Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research Centre/Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2024 Sep;23(5):e70021. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.70021.
Cannabis-infused foods are currently on the rise in markets all around the world. Meanwhile, there are concerns over the health implications for consumers. Studies have explored the therapeutic potential and nutritional and economic benefits of cannabis usage. Yet, the phytonutrients, processing methods, and health implications of cannabis-infused foods have not been well explored. This review evaluates existing evidence on the nutritional, processing, safety, and phytonutrient composition of cannabis-infused food products and their medicinal and functional prospects. Cannabis seeds contain the highest amount of dietary nutrients, while flowers contain the highest amount of bioactive constituents. Oils, butter, seeds, flowers, and leaf extracts are the plant forms currently incorporated into food products such as beverages, baked products, cooking ingredients, functional foods, nutraceuticals, and nootropics. Cannabis-infused foods have been found to offer therapeutic benefits for pain management, brain function, gut health, and certain cancers. Findings also show significant constraints associated with cannabis-infused foods regarding dosage guidelines, limited research, efficacy, and long-term health effects on consumers. This is further worsened by the lack of policies that regulate the industry. To realize the full potential of cannabis use in the food and health industries and in research, regulatory guidelines are needed to control dosages and improve its efficient use in these industries. This will go a long way to ensure the safety of cannabis users and enhance responsible production, marketing, and distribution.
含大麻食品在全球市场上日益流行，但消费者对其健康影响存在担忧。已有研究探索了大麻使用的治疗潜力以及营养和经济方面的益处。然而，含大麻食品的植物营养素、加工方法和健康影响尚未得到充分研究。本综述评估了现有关于含大麻食品产品的营养、加工、安全性和植物营养素组成及其药用和功能性前景的证据。大麻种子含有最高量的膳食营养素，而花朵则含有最高量的生物活性成分。油、黄油、种子、花朵和叶提取物是目前被纳入食品产品的植物形式，如饮料、烘焙产品、烹饪原料、功能性食品、营养保健品和益智药。含大麻食品已被发现对疼痛管理、大脑功能、肠道健康和某些癌症具有治疗益处。研究结果还表明，含大麻食品在剂量指南、研究有限、疗效以及对消费者长期健康影响方面存在显著限制，这进一步因缺乏监管该行业的政策而恶化。为了在食品和健康行业以及研究中充分发挥大麻使用的潜力，需要制定监管准则来控制剂量，并提高其在这些行业中的有效使用。这将有助于确保大麻使用者的安全，并加强负责任的生产、营销和分销。
