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- In a study of 1,568 young adults, 24% of female cannabis users reported binge eating versus 13% of non-users.
- Researchers found the link between cannabis use and binge eating remained strong even after adjusting for depression and other factors.
- Young adult women may be especially vulnerable to cannabis-related binge eating due to emotional coping mechanisms and body image pressures.
- Experts suggest addressing both substance use and emotional health together for more effective mental health interventions.
- Functional mushrooms like Lion’s Mane and Reishi may support healthier emotional regulation and stress management.
Cannabis Use and Binge Eating: What's the Link?
Cannabis use is going up among young adults, with about 27% of young adult women in the U.S. reporting cannabis use in the past year. And binge eating is also a growing problem, often tied to emotional struggles, stress, and other mental health issues. A new study shows how these two things might be linked, suggesting that young adult women who use cannabis may be more likely to binge eat. Let's look closer at what the study found, why it might be happening, and ways to help yourself feel better.
A Closer Look at the Research
A study recently published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research looked at how cannabis use and binge eating are connected among young adults. The researchers checked data from 1,568 people who were about 22 years old on average. People told the researchers about their cannabis use and binge eating habits using detailed surveys.
Key findings
- 24% of female cannabis users said they binge ate, while only 13% of women who didn't use cannabis did.
- For men in the study, using cannabis and binge eating didn't show a strong link.
- The connection between cannabis use and binge eating in women was still clear even when the researchers accounted for feeling depressed, using alcohol, and body mass index (BMI).
This suggests that young adult women are more likely to have this issue than men, showing a need to focus on them for prevention efforts.
Understanding Binge Eating
Binge eating is not just eating too much; it's a recognized eating problem where someone
- Eats a large amount of food quickly.
- Feels like they can't stop eating during that time.
- Feels guilty, ashamed, or upset afterward.
This problem is complicated and often starts because of emotional pain. Things like stress, feeling alone, sadness, and not liking how your body looks can make people binge eat.
For young adult women, other challenges like what society expects them to look like, peer pressure, and changes in hormones can make them more likely to have problems with eating. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting millions of people each year.
The reasons people binge eat are often similar to why people use cannabis—they might be looking for relief, a way to get away from things, or a temporary good feeling to handle tough emotions.
Cannabis Use and Appetite: The Science of the "Munchies"
Most people who use cannabis know about the "munchies"—a strong desire for high-calorie, tasty foods after using it. This happens because of how our bodies work
- THC, the main part of cannabis that makes you feel high, affects the brain's endocannabinoid system, which is important for controlling hunger and feeling good.
- THC makes the brain release more dopamine (the chemical that makes you feel good), making food taste and feel better.
- Studies have shown that THC can even make the smell and taste of food stronger, so eating feels more rewarding.
When this happens, people can feel strong needs to eat, even if they are not truly hungry. If someone already tends to eat because of feelings or other issues with food behaviors, cannabis-induced munchies can lead to binge eating spells.
For young adult women, who are statistically more likely to react emotionally and have eating issues, these eating spells can cause real trouble.
Why Young Adult Women May Be Especially Affected
A few things might show why young adult women have a stronger link between cannabis use and binge eating compared to men
How Bodies React
Women, on average, are more sensitive to how cannabis affects the mind. Changes in hormones, especially estrogen, may make THC work more strongly on mood and cravings. Research suggests that changes in female hormones can affect how the endocannabinoid system works, possibly making them hungrier after using cannabis.
Handling Feelings
Women are also more likely than men to eat because of their feelings. When cannabis makes it easier to let go and makes eating feel good, women who already eat to handle hard feelings might have trouble stopping themselves from eating under the influence.
What Society Expects and How Bodies Look
Cultural rules that say women should be thin and look a certain way put a lot of pressure on them. This pressure can start a pattern
- Worrying about how your body looks makes you feel more stressed
- Feeling stressed leads to eating because of feelings or binge eating
- Binge eating spells make you feel guilty and ashamed, which makes things worse emotionally
Using cannabis might seem to help you relax at first, but it might actually make it harder to deal with feelings and eating habits in young women.
Is Depression Responsible for the Link?
