Fitter with CBD? Just what is this nutrition trend?

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The topic of nutrition plays a major role at FIBO. And there is one trend that has grabbed everyone’s attention: cannabidiol – or CBD for short. FIBO has responded to this hot trend by joining with ‘Behrentin Communication’, organiser of the new trade show ‘The Body: The Premium CBD Expo in Europe for Sports and Beauty’, in order to feature this topic at the next FIBO from 7 to 10 April 2022. A special area will be set up in Hall 4.2 where trade visitors can discover the opportunities for using and selling CBD and find out about the latest scientific findings. 

Dieter Behrentin launched his ‘Behrentin Communication’ agency in 2007 as specialists in events and communication consulting. He has been focusing on cannabis consulting in the B2B segment and events for a good five years now and is the official organiser of the new CBD Expo. We sat down with him to summarise the most important facts about the CBD nutrition trend. 

What exactly is CBD?

According to Behrentin, “CBD stands for cannabidiol. CBD is one of approx. 120 cannabinoids – active components – found in the cannabis plant. The best-known cannabinoids are CBD, THC and CBG.” It was not until the late 1980s that scientists discovered the positive impacts of cannabinoids on various parts of the body. Dieter Behrentin: “When researchers identified the endocannabinoid system within the human nervous system and discovered that cannabinoids from cannabis plants bind to these receptors, they found that this provided an explanation for the positive impact of cannabinoids on various parts of the body.” Basically, in contrast to THC, CBD does not have the psychotropic effects. 

How does CBD work?

Cannabinoids do not have the same effect on everyone. Studies performed by experts to date seem to show a somewhat greater impact and affinity in women than in men, although it should also be noted that research in this field is still in its early stages. “It is already clear that CBD can have a calming, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and regenerative effect. It is also thought to improve quality of sleep, be generally beneficial and generate improved mental performance.” 

Why is CBD particularly beneficial for athletes? 

Behrentin: “CBD can have positive impacts for athletes in a variety of different ways. Sports place strain on the muscles and cause various irritations. “CBD and other cannabinoids can help here to speed up muscle regeneration and promote muscle relaxation. CBD can also alleviate pain and help to prevent inflammation in the event of muscle strain, as well as having an overall anti-inflammatory impact throughout the body.” Professional sports place particularly high demands on the body, and CBD can help to reduce stress levels both before and after competition.

How do professional athletes use CBD? 

Behrentin: “The advantage of CBD is that this cannabinoid is not addictive, has hardly any side effects, and alleviates cramps and anxiety.” That is why more and more professional athletes are taking advantage of the pain-relieving properties of CBD. Behrentin says that CBD oil is particularly popular due to the fact that it has hardly any side-effects, is non-addictive and works quickly. 

CBD in competitions 

According to the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the use of cannabinoids in competition is prohibited. In 2018 cannabidiol (CBD) was expressly removed from the list of prohibited substances. Due to the fact that CBD is generally extracted from cannabis plants, it is possible that CBD products may naturally contain other, prohibited cannabinoids. This could lead to a positive doping test for someone using CBD products. That is also why Behrentin says that it is extremely important that professional athletes use only those CBD products containing no THC whatsoever – 0.0 percent. These products are harder to come by, because the extraction process is extremely cost-intensive. Most products are listed as having a THC content of <0.2 percent, which is legal in Germany. 

What CBD products are particularly popular for training? 

There are a variety of ways in which CBD can be taken, including oils, sprays, drops, pastilles, ointments, beverages and many others. Dieter Behrentin says that a lot of athletes prefer to use mouth sprays or vaping. Both methods are simple, practical and fast-acting. Vaping involves using an electronic cigarette to vaporise CBD oil. This is considered to be the most efficient way to consume CBD – by imbibing it through the lungs, more of the active ingredient reaches the bloodstream more quickly than through other methods.

What should athletes pay attention to when using CBD products? 

Anyone purchasing CBD should be careful to ensure that the product provides sufficient information on the contents and on the levels of the substances therein. As Behrentin put it: “This means paying particular attention to the percentage of CBD in the product. For example, it should be stated clearly that this is a cannabidiol (CBD oil) and not hemp-seed oil. There are currently numerous manufacturers who are taking advantage of consumers’ lack of knowledge and marketing lower-quality hemp-seed products as CBD products. Dieter Behrentin offered a more detailed explanation: “Hemp-seed oil is cheaper and contains trace elements of cannabinoids/CBD, whereas CBD oil actually contains pure cannabidiol oil as a component. The production process is significantly more complicated and expensive, and this is reflected in the price. Yet hemp-seed oil is currently being sold at CBD oil prices, resulting in even greater confusion amongst consumers. Even pharmacies frequently sell ‘fake’ CBD products.” That is why this expert recommends investigating the ingredients closely before making a purchase, perhaps even sending detailed questions to the manufacturer or seller regarding the composition, CBD content and test results.