A study published in JAMA Network Open has revealed that cannabis and psychedelics may offer superior benefits for eating disorder symptoms compared to traditional prescription medications. The research, with over 6,600 participants across 83 countries, found that these alternative treatments consistently received higher effectiveness ratings than commonly prescribed psychiatric drugs.
The findings represent a significant shift in understanding potential therapeutic approaches for eating disorders, conditions that affect millions of people worldwide and often prove resistant to conventional treatment methods. While eating disorders typically require comprehensive medical supervision, this research opens important discussions about expanding treatment options for patients who haven’t found success with standard approaches.
The study’s scope looked at all major eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Participants provided detailed feedback on various substances they had used, rating their effectiveness for both eating disorder symptoms and overall mental health.
Research Findings
The survey involved recruiting 7,648 participants worldwide through social media, online forums, and clinical services. Of these, 6,612 completed demographic information and 5,123 finished the entire survey. The sample was predominantly female (94.0%) with a mean age of 24.3 years, with most respondents from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Participants juidged a range of substances including caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, prescription psychotropics, psychedelics, ketamine, MDMA, stimulants, opioids, and various other drugs. They rated these substances based on their perceived effectiveness for eating disorder symptoms, overall mental health benefits, and potential harm.
The results were striking. Cannabis received the highest overall rating for eating disorder symptoms, with 56.1% of respondents rating it most effective. Psilocybin mushrooms and LSD also scored exceptionally well, consistently outperforming traditional psychiatric medications across multiple measures.
These alternative treatments didn’t just edge out conventional options—they significantly surpassed them. The only prescription medications that approached similar effectiveness ratings were lisdexamfetamine for binge-eating disorder and fluoxetine for bulimia nervosa, both FDA-approved specifically for their respective conditions.
How Cannabis and Psychedelics May Help Different Eating Disorders
The study revealed interesting patterns in how different substances affected various eating disorder types. Cannabis showed particular promise for restrictive eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and ARFID, receiving mean ratings of 0.63 and 0.96 respectively.
The study researchers hypothesize that cannabis may benefit people with food-aversive conditions by increasing the hedonic value of food—essentially making eating more pleasurable and appealing.
For anorexia nervosa specifically, cannabis topped the effectiveness charts, followed by LSD (0.48), psilocybin (0.46), and illicitly sourced diazepam (0.37). This suggests that substances affecting appetite and food perception may play crucial roles in attacking restrictive eating patterns.
However, the picture was more complex for non-restrictive eating disorders. Cannabis received poor ratings from people with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, likely because its appetite-stimulating effects could trigger or worsen binge-and-purge behaviors (aka the munchies).
For these conditions, traditional treatments like fluoxetine for bulimia (0.50 rating) and lisdexamfetamine for binge-eating disorder (1.14 rating) maintained their effectiveness advantage.
Psychedelics showed more universal appeal across eating disorder types. For bulimia nervosa, psilocybin received high ratings (0.61), while participants with combined anorexia and bulimia diagnoses rated LSD highest (0.73), followed by psilocybin (0.60).
The researchers noted that MDMA and ketamine didn’t achieve the positive ratings seen with classic psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin, suggesting these traditional psychedelics may possess unique therapeutic properties for eating disorders.
Understanding the Mechanisms Behind Alternative Treatments
The therapeutic potential of cannabis and psychedelics for eating disorders appears to stem from their unique neurological effects.
Cannabis contains compounds that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays crucial roles in appetite regulation, mood, and reward processing.
For individuals with restrictive eating disorders, cannabis may help restore natural hunger cues and make food consumption more rewarding.
Psychedelics work through different mechanisms, primarily affecting serotonin receptors in ways that can promote neuroplasticity and altered consciousness.
These effects may help individuals break free from rigid thought patterns and behaviors characteristic of eating disorders. The profound psychological experiences often associated with psychedelics might enable people to develop new relationships with food, body image, and self-perception.
Daily marijuana users in the study reported consistent perceived benefits for their eating disorder symptoms, suggesting that regular use rather than occasional consumption may be key to therapeutic effects.
This aligns with medical cannabis treatment protocols for other conditions, where consistent dosing often proves more effective than sporadic use.
The study also revealed that participants viewed cannabis and psychedelics as significantly safer than many other substances. While alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco were rated as the most harmful drugs, cannabis and psychedelics received positive safety ratings alongside their effectiveness scores.
Implications for Future Treatment Approaches
These findings arrive at a time when clinical trials investigating psychedelics for eating disorders are already underway. Research into psilocybin treatment for anorexia nervosa is currently being conducted, potentially validating the positive perceptions reported in this survey.
The study authors reported that their findings support further clinical research rather than immediate treatment recommendations. The research relied on self-reported diagnoses and experiences, which does introduces potential biases and limitations.
However, the average of positive ratings across different eating disorder types and the large sample size provide compelling evidence for continued investigation.
The fact that these alternative treatments consistently outperformed known psychiatric medications suggests they address aspects of eating disorders that conventional approaches may miss.
Current eating disorder treatment typically involves psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, and psychiatric medications when appropriate.
The integration of cannabis or psychedelic therapies would require careful medical supervision and likely specialized training for healthcare providers.
The complex nature of eating disorders, which often involve psychological, social, and biological factors, means that any new treatments would need to feed off each other rather than replace comprehensive care approaches.
A New Chapter in Eating Disorder Treatment
The research represents more than just positive ratings for alternative treatments—it reflects a growing recognition that eating disorders may benefit from innovative approaches.
The survey revealed that 49.3% of participants believed they had problems with at least one substance, showing the complex relationship between eating disorders and substance use.
Traditional eating disorder treatments, while helpful for many, leave significant numbers of patients without adequate relief. The high ratings for marijuana and psychedelics suggest these substances may fill important gaps in current treatment options, particularly for individuals who haven’t responded well to conventional approaches.
The study’s authors note that their results should be viewed as exploratory rather than definitive, given limitations including potential recall bias and the self-reported nature of diagnoses.
However, the strength of the findings—with cannabis and psychedelics consistently rating higher than normal treatments—suggests these results merit serious scientific attention.
As research continues, the cannabis and psychedelics industries are likely to pay close attention to developments in eating disorder treatment. The potential medical applications could significantly expand therapeutic cannabis programs and accelerate psychedelic medicine development.
