What the study says?
Citing a “lack of comprehensive toxicological studies devoted to CBD safety that are critical for further marketing of CBD and CBD-containing products,” researchers at the University of Arkansas studied the effects of various doses of CBD therapies on an 8-week-old mice community.
While the mice generally tolerated CBD, the researchers found strong signs of liver toxicity in those given the highest doses — a human equivalent to 200 milligrams (mg) of CBD. Additionally, repeated doses of a smaller amount of CBD — the human equivalent of about 50 mg — showed signs of hepatic swelling and harm.
“Although (a dose of) 200 mg is not applicable to most real-life scenarios, it does provide critical information regarding the potential consequences of CBD overdose as well as for doses needed for further subchronic and chronic toxicity studies,” the authors, publishing in the journal Molecules, wrote.
Don’t worry too much.
That sounds potentially dangerous, but most experts are suggesting that there is just no need to panic.
Although experts point out that outpatients need to be aware of what they are receiving and what the risks may be, the level of CBD to which the animals have been subjected is much greater than what most people can take.
Dr. Diana Martins-Welch, attending physician in palliative medicine at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York, says even though CBD is ubiquitous, it does “not mean it is safe to take in high quantities, or that it is more effective at high doses.”
“Many people know that taking too much ibuprofen or Tylenol can have detrimental consequences. CBD is no different. Generally speaking, therapeutic CBD doses range from 0.5 mg/kg/day to 20 mg/kg per day,” Martins-Welch explained. “This study in mice used significantly higher doses of CBD than what is usually taken for therapeutic benefit in humans.”
She points out the study reveals how people need to be vigilant if they ingest heavy doses of CBD – similar to other drugs. “Caution must also be taken when trying to translate the results of this animal study to humans,” Martins-Welch said. “Bottom line: Therapeutic-range CBD is generally safe. Toxicity at high doses is a concern, as is the case with most other medicines.” Dr. Thinh Vo, safety and enforcement manager at Koi CBD, a manufacturer of lab-certified CBD products, says mice need to be recognized by CBD consumers and humans are very different.
“Mice and humans may share virtually the same genes, but we are different physiologically,” Vo told Healthline.
In addition, he said, “Extrapolation of this research shows no negative effects on a human at the recommended maximum daily dosage of 20 mg/kg.”
And even that is serious, says Jason Cohen, founder of Tesséra Naturals, a CBD company.
“A big caveat to this study is that the mice were given doses that were the human equivalent to the maximum recommended dose of the drug Epidiolex, which is a specific prescription drug meant to treat seizures,” he said.
“To put that in perspective, that would be over 1,300 mg of CBD per day for an adult weighing 150 pounds! This is much higher than the typical daily dose of casual CBD oil users. Most people stick to somewhere in the range of 10 to 80 mg per day, with slightly higher doses for insomnia, therapeutic effects, and flare-ups,” Cohen said.
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