Loss of appetite is a common condition in cancer patients, either because the cancer itself or its treatment that affect taste and odor causing loss of enjoyment of food. Therefore, researchers continue to find effective ways to help patients maintain a good diet with consuming enough calories.
"This is the first trial which showed that THC makes food taste better and increase the appetite for patients with advanced cancer, and help them to sleep and better. Our findings are important because until now there is no treatment for chemosensory, a change that experienced by cancer patients. We are very enthusiastic about the possibilities if THC can be used to enhance the enjoyment of patients to the food, "said Dr. Wendy Wismer (PhD), professor at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada). This research was published online in the journal Cancer, the February issue of Annals of Oncology 2011.
Researchers in Canada tested from May 2006 to December 2008 of 21 adult patients with advanced cancer who have experienced loss of appetite resulting from their illness for two weeks or more.
Patients receive medication from the pharmacist double-blind manner. Eleven patients received an oral capsule containing delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and eight patients received placebo capsules.