Both cannabis use and binge eating can happen with depression, so people wanted to see if feeling down was the reason for the link seen in the study. But even when they looked at how much people felt depressed, the connection between cannabis use and binge eating among young women was still clear.
This shows that depression is not the only thing linking cannabis use and binge eating. It looks like many things work together, like how bodies work, how people think, and how society affects them
- Things that make people already likely to have trouble (like managing feelings)
- How cannabis changes brain chemicals related to hunger and rewards
- Things people learn that make them do certain behaviors again (like feeling better for a little while by eating or using cannabis)
This complicated picture shows why it's important to help people with mental health in ways that look at all these different parts, not just treating one problem at a time.
Limitations of the Study
The study found interesting things, but we need to look at what it didn't do perfectly
- One-Time Check: Since the study looked at people only at one point in time, it can't say if one thing caused the other. We don't know if using cannabis leads to binge eating or if people who binge eat are more likely to use cannabis.
- People Told Us Themselves: People reported their own habits using surveys, and this could mean the answers weren't perfect.
- Didn't Get Into Detail About Cannabis Use: The study didn't ask about the type, amount, or how people used cannabis (like smoking versus edibles). How strong it was or how it was taken could really change the results, but this wasn't looked at.
- Who Was Studied: The study mostly looked at young adults around 22, so the results might not apply to older people or teenagers.
Even with these limits, the study opens the door for more detailed research later on.
Future Research Directions
Based on what we learned—and what we still don't know—here are some important questions for future studies
- Does using cannabis a lot over a long time make you more likely to binge eat?
- Are some types of cannabis more likely to cause binge eating than others (like those high in THC versus those high in CBD)?
- How do things like how often you use it, how much, and how you take it change the risk?
- Do other things about mental health, like feeling really worried, affect this link on their own?
- Could ways to help people handle their feelings better lower the chance of binge eating if they use cannabis?
Studies that follow people over many months and years will be very important for answering these questions and helping guide what public health advice should be.
Practical Implications for Mental Health and Wellness
Knowing about this link between cannabis use and binge eating among young women gives us some helpful ideas
- Pay Attention: Young women who use cannabis should notice their eating habits and what makes them want to eat.
- Check for Both: Doctors should think about asking about eating issues when they talk about cannabis use habits.
- Treat Everything Together: Helping people with both cannabis use and emotional eating (instead of just one of them) might work better.
- Tell Young Women: Sharing what we know about the possible risks and giving ideas for how to cope can help people make better choices.
What's most important is helping people handle feelings well, find good ways to cope, and live balanced lives.
The Potential of Functional Mushrooms for Emotional Support
Adding ways to handle stress into your daily routine can help protect against things that make you want to eat emotionally. A natural choice people are noticing is functional mushrooms.
Benefits of Functional Mushrooms
- Lion’s Mane: May help your thinking and how you feel by helping make NGF.
- Reishi: Called the “Mushroom of Immortality,” Reishi may help you feel less worried, sleep better, and keep your feelings steady.
- Cordyceps and Chaga: These mushrooms that help your body adapt may give you more energy and help you deal with stress.
Functional mushrooms, when used carefully in a wellness routine, could gently and steadily help you manage your feelings—maybe helping people who are likely to binge eat when stressed.
At Zombie Mushrooms, we believe that nature gives us strong tools to help balance the mind and body—and we’re happy to help you feel your best.
Conclusion
Cannabis use and binge eating are linked, and researchers are starting to learn how they are connected. For young adult women, this link appears especially strong, and it stays clear even when looking at things like depression and alcohol use. It's normal to crave food sometimes, but often binge eating because you're upset can mean there's a bigger issue that needs kind help.
If you're using cannabis and trying to find emotional calm, know that you're not alone—and that natural ways to help yourself are out there. Whether it’s through talking to a professional, practicing mindfulness, or using natural supplements like functional mushrooms, taking care of your feelings is possible.
Knowing this helps you make choices that are good for you in all parts of your life.
Citations
- Elran-Barak, R., Sznitman, S., Eisenberg, M. E., Zhang, L., Wall, M. M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2024). Cannabis use and binge eating among young adults: The role of depressive symptoms. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 164, 132–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.12.015
