produce a smell per se. Perhaps we can speculate that a molecule or two of a cannabinoid floated into a nose, it may encounter a CB receptor shortly after entering a nostil. At some level, this could indicate to the organism that some comfort food lay nearby. Humans can be somewhat efficient at recognizing the presence of cannabinoids based on smell. Black pepper and cloves produce the smelly cannabinoid beta-caryophyllene (BCP), often a hallmark of dinner. BCP stimulates CB2 receptors (not CB1) and decreases inflammation while having a general cell-protective effect in mammals. Maybe the next time you eat, reach for the black pepper, or as one of my friends says, “ Pass the beta-caryophyllene.”
Cannabinoids are found nearly everywhere, produced in abundance across the kingdoms and species of nearly all living things on earth (Pacioni et al., 2014). Cannabis may be the only plant which produces THC naturally, but many other plants produce cannabinoids, such as BCP (Appendino, Chianese, & Taglialatela-Scafati, 2011). Endocannabinoids such as anandamide are also found in breast milk and are considered to be important for healthy development.
If you heart is pounding from learning about these discoveries, know that your CB receptors (CB1 and CB2) are working to modulate and protect your cardiovascular system (heart and blood). Activating CB2 receptors can be quite therapeutic because this receptor initiates anti-inflammatory and other protective effects. CB1 receptors may not protect the heart as well as CB2 receptors but the CB1 receptors help regulate the heart. Many studies of shown that cannabinoids can be protective in various experiments related to heart health, such as recovery after a stroke. In one study, rats given HU-210 (a cannabinoid about 1,000 times more potent than THC) showed 77% less brain damage (i.e., decreased infarct size) and improved motor disability after a stroke, than animals without HU-210. THC and other endocannabinoids have also demonstrated protective effects in scientific studies of stroke and ischemia. Cannabinoid receptor stimulation can have a biphasic effect on the heart. Often in naïve users, THC dosing can lead to a short but quick increase in heart rate. However, over time, cannabinoid receptor stimulation ultimately leads to hypotension, relaxed blood flow through dilated vasculature.
Chocolate was once reported to contain endocannabinoids way back in that crazy decade known as the 90’s. This discovery turned out to be difficult to reproduce, and subsequent attempts to replicate the findings were largely unsuccessful. We may be able to speculate that truffle oil could have been the confounding factor. Consuming rich-chocolaty goodness to stimulate the CB receptors is tempting, but there is healthier way to alter the ECS. Fish oils supplements, which are associated with heart health, can significantly alter the levels of circulating endocannabinoids in the blood. Hemp seeds also contain the right omega fatty acids to indirectly modulate the ECS.
Seeds and fish products are readily available while consuming enough naturally occurring anandamide will be quite difficult, it still unclear how much anandamide would survive in our acidic stomachs before reaching the blood. Chocolate truffles may not directly protect the heart with endocannabinoids but there is something to protect your heart when you are out for dinner. Black pepper gets it smell from BCP, a CB2 receptor agonist, meaning it stimulates CB2 receptors with great efficiency. CB2 receptor stimulation is known to decrease inflammation and have a general cell protective effect.
It is unclear if orally consumed anandamide reaches the cannabinoid receptors via the blood supply. So, while truffles may have endocannabinoids, eating them will not illicit the same response as ingesting Cannabis. The feeling in your chest and body after eating chocolate is most affected by the person who gave them to you, rather than their endocannabinoid content.
References:
Appendino, G., Chianese, G., & Taglialatela-Scafati, O. (2011). Cannabinoids: occurrence and medicinal chemistry. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 18(7), 1085–1099.
Pacioni, G., Rapino, C., Zarivi, O., Falconi, A., Leonardi, M., Battista, N., et al. (2014). Truffles contain endocannabinoid metabolic enzymes and anandamide. Phytochemistry. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.11.012
