The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.
How Foods and Nutrients Control Our Moods | Episode 11
This episode explains the brain-body connections that allow the specific foods we eat to control our moods and motivation. I discuss the vagus nerve and its role in dopamine and serotonin release in the brain. I review Omega-3 fatty acids and the key role of the gut microbiome in supporting (or hindering) our mental and emotional states. Many actionable tools are reviewed and discussed related to fasting, ketogenic and plant-based diets, probiotics, fermented foods, fish oils, artificial sweeteners, specific supplements that promote dopamine and serotonin, and some remarkable behavioral (and belief) effects.
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Our Patreon page
Supplements from Thorne
Links
Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Microbiome:
Anti-Depressive Effects of EPAs
Links to Studies on Supplements Discussed
Timestamps
- (00:00:00) Introduction
- (00:05:00) Emotions: Aligning Mind & Body
- (00:06:41) Nutrients, Neurochemicals and Mood
- (00:08:39) Primitive Expressions and Actions
- (00:12:30) The Vagus Nerve: Truth, Fiction, Function
- (00:15:45) “Vagus Stimulation”: A Terrible Concept
- (00:16:35) Polyvagal Theory
- (00:18:27) Vagus Senses Many Things, & Moves Our Organs
- (00:19:35) Sugar Sensing Without Perception of Sweetness
- (00:23:00) Eating-Induced Anxiety
- (00:27:30) We Eat Until Our Brain Perceives “Amino Acid Threshold”
- (00:29:45) Reward Prediction Error: Buildup, Letdown and Wanting More
- (00:32:01) L-Tyrosine, Dopamine, Motivation, Mood, & Movement
- (00:34:04) Supplementing L-Tyrosine, Drugs of Abuse, Wellbutrin
- (00:38:29) Serotonin: Gut, Brain, Satiety and Prozac
- (00:43:38) Eating to Promote Dopamine (Daytime) & Serotonin (Night Time)
- (00:44:30) Supplementing Serotonin: Sleep, & Caution About Sleep Disruptions
- (00:46:40) Examine.com An Amazing Cost-Free Resource with Links to Science Papers
- (00:48:05) Mucuna Pruriens: The Dopamine Bean with a Serotonin Outer Shell
- (00:51:00) Emotional Context and Book Recommendation: “How Emotions Are Made”
- (00:54:55) Exercise: Powerful Mood Enhancer, But Lacks Specificity
- (00:56:45) Omega-3: Omega-6 Ratios, Fish Oil and Alleviating Depression
- (01:01:00) Fish Oil as Antidepressant
- (01:02:40) EPAs May Improve Mood via Heart Rate Variability: Gut-Heart-Brain
- (01:07:24) Alternatives to Fish Oil to Obtain Sufficient Omega-3/EPAs
- (01:09:05) L-Carnitine for Mood, Sperm and Ovary Quality, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Migraine
- (01:16:29) Gut-Microbiome: Myths, Truths & the Tubes Within Us
- (01:21:55) Probiotics, Brain Fog, Autism, Fermentation
- (01:25:20) Artificial Sweeteners & the Gut Microbiome: NOT All Bad; It Depends!
- (01:28:00) Ketogenic, Vegan, & Processed Food Effects, Individual Differences
- (01:33:20) Fasting-Based Depletion of Our Microbiome
- (01:35:20) How Mindset Effects Our Responses to Foods: Amazing (Ghrelin) Effects!
- (01:38:30) How Mindset Controls Our Metabolism
- (01:41:03) Closing Comments, Thanks, Support & Resources
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac