With Food or Empty Stomach, How Should You Take CBD?

Donald Kinney
3 min readSep 25, 2017

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When it comes to CBD, the number of confusion among us is definitely a lot. Because of its identity as marijuana found component, it seems to have falsely been given a bad reputation. Although the constantly flowing information on the web regarding CBD infused products has lowered the misinformation to a great extent, it still has a long way to go.

Even with the availability of some much information, surprisingly CBD users are still getting confused regarding whether CBD should be taken on an empty stomach, or with meals, or after meals. With a little research and basic understanding of digestion, the answer becomes clear for users with regular CBD supplement routine.

Yes, CBD needs to be taken with food.

To completely understand this, first, we need to understand the “Bioavailability” term. It’s defined as the rate and degree at which a substance (mentioned here for CBD) is absorbed into our living system or is available at the site of physiological activity. It also describes the amount of an active ingredient absorbed by our body based on different factors such as the type of product taken.

Hemp CBD oil has active ingredients, and they need to be taken with food to increase potential bioavailability. Taking CBD infused products orally in empty stomach, where the active ingredients are absorbed through digestion, instead of our mouth’s mucous membranes, can diminish its bioavailability of active ingredients due to the effects of first pass metabolism which alters the structure of CBD into one of its metabolites.

How First-Pass Metabolism Affects CBD?

First pass metabolism is the prime reason for the lower oral bioavailability of CBD. It is caused by the actions of enzymes of the digestive system before CBD reaches the circulatory system. The enzymes in liver act on CBD and oxidize it to yield more than 100 different metabolites, from which most aren’t used by our body.

While some online sellers for CBD terpenes encourage users to use CBD orally on an empty stomach for faster results, this may drastically reduce the potency of the CBD as best natural pain medicine. Because of first-pass metabolism and enzyme effects during digestion, doctors suggest that any CBD infused products such as hemp CBD oil, CBD terpenes, CBD coffee, CBD capsules and CBD candy which are available for online buy, should be taken with food, especially with meals high in fatty acids.

A study on cannabinoid products that was absorbed sublingually first and then swallowed in the digestive tract showed better positive effects of eating before taking any CBD supplement. The study results showed that the bioavailability was four times higher for CBD when taken after a meal. However, it was also demonstrated that food can delay the peak concentration in blood by a couple hours.

In simpler terms, the CBD will act a little slow if it’s taken after food. Sacrificing the speed for the potent strength of CBD is not a bad idea at all. Taking CBD supplements with food will allow more CBD in your system for a longer period of time after use. It will definitely boost the benefits for you. Being one of the renowned CBD sellers, ANW has prime quality CBD oil for sale. Avail your CBD requirements from our online store if you are looking for an all natural way to get healed!

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