Doctoral study shows how cannabis could treat obesity, diabetes

Armed with a dream to take the pharmaceutical industry higher through the use of medicinal cannabis, Nelson Mandela University doctoral graduate Sonaal Ramlugon will take the next step in her process when she graduates as one of about 50 PhD students at the institution.

Ramlugon will cross the stage at one of 19 graduation ceremonies at the Madibaz Indoor Centre and obtain her PhD in biochemistry for her investigation into the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties of cannabis.

The critical finding came after Ramlugon had been conducting research on cannabis since 2011 with the aim of using the controversial compound to treat obesity and diabetes.

Ramlugon said there had been no anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs with no side effects until now and an anti-diabetes drug might help regulate the blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients.   

Often the best approach would be to adopt a healthy lifestyle involving a balanced diet and exercising, but that is not always possible, which is what sparked Ramlugon’s interest in finding a better treatment using a natural plant process.    

“My father, who was a doctor, once told me, ‘Biochemistry is the mother of medicine’.

“But unfortunately, nowadays, most doctors have forgotten or are unaware of the power of Ayurvedic medicines [a natural system of medicines which originated in India] and cannabis is one of them,” Ramlugon said. 

Conducting experiments on rats fed to become obese and diabetic and then treated with cannabis, Ramlugon found it was often the balance between fat storage and distribution which led to obesity and type 2 diabetes.  

The next step would be to conduct clinical trials in humans to confirm the results.

“I would love to continue to be part of this study in the future,” Ramlugon said.   

Cannabis often acts in two phases, which means the dosage is crucial for the correct effect, and this differs from individual to individual.  

“I discovered the mechanism of action in cannabis is fat-depot dependent. This means the way cannabis functions will depend on where the fats are stored, for example, ‘belly’ fat might be different to ‘leg’ fat.   

“I have to point out that fat is good, like most things in life, but only in moderation. Believe it or not, fat plays an important role in regulating blood glucose levels.”

In her honours and master’s studies, Ramlugon focused on investigating the anti-diabetic and obesity properties of cannabis in fat cells which were made insulin-resistant and then treated with cannabis, which effectively reversed their insulin-resistant state. 

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