HoldsUp

Huberman Lab · 2026-07-06 · Andrew Huberman (host), Cesar Millan

Raising a Dog & Mastering Calm Assertive Energy | Cesar Millan

17 research-tied claims examined: 5 unverified 5 supported 3 needs context 3 contradicted 1 overstated

3 Contradicted by research
1:16:00Andrew Huberman (host)contradictedmoderate

In macaque monkeys, bearing teeth signals aggression rather than friendliness.

"For a macaque monkey, bearing teeth is aggression." (said at 1:16:00)

In primatology, the silent bared-teeth (SBT) display or 'grimace' in macaque monkeys communicates submission, subordination, or affiliation/appeasement, rather than aggression. Aggressive facial expressions in macaques typically involve open-mouth threats or staring, while baring the teeth retracts the lips in a non-aggressive appeasement or fear display that signals harmlessness or yields dominance.

1:22:25Andrew Huberman (host)contradictedmoderate

Nattokinase supplementation can naturally help reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

"As a result, I decided to start supplementing with nattokinase, which can naturally help reduce LDL cholesterol, and it did." (said at 1:22:25)

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) found that nattokinase supplementation alone does not reduce LDL cholesterol; lower doses were associated with a slight increase in LDL-C (MD = 6.49 mg/dL, 95% CI: 0.83 to 12.15), and higher doses showed no significant difference compared to control interventions. Furthermore, clinical trials demonstrating LDL-C reduction have used combination formulas with red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus, which contains natural statin-like monacolins), whereas nattokinase monotherapy showed no significant effect on LDL cholesterol compared to placebo.

1:59:43Andrew Huberman (host)contradictedlow

During the first 20 to 30 seconds of deliberate cold exposure, prefrontal cortex activity and top-down impulse inhibition are greatly diminished.

"in the first 20 or 30 seconds of deliberate cold exposure, the prefrontal cortex, which controls all the top-down inhibition of impulse, is it's not shut off, but it is greatly diminished." (said at 1:59:43)

The host claims that prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity and top-down impulse inhibition are 'greatly diminished' during the first 20 to 30 seconds of deliberate cold exposure. Direct neuroimaging (fMRI) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies during acute cold stress/cold water immersion show the opposite: acute cold exposure elicits significant increases in PFC oxygenation and activation (greater hemodynamic response and signal change) to maintain behavioral and cognitive control during the stressor, rather than a reduction or suppression of PFC activity.

1 Overstated
2:01:37Andrew Huberman (host)overstatedlow

Deliberate cold exposure causes a sustained increase in dopamine levels in both the brain and the body that lasts for hours.

"You know, I've thought a lot about deliberate cold exposure, adrenaline, norepinephrine. You get this long arc of dopamine that lasts hours and hours and hours afterwards. And then that my critics will say, "Well, it's just dopamine in the body, not in the brain." Actually, new findings show it's dopamine in your brain and body." (said at 2:01:37)

A classic study (Šrámek et al., 2000) demonstrated that 1 hour of cold water immersion (14°C) increased peripheral plasma dopamine concentrations by 250% and noradrenaline by 530% in young men. However, peripheral dopamine does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, and there is no direct human neuroimaging or biochemical evidence demonstrating a sustained elevation of dopamine in the human brain lasting for hours following cold exposure. Extending peripheral plasma catecholamine surges to central brain dopamine levels is an overstatement.

3 Needs context
0:32:08Cesar Millanneeds contextlow

Puppies are born with functional olfaction, open their eyes around 15 days after birth, and open their ear canals around 21 days after birth.

"So, when a dog is born, he borns with the nose open. 15 days later, they open the eyes. 21 days later, they open the the ears. This is scientifically, right? This is in all the encyclopedias." (said at 0:32:08)

Standard veterinary and canine developmental literature recognizes puppies as altricial neonates born with functional olfactory, tactile, and thermal senses, but with closed eyelids and sealed external ear canals. Eyelids generally open between 10 and 14 days of age (roughly 2 weeks), and the external auditory canals typically open between 14 and 20 days of age (around 2 to 3 weeks). While the speaker's stated timeline (functional olfaction at birth, eye opening around day 15, and ear canal opening around day 21) broadly captures the sequential order and general timing of canine sensory ontogeny, the specific milestones represent typical ranges (10–14 days for eyes, 14–20 days for ears) rather than fixed days.

