If you have been paying attention to mainstream media recently (not recommended), you may have noticed an article doing the rounds about low-dose CBD being harmful for the liver.
While this is a worrying headline to read for those who rely on CBD products to support their health and well-being, this article should provide you with some reassurance.
“Even low doses of CBD may cause harm to the liver in some people, FDA study finds”
The headline above is one example of many news articles that have been circulated recently. But what does the study actually say?
The study recruited 201 volunteers to take either 5 mg of CBD per kg of body weight, or a placebo. Weekly lab tests were then done to assess the impact of CBD on the liver.
For an average 70kg person, this dose would equate to 350 mg of CBD per day, which the study designers claim to be a “typical amount used by consumers”.
The results found that while most of the study participants encountered no issues, 5% began to show elevated levels of the liver enzyme aminotransferase, which is a marker for liver inflammation.
Misleading, And Context Needed
It is always a good idea to test the safety of any supplement or drug. However, this headline and study are misleading for several reasons.
Firstly, 350 mg of CBD per day is not ‘low dose’ or a ‘typical amount used by consumers’ as the study claims. Most people use less than 70 mg of CBD per day, which is a significantly lower dose than what was used in the study.
This study, among various others, found “no evidence for hepatotoxic effects of oral intake of CBD at 60 mg for seven days”.
Now for a bit of context – the study found elevated liver enzymes at a dose that is actually over 5x the typical dose, so what other common supplements could be harmful at such an excessive dose?
The daily recommended dose for vitamin A for males is 900 mcg, but what would happen if we took 5x that – 4500 mg of vitamin A per day? See below:
- Liver damage and enlargement
- Bone pain and fractures
- Central nervous system issues
- Hair loss
- Fatigue and irritability
- Hypercalcemia
- Skin peeling
- Vision problems
Takeaway
While it is obviously important to assess the safety of supplements such as full spectrum CBD oil, we should always take these sensationalist headlines with a pinch of salt and dig deeper into the hard facts.
Use CBD products responsibly and you should encounter no issues. If you are taking any medications talk with your doctor before using CBD oil.
Thanks for reading!