Hemp seeds contain a variety of nutrients and bioactive compounds that may play an important role in human health. Of particular interest is the fact that hemp seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fats and essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds are also unique and concentrated, plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids, similar to those found in oily fish, which are especially important for cardiovascular health. Studies have suggested that dietary hemp seeds can provide significant cardioprotective effects, however, the extent to which the oil is responsible for such effects remains unknown.

A study recently published in The Journal of Nutrition compared the effect of dietary supplementation with hemp seeds and hemp seed oil on the development of metabolic disorders in genetically obese rats. Researchers Adam Jurgoński, Paulina Opyd (Polish Academy of Sciences), and colleagues hypothesized that hemp seed or hemp seed oil supplementation can reduce the effects of genetically determined metabolic disorders and that the former is more effective due to a wider range of bioactive compounds present in the seeds.

To test the hypothesis, lean and obese rats were assigned to four groups. The lean and obese controls were fed a standard diet, whereas the other two obese groups were fed a modified diet in which hemp oil or hemp seeds, both with similar fatty acid profiles, were included. After the fourth week, markers of gut and liver function, antioxidant status, and lipid metabolism were measured. Study results suggest that dietary hemp seeds were more effective in reducing metabolic disorders in genetically obese rats, signifying that the lipid fraction is only partly responsible for these effects. This study suggests that dietary supplementation with hemp seeds, which are rich in nutrients and other bioactive compounds, can mitigate genetically determined metabolic disorders; however, it is not able to lessen the development of obesity itself.

References 

Opyd PM, Jurgoński A, Fotschki B, Juśkiewicz J. Dietary Hemp Seeds More Effectively Attenuate Disorders in Genetically Obese Rats than Their Lipid Fraction. The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 150, Issue 6, June 2020, Pages 1425–1433, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa081.

Images credit: canva.com

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Kathy Beerman, PhD

Dr. Kathy Beerman teaches in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. The author of several published articles, she is interested in research that focuses on the efficacy of a novel approach to treating iron deficiency anemia in rural regions of Guatemala and Ecuador. Dr. Beerman teaches an undergraduate nutrition course for health majors, as well as a course that prepares students to participate in a 10-day medical mission to Guatemala. Since joining the faculty at Washington State University in 1990, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards (the Burlington Northern Faculty Meritorious Achievement in Teaching Award, the R.M. Wade Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction). More recently, she received the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award in International Activities (2017) and the President’s Award for Leadership (2018). Other scholarly activities include co-author of two introductory nutrition textbooks (Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food and NUTR).