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How dietary fats and cannabinoids shape brain function and mental well-being.

Episode Summary: Dr. Steven Laviolette discusses the role of lipids, particularly endocannabinoids and fatty acids, in brain signaling and mental health, discussing how dietary omega-3 and omega-6 imbalances, prenatal THC exposure, and fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) impact mood, anxiety, and neuroinflammation, while highlighting potential dietary interventions to mitigate these effects.

About the guest: Steven Laviolette, PhD is a professor at the University of Western Ontario, holding a PhD, and his lab focuses on the brain’s cannabinoid system and its role in mental health. He investigates how cannabinoids and fatty acids influence brain development and disorders like anxiety and schizophrenia.

Discussion Points:

• The brain uses fats like endocannabinoids (e.g., anandamide, 2-AG) not just for structure but as signaling molecules to regulate emotional and cognitive processing.
• Prenatal THC exposure in rodents skews the omega-3/omega-6 balance toward pro-inflammatory omega-6, leading to cognitive and mood issues in offspring, but omega-3 supplementation can mitigate these effects.
• Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), especially FABP5, shuttle endocannabinoids like anandamide to degradation sites, and inhibiting FABP5 increases anandamide levels, reducing anxiety and depression without addictive side effects.
• FABP5 inhibitors show promise as safer alternatives to benzodiazepines.
• Both THC and CBD can induce problems during early development, challenging the notion that CBD is universally safe, especially during pregnancy.
• Dietary interventions, like omega-3 supplementation or antioxidants (e.g., L-theanine, N-acetylcysteine), may counteract the negative psychiatric effects of cannabinoid exposure, particularly during adolescence.
• The North American diet, high in omega-6, contributes to neuroinflammation and mental health issues, underscoring the need for nutritional neuroscience to address these imbalances.

Related episode:

• M&M 165: PUFAs in Brain Health & Disease, Dietary Fats, Brain Lipids, Nutrition | Richard Bazinet

*Not medical advice.

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