CBD Mitigates Symptoms In Alzheimer’s Patients In Colombian Study
Alzheimer’s disease is a serious health condition that results in a brain disorder that slowly destroys a patient’s memory and thinking skills. Eventually, the condition impedes the patient’s ability to carry out simple daily tasks.
Global researchers estimate that every 3 seconds someone develops dementia somewhere on Earth, and that there were over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia as of 2020. The number of sufferers will roughly double every 20 years, reaching a projected 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.
A team of investigators in Colombia recently conducted a study in which they examined the use of CBD oil by Alzheimer’s patients experiencing neuropsychiatric symptoms. The study was published in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
“Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) may be disruptive and problematic for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and for their caregivers. Cannabidiol (CBD) may be a safer alternative. The objective was to evaluate whether CBD-rich oil was effective, and safe in adults with NPS secondary to AD.” the researchers stated about their study.
“An open-label, prospective cohort, single-center study in patients with AD onset after the age of 65 with untreated NPS. A CBD-rich oil was administrated 0.1 mL sublingually every 8–12 h, up-titrated weekly. The primary outcome was to establish a reduction in the NPI-Q severity score of >30% at 12 weeks compared with the baseline. A p value of <0.05 was statistically significant.” the researchers stated about the study’s methodology.
“Between July 2020 and July 2023, 59 (93.5%) patients completed ≥3 months of follow-up. The patients were under treatment for a mean of 23.2 months, the median dose of CBD was 111 mg/day. The median NPI-Q severity and caregiver’s distress scores at baseline were 24 and 29, respectively. At 3 months, the median NPI-Q severity score shifted to 12 (p < 0.001) and 14 (p < 0.001), respectively. The proportion of patients who achieved a reduction in the NPI-Q severity score of >30% was 94.9%, while a reduction of >50% was achieved by 54.2%. The improvement was maintained for up to 24 months,” they stated regarding the study’s findings.
“This study shows that CBD-rich oil is an effective and safe therapy for treating NPS in AD patients, while also reducing the caregivers’ distress.” the researchers concluded.
According to a recent market analysis by Insightace Analytic, “the global CBD oil market is poised for significant growth, projected to reach $3.12 billion by 2030, with a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.65% from 2022 to 2030.”