How Foods and Nutrients Control Our Moods
from Huberman Lab
by Scicomm Media
Published: Mon Mar 15 2021
Show Notes
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.
Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman
LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab
Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman
Timestamps
Introduction
Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up
Emotions: Aligning Mind & Body
Nutrients, Neurochemicals and Mood
Primitive Expressions and Actions
The Vagus Nerve: Truth, Fiction, Function
“Vagus Stimulation”: A Terrible Concept
Polyvagal Theory
Vagus Senses Many Things, & Moves Our Organs
Sugar Sensing Without Perception of Sweetness
Eating-Induced Anxiety
We Eat Until Our Brain Perceives “Amino Acid Threshold”
Reward Prediction Error: Buildup, Letdown and Wanting More
L-Tyrosine, Dopamine, Motivation, Mood, & Movement
Supplementing L-Tyrosine, Drugs of Abuse, Wellbutrin
Serotonin: Gut, Brain, Satiety and Prozac
Eating to Promote Dopamine (Daytime) & Serotonin (Night Time)
Supplementing Serotonin: Sleep, & Caution About Sleep Disruptions
Examine.com An Amazing Cost-Free Resource with Links to Science Papers
Mucuna Pruriens: The Dopamine Bean with a Serotonin Outer Shell
Emotional Context and Book Recommendation: “How Emotions Are Made”
Exercise: Powerful Mood Enhancer, But Lacks Specificity
Omega-3: Omega-6 Ratios, Fish Oil and Alleviating Depression
Fish Oil as Antidepressant
EPAs May Improve Mood via Heart Rate Variability: Gut-Heart-Brain
Alternatives to Fish Oil to Obtain Sufficient Omega-3/EPAs
L-Carnitine for Mood, Sperm and Ovary Quality, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Migraine
Gut-Microbiome: Myths, Truths & the Tubes Within Us
Probiotics, Brain Fog, Autism, Fermentation
Artificial Sweeteners & the Gut Microbiome: NOT All Bad; It Depends!
Ketogenic, Vegan, & Processed Food Effects, Individual Differences
Fasting-Based Depletion of Our Microbiome
How Mindset Effects Our Responses to Foods: Amazing (Ghrelin) Effects!
How Mindset Controls Our Metabolism
Closing Comments, Thanks, Support & Resources