Effect of Dietary Enrichment with Hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) on Blood Pressure Changes in Growing Mice between Ages of 5 and 30 Weeks

Abstract

Dietary hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) reduces blood pressure in adults and animal models of hypertension; however, whether hempseed consumption throughout early life reduces adult blood pressure is not known. This study tested the hypothesis that hempseed enrichment versus a control diet modifies the age-dependent pattern of blood pressure changes in growing female C57BL/6 mice and results in lower adult blood pressure. From ages 5 to 30 weeks, early post-weaning to mid-adulthood, mice were fed either a control AIN-93G (0%), 50 g/kg (5%), or 150 g/kg (15%) hempseed-supplemented diet (n = 8 per group). Biweekly measurements of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure were collected using the tail-cuff method. Mice fed 5% or 15% hempseed versus the control diet exhibited no significant differences in systolic, diastolic, or mean arterial blood pressure (repeated measures ANOVA main effect of diet, p > 0.05). Blood pressure did not differ significantly between diet groups in adulthood (p > 0.05). However, mice fed a control or 5% hempseed, but not 15% hempseed, diet exhibited blood pressure changes across age marked by significant increases during early adulthood (weeks 11–17) versus early post-weaning (week 5) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, long-term dietary hempseed enrichment at 5% and 15% concentrations during development does not reduce adult blood pressure, but a 15% dose blunts the temporary increase in blood pressure during early adulthood seen in mice fed a control diet.