Exploring the Anti-inflammatory Properties of Cannabis and Their Relevance to Insulin Sensitivity (SONIC)

July 14, 2026 updated by: Angela Bryan, University of Colorado, Boulder
This study tests the effects of cannabinoid levels in blood on inflammation and insulin sensitivity both acutely and chronically in individuals across the weight spectrum. To that end, the study employs two observational designs: 1) A study of acute effects with intermittent cannabis users and 2) A study in which current cannabis users will select one of three cannabis strains for four weeks and are compared to a matched control group who do not use cannabis to study chronic effects. Blood levels of THC and CBD, inflammatory biomarkers, and insulin resistance will be measured in both studies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, over 30 million people in the US have diabetes, and just over 84 million people have pre-diabetes. Concurrently, 30 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational use and over the past decade, cannabis use among adults has more than doubled.

Public perception and some scientific data suggest that cannabis causes acute over-eating, creating concern that public and legal acceptance of cannabis use will worsen the obesity epidemic in the United States, where more than two-thirds of US adults (68.8%) are currently overweight or obese. Paradoxically, cross sectional data demonstrate associations between chronic cannabis use and lower body mass index (BMI), prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance, waist circumference, and actual rates of type 2 diabetes despite data supporting higher caloric intake acutely.

This study examines the effects of cannabinoid levels in blood on inflammation and insulin sensitivity both acutely and chronically in individuals across the weight spectrum. To that end, the study employs two observational designs: 1) A study of acute effects with intermittent cannabis users and 2) A study in which current cannabis users will select one of three cannabis strains for four weeks and are compared to a matched control group who do not use cannabis to study chronic effects.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
233

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Boulder, Colorado, United States, 80301
        • Center for Innovation and Creativity

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Community Sample

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Cannabis users in Study A must have smoked or vaped cannabis at least once since January 1st 2014 with no negative effects but NOT used in the past three months
  • Cannabis users in Study B must have been a regular (at least weekly) user for at least a year
  • Non-users in Study B cannot have used any cannabis in the previous year
  • Weight stable (<5 pound fluctuation in the past six months)
  • Planning to remain in the Boulder-Denver area for the next month
  • Fasting blood glucose greater than or equal to 55 mg/dl and less than or equal to 126 mg/dl
  • Cannabis users in Study A must endorse knowledge of the procedure(s) for smoking or vaping cannabis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known auto-immune disease
  • Report of other drug use (cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine) in the past 90 days or fail urine screen for any of these drugs
  • Daily tobacco (cigarette, E-cigs, smokeless) user, given the impact of tobacco smoking on insulin function
  • Blood alcohol level greater than 0 at screening
  • Current use of medications for glucose lowering, immunosuppression, or anti-inflammation
  • Acute illness
  • Current use of psychotropic medications
  • Current diagnosis of diabetes
  • Heavy drinking as defined by an Alcohol Use Disorders Test (AUDIT)
  • Females can not be pregnant or trying to become pregnant
  • Females can not be nursing mothers
  • Have donated blood in the 8 weeks before the study or intend to donate blood in the 8 weeks after the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Study A
Adults balanced across the weight spectrum who have tried cannabis at least once with no negative reaction but are not regular users.
Other: Study A: Single use of cannabis flower product
Participants are asked to purchase and use one of three cannabis flower strains with differing levels of THC and CBD: 1) CBD (~14% CBD/0% THC), 2) THC (~14% THC/0% CBD), or 3) THC+CBD (~7% THC/7% CBD).
Study B
Sample of current cannabis users and non-users balanced across the weight spectrum who are matched on age, gender, BMI and physical activity.
Other: Study B: Ad libitum cannabis use for four weeks or no cannabis use
Participants choose whether to use a cannabis flower product ad libitum for four weeks or to not use cannabis for four weeks. Participants who choose to use cannabis are asked to purchase and use one of three cannabis flower strains with differing levels of THC and CBD: 1) CBD (~14% CBD/0% THC), 2) THC (~14% THC/0% CBD), or 3) THC+CBD (~7% THC/7% CBD).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Markers of Inflammation
Time Frame: Study A: Difference between cytokines at baseline and cytokines one week later after acute use of cannabis product. Study B: Change from baseline to four weeks
Change in Circulating Levels of Cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12, IFNG, and IL-4). Results are reported as a composite score of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12, IFNG, and IL-4
Study A: Difference between cytokines at baseline and cytokines one week later after acute use of cannabis product. Study B: Change from baseline to four weeks
Change in Matsuda Index of Insulin Sensitivity
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline versus after acute use one week later of cannabis product. Study B: The two tests will be separated by four weeks

Calculation of Insulin Sensitivity using changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting plasma insulin (FPI).

Measurements are collected on venous blood samples at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after ingestion of 75 grams oral glucose during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Values across the timepoints were combined to create a Matsuda Index score as follows: 10000/sqrt ((FPG X FPI) X (Mean OGTT glucose concentration X Mean OGTT insulin concentration)).

