HoldsUp

Andrew Huberman

Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and podcast host. His published research primarily focuses on the visual system, including retinal ganglion cell injury and regeneration, visual circuits, and therapies for optic neuropathy. Additionally, his work investigates central nervous system regeneration, visually evoked threat responses, and the effects of structured respiration practices on mood and physiology.

120 claims checked on air: 17 context 7 contradicted 16 overstated 66 supported 14 unverified

What they said on air - unverified

1 citing their own research

0:18:50unverifiedlowUsing AI to Increase Your Intelligence & Enrich Humanity | D

A higher percentage of men have pre-diabetes compared to women in the United States.

"Most don't know it, and a higher percentage of men have it than women do." (said at 0:18:50)

While large epidemiological databases like the CDC National Diabetes Statistics Report and NHANES examine prediabetes prevalence by sex in the United States, none of the specific abstracts retrieved during the literature search contained the explicit sex-stratified prevalence rates needed to directly verify the comparison from the fetched text alone. This does not mean the claim is false, but rather that direct verification could not be completed within the retrieved records.

0:59:20unverifiedvery lowUsing AI to Increase Your Intelligence & Enrich Humanity | D

Research published in Nature demonstrated that action potential waveform shapes can vary within the same neuron rather than adhering strictly to an invariant all-or-none rule.

"Like I learned that action potentials are unitary. They always look the same. You either fire or not. But there was a paper not but 12 years ago that showed that the shape of an action potential can vary quite a lot. It was published in Nature." (said at 0:59:20)

Although prominent electrophysiological studies (such as Shu et al., 2006 in Nature) have investigated analog-digital modulation and axonal spike waveform alterations within individual neurons, the full abstract and study details could not be retrieved within the search budget to verify the specific experimental findings and quotes.

1:33:20unverifiedvery lowUsing AI to Increase Your Intelligence & Enrich Humanity | D

Neuroplasticity exists and persists across the human lifespan.

"Plasticity does exist throughout the lifespan." (said at 1:33:20)

Although the concept of lifelong neuroplasticity is widely recognized across neuroscientific literature, the retrieval query limit was reached before abstract records could be fetched and verified against verbatim text. Therefore, the claim remains unverified under the strict verification criteria, which does not imply the claim is false.

1:33:59unverifiedlowTools to Bolster Your Mental Health & Confidence | Dr. Paul

A 2020 study by the Environmental Working Group estimated that more than 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS chemicals through drinking tap water.

"In fact, a 2020 study by the Environmental Working Group estimated that more than 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS chemicals, also known as forever chemicals, through drinking of tap water." (said at 1:33:59)

A matching peer-reviewed study authored by Environmental Working Group researchers (David Q. Andrews & Olga V. Naidenko, 'Population-Wide Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Drinking Water in the United States', published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters in October 2020) estimated that drinking water for more than 200 million Americans is contaminated with PFOA and PFOS at concentrations of 1 ng/L or higher. However, this specific publication record could not be retrieved from the PubMed/MEDLINE database during the search, so the claim is designated as unverified under the database verification protocol (which does not imply the claim is false).

0:49:00unverifiedvery lowBest Ways to Build Better Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Cl

Scientific studies show that reflecting on information after an activity leads to faster learning and longer memory retention.

"there's this interesting, um, shift in the literature in the last couple of years, which clearly shows that anything that we reflect on later, we learn faster and we retain longer." (said at 0:49:00)

No specific scientific publications directly evaluating the claim that post-activity reflection leads to faster learning and longer memory retention were fetched and verified within the search parameters. While related cognitive concepts such as retrieval practice, post-learning consolidation, and reflective practice are widely discussed in cognitive science and education literature, the specific claim remains unverified in this search. This verdict does not prove the claim false, but indicates that specific supporting records were not located or retrieved.

1:37:01unverifiedvery lowBest Ways to Build Better Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Cl

Waking up in the morning, including waking immediately prior to a scheduled alarm, is triggered by a circadian rise in cortisol reaching a specific threshold.

"It's cuz cortisol rose to a certain threshold a minute before your normal alarm clock time, or even if you told yourself the night before, "Got to get up at 7:30," goes off 7:29, like you're clocking it in sleep, believe it or not." (said at 1:37:01)

No eligible publications could be retrieved within the search budget to verify the claim. While research has described circadian variations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and anticipatory adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) surges prior to expected awakening times (e.g., Born et al., 1999), specific evidence demonstrating that spontaneous or pre-alarm awakening is triggered by cortisol reaching a distinct threshold was not retrieved.

2:08:21unverifiedlowBest Ways to Build Better Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Cl

Many individuals clinically classified as obese report in research surveys that they avoid exercising because they perceive taking time to exercise as selfish or self-indulgent.

"Years ago I read something that many [clears throat] people—I don't know if this is true, but this article claimed that many people who are obese, like meet the clinical definition of obese, self-reported that they didn't want to exercise because they felt it made them feel selfish." (said at 2:08:21)

A systematic search of PubMed and Europe PMC failed to identify research surveys or clinical studies demonstrating that individuals clinically classified as obese commonly report avoiding exercise because they view taking time to exercise as 'selfish' or 'self-indulgent'. While qualitative studies examining physical activity barriers among women, mothers, and caregivers occasionally note feelings of guilt or perceived selfishness when taking time for personal wellness/self-care away from family responsibilities, this is not established in published survey research as a primary or characteristic barrier specific to individuals clinically classified as obese. Established barriers to physical activity in populations with obesity typically center on physical discomfort/pain, weight stigma, body self-consciousness, lack of time, and lack of social support.

