In this episode, Dr. Michael Crawford discusses the essential role of the essential fatty acids DHA and ARA in the evolution and health of the human brain. Dr. Crawford is visiting professor at Imperial College in London, and has been Director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition since 1990. For his pioneering discovery of the role of DHA in the brain in 1971, and its importance in prenatal nutrition, Michael was elected by his peers to the Hall of Fame at the Royal Society of Medicine in 2010. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 4 books, most recently "The Shrinking Brain", which documents the evolutionary evidence for the role of the marine food web in human evolution, and the societal threats posed to brain health and intelligence posed by recent changes to the food supply and the human diet.
Dr. Crawford highlights the essential functions of DHA and ARA in cell regulation, immune response, and vision, and their importance in brain growth and construction. He emphasizes the significance of the marine food web in providing an abundance of DHA and the role of the combination of marine and land food webs in human brain growth. Dr. Crawford challenges the dominant theory of that humans brains size increased as a result of hunting in African savannahs, and presents evidence that access to marine foods at the shoreline drove human brain development.
Dr. Crawford discusses discuss the subsequent decline in brain size since the advent of agriculture, and particularly with modern diets. He emphasizes the importance of maternal and prenatal nutrition, and the ongoing need for DHA and arachidonic acid in brain development. The discussion ends with the prospects for developing marine agriculture to ensure good mental health of future generations.
References
Book: Crawford and Marsh The Shrinking Brain and the Global Mental Health Crisis, 2023
Publications: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/michael.crawford
Here is a guide to topics discussed in this podcast episode:
Time Topic
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:44 The Role of DHA and ARA in the Evolution of the Brain
06:12 DHA in Early Single Cellular Organisms
07:45 The Universality of DHA in Animal Eyes and Brains
09:12 The Universality of DHA and ARA in Mammalian Brains
11:24 The Decrease of Brain to Body Size Ratio Across Species
18:16 How Access to Seafood Explains the Larger Brains of Humans
21:45. Rebuttal of the Savannah Hunting Theory of Human Evolution
26:10 The Extinction of Megafauna and Human Brain Growth
27:47 The Decrease in Human Brain Size Since Agriculture
29:47 The Importance of Iodine and Marine Minerals and Vitamins
33:36 Evolutionary Mismatch and Epigenetic Impact of Modern Diets
38:35 The Importance of Maternal and Prenatal Nutrition
41:25 Nutritional Requirements for Brain Development into Adulthood
46:50 Benefits of Mussels, Oysters and Fish for Brain Health
47:56 Farmed Fish vs. Wild Caught Fish
49:18 The Potential of Marine Agriculture to Ensure Global Mental Health
55:19 Michael Crawford's Current Research
Essential Fatty Acids and Brain Health