Why does marijuana give us the ‘munchies’ and why do we most want greasy food?

If you're working your way to a bikini body, you'll have to think twice before taking the first puff off of that joint. But don't take our word for it: a group of European researchers have discovered why your appetite runs wild every time you smoke marijuana. The ‘munchies’ myth finally has scientific backing. Perhaps we will now see a widening of the adorable San Francisco Girl Scouts' initiative, who came up with the brilliant idea of setting up a cookie stand at the entrance of a medical marijuana dispensary. Who knows...

According to a study published in Nature, a prestigious scientific journal, a team of neuroscientists led by doctor Giovanni Marsicano, from the University of Bordeaux, France, discovered how THC, the main chemical compound of cannabis, has a direct effect on the human olfactory bulb, augmenting our olfactory sensitivity. The first tests, as always, were carried out on rats. They have confirmed that this compound increased their capability to smell food and pushed them to eat more of it. 

Based on this experiment, and given the many cognitive similarities between rats and humans, the findings these researchers have made seem perfectly transposable to us. The results are definitive: the absolute need we feel to eat something after having smoked cannabis is due to the fact that we can taste and smell with greater intensity what we ingest at that particular moment.

And what is this due to?

To carry out its experiment, the team of neuroscientists exposed the rodents to the scents given off by bananas and almond oil, to observe their reaction in the presence of these two foods. At first, the aroma of the oil would have a stronger impact on the rats, but they would then stop showing interest once they got used to the smell.

However, those animals to which the scientists administered THC continued to sense the fragrance of this oil with the same intensity, which showed that marijuana's main compound increases sensitivity to smell. What's more, these rats also ate more, corroborating the scientist's hypothesis.

Let's not forget that our body has an endocannabinoid system, and the active compounds in marijuana (cannabinoids) act directly upon it. This has an immediate effect on those processes our brain uses to regulate physiological factors, such as appetite and smell. Therefore, according to what the Marsicano et al. study has revealed, the presence of type 1 cannabinoids (CB1) in the part of our brain dedicated to olfactory processes opens our appetite... and how!

We might not realize it, but it isn't just that we are hungry, but our body feels such a need for energy that it forces us to eat something. The study published in Nature asserts that we feel compelled to eat greasy foods because the brain is afraid that before long our body won't have enough energy resources to continue with its normal activity. This had already been observed in a study performed in 2011 by the University of California, which explained why we have the desire to consume products with a high fat content after having smoked marijuana.

These discoveries confirm what has long been an open secret. If there is one characteristic which has taken up the attention of scientists lately, in the context of the gradual decriminalization of marijuana for medical use, it is the study of how cannabinoids act on our body, and, more concretely, on our organism's endocannabinoid system.

After many years during which no one even suspected its existence, many specialists have emphasized the importance of this system and its receptors, which are fundamental when it comes to the regularization of our body's ideal internal balance, no matter what the external circumstances affecting us at any given time may be.

We should not lose sight of the fact that, although nowadays t studies trying to explain why we prefer to eat a hamburger or a pizza than a salad after smoking marijuana only serve to clear up some questions we may have, in the past, having a stronger sense of smell could constitute a vitally important trait. 

Before smart phones or apps could find us the nearest burger, when we had to hunt for each bit of food, having a strong sense of smell was essential in order to track a rabbit, a bison or any other living thing to be cooked over the fire. Back then, it was a question of survival, today it is only a curiosity. But hey, it's still nice to know it, isn't it?