FoundMyFitness · 2023-11-09 · Rhonda Patrick
How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, & Exercise May Increase Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
43 research-tied claims examined: 2 contradicted 4 overstated 3 context 31 supported 3 unverified
2 Contradicted by research
Studies demonstrate that maternal fish intake during pregnancy is correlated with higher intelligence in children at one and seven years of age, with higher maternal mercury serving as a biomarker of higher fish intake.
"So fish intake during pregnancy and intelligence at one year, seven years of life—I forgot all the follow-up times—but it was shown that omega-3 was correlated with improved intelligence if the mothers were eating fish. And they were actually using mercury as a biomarker to basically validate their dietary recall, because the women that were taking in more omega-3 had higher mercury. And guess what? The higher mercury was correlated with higher intelligence in the children" (said at 0:33:02)
The speaker accurately notes that maternal fish consumption during pregnancy is associated with beneficial neurodevelopmental outcomes in young children, but inverts the observed effect of prenatal mercury exposure. In prospective cohort studies evaluating maternal fish intake and biomarker levels, higher maternal blood or hair mercury levels were associated with lower cognitive test scores in offspring, not higher intelligence. Fish consumption provides beneficial n-3 fatty acids that support child cognition, whereas mercury acts as a neurotoxic contaminant that counteracts these nutritional benefits.
- contradicts: Maternal fish consumption, hair mercury, and infant cognition in a U.S. Cohort. (Environmental health perspectives 2005) · cited 495x in the literature
"Higher fish consumption in pregnancy was associated with better infant cognition, but higher mercury levels were associated with lower cognition." (abstract, conclusions, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - contradicts: Maternal fish intake during pregnancy, blood mercury levels, and child cognition at age 3 … (American journal of epidemiology 2008) · cited 423x in the literature
"After adjustment using multivariable linear regression, higher fish intake was associated with better child cognitive test performance, and higher mercury levels with poorer test scores." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - contradicts: Maternal prenatal fish consumption and cognition in mid childhood: Mercury, fatty acids, a… (Neurotoxicology and teratology 2016) · cited 63x in the literature
"In this population with an average fish consumption of about 1 1/2 weekly servings, we did not see any evidence for an association of maternal prenatal fish intake, or of mercury, DHA+EPA, or selenium status, with verbal or non-verbal intelligence, visual motor function, or visual memory at median 7.7years of age." (abstract, conclusions, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)
Lactate crosses into tissues including the brain via monocarboxylate transporters (MCT) and is utilized for neurotransmitter synthesis (norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine) and neuronal energy production.
"It also gets into other tissues, including the brain, through this MCT transporter, and it's used for neurotransmitter synthesis—norepinephrine uses lactate, serotonin, dopamine. It's used for energy inside of neurons. It's used as a very efficient source of energy, so lactate can be used to make, you know, energy." (said at 0:51:42)
The speaker bundles two distinct assertions: 1) Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs, such as MCT1 and MCT2) transport lactate across the blood-brain barrier and into neurons, where it is oxidized via pyruvate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle to serve as an efficient neuronal energy substrate (supported by established neuroenergetics literature). 2) Lactate is utilized directly for the synthesis of the monoamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. This second assertion is contradicted by established biochemistry: catecholamines (dopamine and norepinephrine) are biosynthesized from the aromatic amino acid L-tyrosine (via tyrosine hydroxylase and DOPA decarboxylase), whereas serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is biosynthesized from L-tryptophan (via tryptophan hydroxylase). Lactate is not a precursor or building block for monoamine neurotransmitter synthesis, though it can provide ATP or carbon intermediates for glutamate/GABA turnover.
- partial: Monocarboxylate transporters in the central nervous system: distribution, regulation and f… (Journal of neurochemistry 2005) · cited 731x in the literature
"Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) are proton-linked membrane carriers involved in the transport of monocarboxylates such as lactate, pyruvate, as well as ketone bodies... MCTs are found in various tissues including the brain where three isoforms, MCT1, MCT2 and MCT4, have been described." (abstract, results)
pubmedfull study (doi) - partial: Sweet sixteen for ANLS. (Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 2012) · cited 703x in the literature
"Moreover, it has become clear that astrocytes act as a syncytium to distribute energy substrates such as lactate to active neurones. Glycogen, the main energy reserve located in astrocytes, is used as a lactate source to sustain glutamatergic neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)
Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.