A diet high in healthy fats may help increase the body’s absorption of CBD, according to a recent study from the University of Minnesota. 

The study explored how high fat foods may increase the body’s ability to process cannabidiol. A group of researchers measured concentrations of CBD in epilepsy patients who were taking capsules that were 99 percent pure cannabidiol. They then compared the absorption rate in patients who took CBD on an empty stomach to those who took CBD during a high-fat meal. 

CBD absorption was significantly higher in patients who consumed the substance with high fat foods.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a naturally-occurring substance derived from the cannabis plant. It’s been shown to help with some symptoms of Alzheimer’s, anxiety, epilepsy, chronic pain, depression and more. Products containing CBD can now be sold after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill last December, as long as they contain less than 0.3 percent THC. This means that the product is non-psychoactive and won’t produce the same high that recreational marijuana is known for. 

Cannabis has been around for thousands of years, and it’s been used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions and even to make clothing. 

“The type of food can make a large difference in the amount of CBD that gets absorbed into the body. Although fatty foods can increase the absorption of CBD, it can also increase the variability, as not all meals contain the same amount of fat,” said Angela Birnbaum, study co-author and professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Pharmacy.

Higher CBD absorption rates due to high-fat diets could lead to much lower medication costs – taking CBD with a high-fat food increased the amount of CBD in the body by four times. It also increased the amount of CBD found in patients’ bloodstream up to 14 times. 

Though fat, a vital macronutrient, earned a bad dietary rap in the 1980s and 1990s, monounsaturated fats like those found in avocado oil, nuts, sesame oil and salmon are now widely accepted as an important part of a healthy diet.