0:45:50Andrew Huberman (host)needs contextmoderate

Core body temperature must drop by about 1 to 3 degrees to fall asleep and stay deeply asleep, and increase by 1 to 3 degrees upon waking.

"And that's because in order to fall asleep and stay deeply asleep, your body temperature actually has to drop by about 1 to 3 degrees. And in order to wake up feeling refreshed and energized, your body temperature actually has to increase by about 1 to 3 degrees." (said at 0:45:50)

The core physiological claim is accurate: circadian regulation of sleep and wakefulness is intimately coupled to core body temperature (CBT). Core body temperature declines prior to sleep onset and during the sleep period (facilitated by distal vasodilation and heat dissipation), reaching a minimum (nadir) during late sleep before rising in the morning to promote wakefulness. However, context is required regarding the magnitude: the entire 24-hour peak-to-trough circadian amplitude of human core body temperature is typically only ~0.5°C to 1.0°C (about 1°F to 2°F). A drop of 1°C to 3°C (if interpreted as Celsius) would represent mild hypothermia rather than normal physiology, though a 1°F to 3°F fluctuation approximates the normal physiological range across the 24-hour cycle.

1:59:37Andrew Huberman (host)needs contextmoderate

Deliberate cold plunge immersion immediately and reliably causes the release of adrenaline.

"cold plunge immediately, reliably releases adrenaline, which then wakes up the brain as well." (said at 1:59:37)

Cold water immersion triggers an immediate and pronounced activation of the sympathetic nervous system, but the reliable and dominant catecholamine released into the bloodstream is norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which regularly increases by several hundred percent (e.g., over 500% at 14 °C). In contrast, plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) does not increase reliably in all individuals or protocols; studies demonstrate that circulating adrenaline levels frequently remain unchanged or show variable, modest responses compared to the robust surge in norepinephrine.

5 Supported by research
0:17:15Andrew Huberman (host)supportedhigh

Sodium, magnesium, and potassium electrolytes are vital for the functioning of all body cells, particularly neurons.

"The electrolytes, sodium, magnesium, and potassium, are vital for the functioning of all cells in your body, especially your neurons or your nerve cells." (said at 0:17:15)

The claim accurately describes fundamental, universally established principles of cellular and neurobiology. Sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) gradients, maintained across cellular membranes by the Na+/K+-ATPase pump, establish the resting membrane potential present in all living cells and are essential for generating and propagating action potentials in excitable cells such as neurons. Magnesium (Mg2+) is a vital cofactor for hundreds of cellular enzymatic processes (including ATP-dependent reactions and the Na+/K+-ATPase itself) and plays a key neurophysiological role by acting as a voltage-dependent blocker of neuronal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors to regulate synaptic transmission and neuroplasticity.

0:18:15Andrew Huberman (host)supportedmoderate

Red light, near-infrared, and infrared light improve muscle recovery, skin health, wound healing, acne, pain, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and vision.

"red light, near infrared, and infrared light have been specifically shown to have positive effects on improving numerous aspects of cellular and organ health. These include faster muscle recovery, improved skin health, wound healing, improvements in acne, reduced pain and inflammation, improved mitochondrial function, and even improvements in vision." (said at 0:18:15)

Photobiomodulation (PBM) using red and near-infrared light has a substantial body of preclinical and clinical literature demonstrating biological activity and clinical efficacy across the specified domains. Mechanistically, red and near-infrared wavelengths are absorbed by mitochondrial chromophores (such as cytochrome c oxidase), increasing ATP production and cellular bioenergetics while modulating reactive oxygen species and inflammatory signaling. Clinically, systematic reviews and consensus guidelines support the use of PBM for wound healing, pain reduction, skin conditions, musculoskeletal recovery, and retinal/visual function, although optimal dosing parameters vary by tissue and indication.

0:39:28Andrew Huberman (host)supportedhigh

Forebrain projections provide top-down inhibition to subcortical brain regions to control and suppress impulsive actions.