2:08:38unverifiedlowTransform Pain & Trauma Into Creative Expression | David Cho

Yerba mate improves digestion.

"helping to regulate your blood sugar, improving digestion, mild appetite suppression" (said at 2:08:38)

There is no robust clinical evidence demonstrating that yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) improves digestion, gastrointestinal motility, or digestive efficiency in humans. Clinical trials evaluating its gastrointestinal effects have focused primarily on gastric emptying and satiety in the context of weight management or preoperative fasting. A randomized trial showed that yerba mate infusion has a gastric emptying rate comparable to standard tea, while another trial using a multi-herb formulation containing yerba mate actually delayed gastric emptying to promote fullness. Preclinical research explores potential interactions with the gut microbiota and GLP-1 secretion, but functional improvement of human digestion remains unproven.

0:16:08unverifiedvery lowMaster the Creative Process | Twyla Tharp

PFAS ('forever chemicals') are present in approximately 80% of non-stick cooking pans.

"Surprisingly, toxic compounds such as PFAS or forever chemicals are still found in 80% of non-stick pans, as well as utensils, appliances, and countless other kitchen products." (said at 0:16:08)

No peer-reviewed publications or systematic market analyses were identified that support the specific statistic that 'approximately 80% of non-stick cooking pans contain PFAS'. While traditional non-stick coatings are widely composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, a fluoropolymer classified under broad OECD definitions of PFAS) or have historically used PFAS surfactants during manufacturing, empirical testing for residual or mobile PFAS in consumer cookware shows variable presence depending on coating type (such as PTFE versus ceramic/sol-gel coatings) and testing methodology. The exact figure of 80% remains unverified in scientific literature.

0:55:45unverifiedvery lowMaster the Creative Process | Twyla Tharp

The molecular identities of the motor neurons that control trunk movement in mammals are conserved from the motor neurons that control undulation in fish.

"the molecular identities of the neurons that control the movement of my trunk and your trunk forward and back and side to side are exactly the same as the neurons that control undulation in a fish." (said at 0:55:45)

No published records detailing the comparative molecular identities of medial motor column neurons between mammals and fish were successfully retrieved and verified within the search budget. This does not indicate that the claim is false, but rather that direct verification against PubMed literature could not be completed.

0:56:05unverifiedvery lowMaster the Creative Process | Twyla Tharp

The motor neurons controlling proximal limb movement share molecular identity with the neurons controlling fin movement in fish.

"The neurons that control the movement of the proximal limbs, like the upper arms and the thighs, are molecularly identical to the neurons that exist to control fin movement in fish." (said at 0:56:05)

While research in evolutionary developmental biology explores the conservation and molecular profiling of spinal motor neurons (such as Lateral Motor Column neurons, Hox gene regulation, and Foxp1 expression) across fin- and limb-bearing vertebrates, no specific published abstract confirming or refuting the exact molecular homology between proximal limb motor neurons and fish fin motor neurons was retrieved within the search budget. Therefore, the claim could not be verified directly against the available records.

2:01:05unverifiedvery lowMaster the Creative Process | Twyla Tharp

During aging, neurons controlling distal extremities (fingers and feet) lose strength and function before proximal trunk motor systems do.

"And it seems that the distal—the fingers and the feet—the neurons that control those certainly lose their strength before we lose our trunk strength and so on. So there's this kind of outward to center atrophy." (said at 2:01:05)

No published studies directly evaluating whether motor neurons controlling distal extremities (fingers and feet) lose strength and function before proximal trunk motor systems during healthy aging were retrieved within the search budget. While length-dependent 'dying-back' axonopathy is recognized in peripheral neuropathies and some motor neuron disease models, direct comparative evidence establishing a strict distal-to-proximal sequence of healthy age-related motor neuron loss relative to trunk systems was not located.

1:11:00unverifiedvery lowHow to Speak Clearly & With Confidence | Matt Abrahams

Yerba mate consumption improves digestion.

"and it has a lot of other potential benefits, including helping to regulate your blood sugar, improving digestion, mild appetite suppression, and much more." (said at 1:11:00)

There is no robust clinical evidence demonstrating that yerba mate (*Ilex paraguariensis*) consumption improves digestive function or gastrointestinal motility in humans. Most scientific publications containing 'yerba mate' and 'digestion' examine simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion to assess the breakdown and bioaccessibility of its polyphenolic compounds, rather than physiological digestive improvements in humans. Furthermore, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating yerba mate noted adverse events including gastrointestinal discomfort and mucosal irritation, while a randomized trial assessing gastric emptying found its clearance rate was standard and comparable to regular tea.

0:51:33unverifiedlowHow to Overcome Inner Resistance | Steven Pressfield

A 2020 study by the Environmental Working Group estimated that over 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS chemicals via drinking tap water.

"In fact, a 2020 study by the Environmental Working Group estimated that more than 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS chemicals, also known as forever chemicals, through drinking of tap water." (said at 0:51:33)

No record containing the specific 2020 Environmental Working Group (EWG) study estimating that over 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS in drinking tap water was successfully retrieved and fetched within the search limit. While peer-reviewed studies authored by EWG scientists (e.g., Andrews & Naidenko, 2020 in Environmental Science & Technology Letters) have modeled population-level PFAS exposure from public water systems around this estimate, the record could not be directly verified via the fetched PubMed database entries.

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