As a demographic subset of American society, Baby Boomers don’t do anything halfway. The generation that bucked the societal norms and mores of their day – if you like rock and roll, civil rights or the suburbs, thank a Boomer – they irrevocably changed the American landscape.

One of the largest generations in U.S. history Boomers are reaching retirement age in unprecedented numbers every day. And as they do, they bring with them the age-related aches and pains that come with the territory as well as spiking the incidence of chronic disease.

All generations have endured dings and dents as they age but true to form, Boomers are not content to go out without a fight. Increasingly, CBD products are an important weapon in their arsenal against Father Time.

In February, Forbes reported findings of a Remedy Review study of 1,000 seniors ages 54 and up, which found nine percent had tried CBD for health-related reasons. Now if nine percent doesn’t sound like a lot, remember the size of the demographic we’re talking about. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Americans aged 65 and over numbered 40 million in 2010, with another 82 million hot on their heels between the ages of 45 and 64.

Remedy Review found 42 percent of seniors in the study were taking CBD to deal with inflammation; 40.9 percent to deal with chronic pain; 38.6 percent to combat poor sleep quality and 31.8 percent for arthritis pain.

The results they reported are eye-opening; 78 percent of survey participants said they were satisfied overall with CBD and more than half said they enjoyed an improved quality of life as a result of taking it. What’s more, nearly nine out of 10 seniors said they would recommend it to a family member.

The study also provided interesting facts about the specific benefits – in most instances, more than one – that seniors gained from CBD. Sixty-one percent reported improvement in pain levels and 46 percent reported improved sleep. Thirty percent of study participants enjoyed a reduction of anxiety and a similar percentage got stress relief; 23 percent reported being in a better mood.

Remedy Review also charted how seniors prefer to take their CBD. The leading form was CBD drops administered directly into the mouth, preferred by 54.4 percent of the seniors surveyed. Putting drops into a beverage or via an edible each accounted for 21.1 percent of adherents while 16 percent took it in capsule form. Just 10 percent of the seniors vaped their CBD.

Medium.com dug into the mounting scientific evidence behind some of CBD’s other compelling benefits for seniors. For instance, in addition to reducing inflammation and promoting cell repair, research has shown cannabinoids like CBD can strengthen bones and speed healing of fractures. This is good news for the 33 percent of women and 25 percent of men over 50 who sustain such fractures as a result of falls.

CBD also not only replaces dangerous and addictive medications such as opioids, but a 2018 study suggests it can actually help fight addiction by preventing relapses. That study found patients taking CBD once a day for a week no longer displayed addictive behaviors and deterred relapses for five months.

Another study treated 10 men with one 600mg dose of CBD and found it reduced resting blood pressure and did the same for participants subjected to a stress test. Other research suggest CBD’s antioxidant properties may also help reduce cardiac inflammation and deter cell death caused from oxidative stress.

Perhaps the most intriguing benefit realized by seniors who take CBD is on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. Multiple studies have shown CBD can alleviate both elements of neurodegenerative disease as well as the overall progression of such conditions.

Baby Boomers, who have both the willingness and the means to try CBD, are likely to become a major CBD consumer group. According to History.com, Boomers control 70 percent of the disposable income in the U.S. and they aren’t shy about spending it, predominantly on travel, health, wellness and their pets. That’s good news for the CBD industry at the same time it’s good news for today’s seniors seeking relief.

“Seniors represent an important category of our clients,” said Jason Martin, CEO of Tree of Life Seeds in Little Rock. “Science continues to show through research the wide-ranging health and medicinal benefits that CBD can provide. And we believe this evidence is only going to grow stronger and more compelling in the years to come.”

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