"I will just mention there's a inhibition from the forebrain down to the brain regions that control impulses. And this is what we call top-down inhibition, which is nerd neuroscience speak for what you're describing practically." (said at 0:39:28)

The speaker's statement accurately describes a foundational neurobiological mechanism: prefrontal forebrain regions exert top-down inhibitory and cognitive control over subcortical and limbic structures (such as the striatum and amygdala) to suppress impulses and mediate response inhibition.

1:00:57Cesar Millansupportedmoderate

Dogs can smell stress in humans, which alters body chemistry and sweat production.

"Yeah. Feel stress, it smells. But remember, it's the feeling of the energy that you have inside, your electricity, right? You're not functioning normal, then that same energy is going to create a chemistry. Right? Then you're going to sweat, and I mean, it's just going to go into the nose, eyes, ears." (said at 1:00:57)

Experimental research confirms that dogs can detect human psychological stress via olfaction. Acute psychological stress alters human body chemistry, producing distinct volatile organic compounds (VOCs) excreted in sweat and breath. In controlled discrimination trials, trained dogs successfully distinguished between baseline and stress sweat/breath samples with high accuracy (>90%).

1:16:07Andrew Huberman (host)supportedhigh

Lip-smacking is an affiliative social behavior in monkeys.

"And she said, "Oh, no, if you if you want to do an affiliative behavior with with a monkey, you lip smack."" (said at 1:16:07)

Extensive primatological and neuroethological research confirms that lip-smacking is a standard affiliative social facial display in non-human primates, particularly macaques and other monkeys, used in peaceful social bonding, maternal-infant interaction, and positive social communication.

5 No source found (not proven false)
0:17:00Andrew Huberman (host)unverifiedvery low

Even a slight degree of dehydration can diminish cognitive and physical performance.

"Proper hydration is critical for brain and body function. Even a slight degree of dehydration can diminish your cognitive and physical performance." (said at 0:17:00)

Verification did not converge within the tool budget.

0:45:24Andrew Huberman (host)unverifiedvery low

Omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 support cardiovascular health, cellular health and energy, and brain health.

"Omega-3 and coenzyme Q10 are known to support cardiovascular health, cellular health and energy generally, brain health, and much more." (said at 0:45:24)

Verification did not converge within the tool budget.

1:01:22Cesar Millanunverifiedvery low

Dogs can sense an earthquake well before ground trembling occurs.

"When an earthquake is about to come, they sense it way before it trembles." (said at 1:01:22)

Due to technical search unavailability during verification, no scholarly records could be fetched to substantiate the claim directly. Scientifically, while anecdotal accounts suggest dogs and other animals exhibit unusual behavior prior to earthquakes, rigorous reviews (such as systematic reviews of animal earthquake precursors) find little reliable empirical evidence that animals can predict earthquakes 'way before' ground trembling, outside of potentially sensing primary seismic waves (P-waves) seconds before the slower, more destructive secondary waves (S-waves) arrive.

2:02:45Andrew Huberman (host)unverifiedvery low

It is illegal not to neuter a dog in Australia, whereas in Scandinavia it is illegal to neuter a dog.

"I learned that in Australia it's illegal to not neuter your dog. In Scandinavia, it's illegal to neuter your dog." (said at 2:02:45)

Due to repeated technical rate limits (HTTP 429) encountered while querying the scholarly database, no relevant academic records or legislative reviews could be retrieved to evaluate the legal requirements for canine gonadectomy/desexing across Australian jurisdictions and Scandinavian countries. Therefore, the claim cannot be verified against fetched academic literature.

2:04:45Cesar Millanunverifiedvery low

Millions of dogs die each year in the United States because of an overpopulation problem.

"Plus, we have an overpopulation. You know, millions of dogs die every year because there's an overpopulation problem, and that's taxpayer money who pays for the killing of dogs." (said at 2:04:45)

Due to technical search index query limits during verification, no published academic records could be retrieved to verify current US annual canine shelter euthanasia statistics against historical figures. Historically, shelter euthanasia estimates in the US were in the millions, but modern tracking (such as Shelter Animals Count and ASPCA estimates) suggests national shelter dog euthanasia has declined significantly to several hundred thousand per year. However, without accessible scholarly records fetched during this review, this claim remains unverified under verification standards.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false.