Higher scores mean higher sensitive to insulin and that your body more efficiently clears glucose from your bloodstream, thus higher scores are better.
Study A: Baseline versus after acute use one week later of cannabis product. Study B: The two tests will be separated by four weeks
Change in Plasma Glucose
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline versus one week later after acute use of cannabis product. Study B: The two tests will be separated by four weeks
Change in glucose over time after ingestion of 75 grams oral glucose measured during during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Measurements are collected on venous blood samples at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes and averaged across these timepoints for a mean score.
Study A: Baseline versus one week later after acute use of cannabis product. Study B: The two tests will be separated by four weeks
Change in Plasma Insulin
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline versus one week later after acute use of cannabis product. Study B: Baseline versus four weeks later
Change in insulin over time after ingestion of 75 grams oral glucose measured during OGTT. Measurements are collected on venous blood samples at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes and averaged across these timepoints for a mean score.
Study A: Baseline versus one week later after acute use of cannabis product. Study B: Baseline versus four weeks later

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Stanford Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall (PAR)
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline and one week following baseline Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Interviewer administered assessment of number of minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity over the previous seven days. Scores are reported as total minutes in the last week summed across moderate, hard, and very hard activity levels.
Study A: Baseline and one week following baseline Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Sleep Quality
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline only Study B: Baseline to four weeks following baseline
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: Measurement of the quality and patterns of sleep from poor to good measuring seven domains (e.g., latency, duration, disturbances) over the last 2 weeks. Participants' scores are reported as a global score of the summed seven component scores together ranging from 0 to 21, where higher scores indicate worse sleep and a global score of 5 or above indicates poor sleep quality.
Study A: Baseline only Study B: Baseline to four weeks following baseline
Marijuana Consumption Questionnaire
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Times per day of cannabis flower use from 0 to 6. Includes all participants in Study A and only cannabis users in Study B.
Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Marijuana Dependence Scale
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
This is a self-report scale based on DSM-5 criteria to assess dependence and other problems related to the use of cannabis. Scores are reported as a sum across the 11 items with yes/no options, ranging from 0 to 11, with higher scores indicating more dependence symptoms. Includes all participants in Study A and only cannabis users in Study B.
Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist
Time Frame: Study A: Assessed at follow-up, one week following baseline. Study B: Assessed at follow-up, four weeks following baseline.
A 15-item scale used to collect information on withdrawal symptoms that participants may be experiencing due to the lack of use of marijuana. Options range from 0 (none) to 3 (severe) for each question and are summed to create a final score ranging from 0 to 45. Includes all participants in Study A and only cannabis users in Study B.
Study A: Assessed at follow-up, one week following baseline. Study B: Assessed at follow-up, four weeks following baseline.
The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT)
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Standardized assessment of the extent of alcohol use and problems related to alcohol use. Scores are summed and range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating more hazardous alcohol use.
Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Timeline Follow-Back of Substance Use
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Calendar-based assessment of daily substance use for the 30 days prior to the baseline session for both studies. The average days of smoked cannabis use in the last 30 days are reported.
Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
SF-12 Health Survey
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
The SF-12 Health Survey is a 12-item questionnaire used to assess general health and well-being and includes domains of physical functioning, role-physical, pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional and mental health. Only the mental component was analyzed. Scores are calculated using a weighted algorithm with scores ranging from 0 to 100; scores greater than 50 meaning better than average health and scores worse than 50 meaning worse than average health.
Study A: Baseline only. Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Nutrition Data System for Research 24-Hour Dietary Recall
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline and one week following baseline Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Interviewer administered recall measure developed by the University of Minnesota Nutrition Coordinating Center (NCC), that facilitates the standardized collection of 24-hour dietary recall data. Healthy Eating Index (HEI) total scores are reported for each participant, which is a measure of healthy eating on a scale of 0 (poor eating) to 100 (very healthy eating). Scores above 80 indicate a good diet, and scores below 80 indicate a diet in need of improvement.
Study A: Baseline and one week following baseline Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Stanford Leisure-Time Activity Categorical Item (L-Cat)
Time Frame: Study A: Baseline and one week following baseline Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline
Self-report measure of a single item comprising six descriptive categories ranging from inactive (1) to very active (6).
Study A: Baseline and one week following baseline Study B: Baseline and four weeks following baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Daily Online Survey of Alcohol Use
Time Frame: Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily surveys sent to Study B participants during the four-week period between study visits querying alcohol use. This is reported as average number of drinks/day of alcohol use.
Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily Only Survey of Exercise
Time Frame: Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily surveys sent to Study B participants during the four-week period between study visits querying minutes of exercise. This is reported as average minutes/day on exercise days.
Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily Only Survey of Fruit/Vegetable Consumption
Time Frame: Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily surveys sent to Study B participants during the four-week period between study visits querying consumption of fruits and vegetables. This is reported as average servings/day on fruit/vegetable consumption days.
Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily Online Survey on Cannabis Use
Time Frame: Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit
Daily surveys sent to Study B participants during the four-week period between study visits querying amount of cannabis used. This is reported as average grams/cannabis use day.
Study B only: Daily for four weeks between baseline and second study visit

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Colorado, Boulder

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Colorado, Denver

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 8, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 6, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 1, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 3, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 14, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1R01DA050515 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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