4. Discussion
fatigue, anxiety, inflammation, depression, stress/anxiety
INFLAMMATION, CYTOTOXICITY, DISORDERS
The present study was the first to investigate potential changes in mental health, perceived sleep, actigraphy-monitored sleep, immune cell distribution, and cytotoxic function following eight weeks of daily, low dose CBD ingestion in healthy college-aged individuals. We demonstrate that the daily ingestion of 50 mg CBD, 1–1.5 h before sleep onset, leads to significantly improved perceived sleep quality compared with a placebo control (In this investigation, daily CBD ingestion over the course of eight weeks improves participants’ subjective feelings of their overall quality of sleep as evidenced by a 27.8% increase in CB LSEQ scores from pre- to post-intervention compared with a 14.3% increase in placebo-treated CN (Determining the precise physiological mechanisms underlying these perceived improvements in sleep, for example whether mediated centrally through the nervous system or peripherally through immune or other systems, was beyond the scope of this clinical study. In a companion study, which included some of these same participants, we found no effects on circulating markers of inflammation [There were no significant CBD-related changes in depression, anxiety, fatigue, or quality of life measures within either CB or CN groups. It is possible that this may be attributed to generally low levels of depression, anxiety, and fatigue along with high levels of quality of life reported by the study participants. The majority of the existing literature that associates CBD with improved mental health focuses on individuals with diagnosed mental health disorders [The COVID-19 pandemic occurred at the time of the current investigation. These unprecedented times resulted in extreme social, economic, and lifestyle modifications many participants had never experienced. These modifications, such as social isolation, economic distress, and disruptions to daily life, have been shown to alter the outcomes of this investigation such as sleep quality, sleep quantity, and measures of mental health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 958 participants were surveyed, answering questions on their sleep patterns pre- and during lockdown. These participants were excluded if they were currently taking medications for sleep, or if they were diagnosed or believed to have had COVID-19, in line with the current investigation. Of these 958 participants surveyed, 16.1% of participants reported a decrease in sleep duration pre- to during lockdown, with 23.4% (Similar to sleep quality and quantity, measures of mental health have been shown to significantly worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a cross-sectional survey study, 2031 United States college students were assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic on measures of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) and anxiety (GAD-7). The results indicate 48.14% of those surveyed showed moderate-to-severe levels of depression, and 38.48% showing moderate-to-severe levels of anxiety, with 71.26% reporting their stress/anxiety levels had increased during the pandemic [It is well documented that immune cells contain some of the highest numbers of CBOur data support enhanced immune cell cytotoxicity in the presence of CBD. Our assay mixed the leukemic K562 cell line with circulating PBMCs, a population where all immune cells are represented—NK, NKT, T, and B cells, for example. There was a significant group × time interaction at the 10:1 effector to target cell ratio, with a 29.2% decrease in live leukemic K562 cells from CB pre- to CB post-intervention, compared with a 27.1% increase in live leukemic K562 cells from CN pre- to post-intervention (In line with sleep quantity, quality, and mental health, COVID-19 can modulate factors of the immune system. The previous literature has demonstrated that CD56It should be noted that the supplementation and placebo groups were not matched based on biological sex. As noted in The improvements in cellular cytotoxicity post-intervention without changes in NK cell populations demonstrates that the daily consumption of 50 mg of CBD for eight weeks results in alterations in NK cell function, specifically in its cytotoxic capacity. However, it should be noted that this effect was only observed at a 10:1 E:T ratio, and not at the others tested. With the significant 29.2% improvement in CB at the 10:1 ratio, the addition of more cytotoxically able NK cells demonstrated greater improvements in cellular cytotoxic function through compounding effects. 