Athletes and CBD: What you need to know about pain relief, sleep and anti doping with Dr. Graeme Close

CBD oil is a hot topic! If you ask Dr. Google about it, you'll get a surprising amount of  claims telling you it will definitely help with sleep, recovery, inflammation and mental health and many of these sound very credible and "sciency." But what if you ask an actual scientist who has spent years researching CBD oil and knows and understands the data and physiology? Will it be so black and white?

Today's guest Dr. Graeme Close is exactly the person I wanted to speak with to get you the facts about CBD oil for athletes. Dr. Close is  is a Professor of Human Physiology who has published many papers in relation to sports nutrition, vitamin D, muscle damage and repair and now is focused on research on athletes and cannabidiol (CBD).  He is a former professional rugby league player and currently consults as an expert nutrition consultant to England Rugby as well as several other Premier League football clubs and players. Dr. Close has clearly found a way to mix his passions for sport and science. His ability to translate the knowledge to the masses is well known as he has regularly appeared on BBC tv and radio and now here on the Imperfect Progress podcast!

I had a lot of questions for Dr. Close today and the conversation gets really lit up many times on some topics that he wasn't sure he should cross into...but we did, and his insights were both  informative and honest. 

What are cannabinoids?
What gets you high vs what doesn't?
What athletes need to know about anti- doping and why  risk still exists with current guidelines.
Are product labels accurate?
Can CBD oil reduce pain for athletes? Non athletes?
Can CBD oil help athletes sleep?
Can CBD oil actually help your muscles recover?
How many athletes are using CBD oil?
The opioid crisis and CBD oil - Graeme's opinion
CBD oil and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Uur  endocannabinoid and CBD/THC
Fasting and CBD/THC levels in the body
What's new in CBD research 
How to overcome adversity in life manage difficult times through Graeme's eyes and from his experiences

You can learn more from Dr. Graeme Close and follow him online at the links at the bottom of this post. I've also posted a few links to some papers below that will act as great, legitimate resources to read.

There's not a lot of quality information out there on CBD oil and athletes. Please take a moment to share this episode now with your athletes, coaches or practitioners and anyone who could benefit. Share one thing you learned from podcast on your favorite social media platform and tag me or Imperfectprogresspodcast on IG today.

Please take a moment to rate my podcast on Apple. Just click on the stars and I would really appreciate if you could leave a comment so that other people can see what you thought of this or other episodes. This is a great way for me to get more people tuning in and get this important information to as many athletes, coaches and practitioners as possible. In a world of pseudoscience, facts matter. It's my goal to translate the science to the masses and I need your help. Thank you!

Dr. Graeme Close on Twitter here.

Dr. Graeme Close on Instagram here

Dr. Graeme Close bio here.

GSSI CBD oil review by Dr. Graeme Close here

Thank you for listening!