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CBD for diabetes

The one controlled trial, in 62 people with type 2 diabetes, found CBD alone did not improve blood sugar control over 13 weeks.

Facts checked 13 November 20263 min readHow we research
Trials show no benefit

One 13-week trial in 62 people with type 2 diabetes found CBD alone did not improve blood sugar control. The CBD dose used could not be confirmed from the sources we checked.

How we grade evidence

The only controlled trial found that CBD on its own did not improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. There is no trial evidence that CBD helps type 1 diabetes, prevents diabetes or replaces any diabetes medicine.

What the research shows

The key study is by Jadoon and colleagues, published in the journal Diabetes Care in 2016. It enrolled 62 people with type 2 diabetes and followed them for 13 weeks. Participants were split across five groups, which included CBD alone, another cannabinoid called THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) alone, and combinations of the two, compared with placebo.1

The results:

  • CBD alone did not improve glycaemic control (the medical term for how well blood sugar is managed).1
  • THCV alone lowered fasting blood glucose.1
  • THCV combined with CBD lost that benefit.1

So in this trial CBD did not help, and adding it to THCV appeared to cancel the effect THCV had on its own.

Two cautions keep this in proportion. With 62 people spread over five groups, each group was small. And it is a single trial that has not been repeated. We grade it “trials show no benefit” because a fair test was run and CBD did not beat placebo. A larger trial could add to the picture.

What has not been tested

No trial of CBD for type 1 diabetes was found in our research. Nor was any trial of CBD alone for diabetic neuropathy, the nerve pain that can come with diabetes. For pain in general, a 2024 review found 15 of 16 randomised trials of pharmaceutical-grade CBD showed no benefit over placebo.2 See CBD for chronic pain.

Claims that CBD helps with weight loss or “metabolism” are not supported by any trial in the research we reviewed. Reduced appetite is a known side effect of high-dose CBD, which is not the same as a safe or tested weight treatment.3

What doses were tested

The trial ran for 13 weeks.1 We could not confirm the exact CBD dose from the sources we checked, so we have not stated one here. THCV is a different compound from CBD, and results for one cannot be applied to the other. See CBG, CBN, CBC and CBDA: the other cannabinoids.

What Australian medical bodies say

No Australian medical body recommends CBD for diabetes.

  • The TGA says medicinal cannabis should be considered only when registered medicines have been tried and have failed.4
  • RACGP (the GPs’ college) describes the evidence as “limited and inconclusive” and does not recommend or encourage medicinal cannabis.5
  • No cannabis medicine is registered in Australia for diabetes.6

Risks to know about

  • Replacing proven treatment. Diabetes medicines prevent serious harm. Swapping them for something that failed its only trial is the main risk.
  • Interactions. CBD blocks several liver enzymes that process other medicines.3 People with diabetes often take medicines for blood pressure, cholesterol and clotting as well. Warfarin, digoxin and clopidogrel are among the medicines flagged.37 See CBD drug interactions.
  • Liver. CBD can raise liver enzymes, more often at higher doses.3 See CBD and the liver.
  • Appetite and gut effects. Reduced appetite and diarrhoea were more common with CBD than placebo in trials.3 Changes in eating matter if you take medicines that lower blood sugar, so tell your doctor about any change.

If you are considering it

  • Keep taking your diabetes medicines and talk to your GP, endocrinologist or diabetes educator first.
  • For blood sugar, the one controlled trial found that CBD alone did not help.
  • Ask a pharmacist to check your full medicine list.
  • If you start any new medicine, ask whether you should check your blood glucose more often for a while.

See talking to your GP about CBD.

Footnotes

  1. Jadoon KA et al. Efficacy and safety of cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabivarin on glycemic and lipid parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27573936/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Moore RA, Straube S, Fisher E, Eccleston C. Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Journal of Pain, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2023.10.009 ↩

  3. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) US prescribing information, DailyMed, revised 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: overview. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/resource/guidance/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-overview ↩

  5. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Medical cannabis position statement (2019 update). https://www.racgp.org.au/advocacy/position-statements/view-all-position-statements/clinical-and-practice-management/medical-cannabis ↩

  6. NPS MedicineWise. Medicinal cannabis: what you need to know. https://www.nps.org.au/professionals/medicinal-cannabis-what-you-need-to-know ↩

  7. Systematic review of cannabidiol drug interactions. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11167383/ ↩

Common questions

Does CBD lower blood sugar?

Not in the one trial that tested it. In 62 people with type 2 diabetes followed for 13 weeks, CBD alone did not improve blood sugar control compared with placebo.

Can CBD replace metformin or insulin?

No. There is no evidence that CBD controls blood sugar, and the only controlled trial found it did not. Stopping or reducing a prescribed diabetes medicine without medical advice can be dangerous.

Does CBD help diabetic nerve pain?

No trial of CBD alone for diabetic nerve pain was found in our research. Across pain conditions generally, 15 of 16 randomised trials of pharmaceutical-grade CBD found no benefit over placebo.

What is THCV and is it the same as CBD?

THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) is a different compound found in cannabis. In the diabetes trial it lowered fasting blood glucose while CBD did not. One small trial is not enough to establish THCV as a treatment either.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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