CBD may help curb frequency of epileptic seizures

A naturally occurring compound found in cannabis may help to curb the frequency of epileptic seizures, however, the evidence to date is confined to the treatment of children and teens whose epilepsy does not respond to conventional drugs, and rare and serious forms of the condition, caution the researchers.

Between 70 and 80 percent of people newly diagnosed with epilepsy manage to control their seizures completely using conventional drugs such as valproate and carbamazepine, but that still leaves up to a third whose condition is unresponsive to these treatments.

Preliminary research suggests that naturally occurring compounds found in cannabis (cannabinoids) may dampen down convulsions. And one of these cannabinoids, cannabidiol or CBD for short, seems to show promise for curbing seizures.

To explore this in more depth, the researchers trawled research databases for relevant published and unpublished studies looking at the potential impact of cannabinoids as an add-on to usual treatment on epilepsy seizures. Out of an initial haul of 91 studies, they found six clinical trials (555 patients) and 30 observational studies (2865 patients) that were eligible for inclusion in their review.

All the participants, whose average age was 16, had rare forms of epilepsy that had not responded to usual treatment.

Pooled analysis of the clinical trial data showed that CBD was more effective than a placebo drug at cutting seizure frequency by 50 percent or more, and improving quality of life.

CBD was also more effective than placebo at eradicating seizures altogether, although this was still rare.

But the risk of side effects (dizziness and drowsiness), although small, was significant–24 percent higher–while that of serious side effects was twice as high among those taking cannabidiol. Pooled data from 17 of the observational studies showed that seizure frequency dropped by at least 50 percent in just under half of the patients and disappeared completely in nearly one in 10 (8.5%) in eight of these studies. Quality of life improved in half of the patients in 12 of the studies.

"Pharmaceutical grade CBD as adjuvant treatment in paediatric onset drug-resistant epilepsy may reduce seizure frequency," conclude the researchers. "Existing [randomised controlled trial] evidence is mostly in paediatric samples with rare and severe epilepsy syndromes; [randomised controlled trials] examining other syndromes and cannabinoids are needed."

Sweetch, the mobile-health app that helps prevent and improve outcomes in diabetes by encouraging long-term behavioral change, today revealed the outcomes of its clinical trial conducted at Johns Hopkins University. Directed by the university's Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, & Metabolism, the study shows that using Sweetch significantly lowered A1C levels, a diabetes biomarker for blood sugar, increased physical activity and reduced weight for patients with early stage diabetes. Being active for 150 minutes a week and reducing weight by 5 to 7 percent has been proven to reduce the chances of developing diabetes by 58 percent. The full results of the study are published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Sweetch developed a proprietary machine-learning technology that predicts and reduces individuals' risk of developing diabetes and offers a highly personalized intervention to improve the patient's clinical outcomes. Generic recommendations, such as walking 10,000 steps and eating fewer carbohydrates, have not been found to be effective in engaging patients, especially in the long term. Sweetch's artificial intelligence (AI) technology offers personalized recommendations that can be realistically achieved and are continuously adapted based on the user's past behavior. This approach promises gradual progress, hyper-personalization and long-term adherence.

Sweetch works by automatically processing smartphone-originated data streams, including geo-location, schedule, physical activity patterns, driving and walking routes, weather, and surroundings, which are translated into insights about the individual's lifestyle habits. Using real-time AI, Sweetch sends the user personalized and contextual just-in-time, just-in-place recommendations to maximize behavioral compliance, and achieve their physical activity, weight loss, health and nutritional goals. Sweetch raised $3.5 million in a 2016 Series A round led by global conglomerate Philips and leading equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd.

"About one-third of Americans, Europeans and Chinese suffer from chronic diseases associated with unhealthy lifestyle habits," said Sweetch CEO Dana Chanan. "While helping such numbers of people cannot be managed effectively through human-based coaching, Sweetch's technology has achieved clinically significant results with no human involvement to enable large-scale intervention at a low cost."

The three-month clinical trial contained 55 pre-diabetic adults at different levels of obesity. Over the course of the trial, Sweetch significantly changed participants' behaviors with retention rates as high as 86%. On average, participants achieved significant increases in physical activity by 2.8 Metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours per week per participant, lost an average of 1.6 kg, reduced waist circumference by 1.4 cm, and had a clinically meaningful reduction in A1C of 0.1%. Based on previous studies, each 1 kg weight loss translates into a 16% reduction in diabetes risk.

The study was led by Dr. Nestoras Mathioudakis, clinical director of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at John Hopkins University. The Hopkins researchers concluded that, "The fact that the study demonstrated both weight and A1C reductions at only three months suggests that long-term effects will be comparable, if not superior, to existing interventions. Most importantly, Sweetch's machine learning technology enables fully automated intervention; hence, supporting larger-scale deployment with greater cost-effectiveness potential when compared with human-based diabetes prevention solutions."

About Sweetch Health Ltd
Sweetch Health Ltd. is the maker of Sweetch, an AI-driven mobile app for large scale prediction, prevention and outcome improvement of chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and obesity. 

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