I sent the podcast to my boys to see if they had time to listen to it and youngest did - then he summarized it for me.
I can see why people give up alcohol given the way the body reacts. We’ve decided we’ll continue not to drink most of the time (and never at home), but if we go somewhere where it’s polite to have a drink we probably won’t make waves. Plus if I want an occasional drink when we travel that doesn’t seem like it will be a problem, but knowing what I know now I’m not so sure I’ll want one if there are other attractive options.
You could check out this podcast of his to see. I just used google to get the gist and don’t think he’s in favor of it based upon things like these, but I could be wrong so if anyone chooses to watch it, I’d be curious about a summary:
In this episode, I discuss cannabis (aka marijuana), including the biological mechanisms underlying its effects on the mind and body, its known medical applications, its impact on libido, creativity, hunger, hormones and more. I also cover the known adverse health consequences of chronic and even acute (one-time) use and the factors that determine if cannabis is helpful or harmful. Additionally, I detail how the various strains of cannabis: sativa, indica and hybrid strains, can produce such divergent effects depending on the strain type, THC-to-CBD ratio, total dosage, and frequency of use. I review why cannabis can impact speech patterns and one’s propensity to develop anxiety/depression during and after use and, in some individuals, paranoia. As the legal landscape for cannabis is rapidly evolving, this episode should interest a wide audience, including former/current cannabis users, those in the medical, sports, law enforcement, and educational communities and, of course, children, teenagers, and parents. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.
I’ve seen Hubmerman’s name and advice popping up more and more in my life in the last year. I’m not going to disagree with any particular thing that Huberman says here. I agree with a lot of the stuff he says. But the listeners I observe on social media and in my real life are enthroning him as some health guru and he is not qualified for that.
Amongst neuroscience professors (I am one), his podcast/advice is NOT well-regarded for a number of reasons. One of which is that he sells some of the supplements he recommends.
I had an academic colleague who has decided to make his career in the C-suite for nutritional pyramid schemes. We had similar training and he is RICH (the rest of us aren’t). He brands himself to appear as a physician at first glance, but he is not (though he has a PhD). It is frustrating to watch him use his education and credentials to swindle people out of their money. Having known him personally/professionally, and knowing the science, I can see behind everything he is doing and it is so unethical.
I’m waiting patiently for some scientists/physicians to write some comprehensive critical pieces on Huberman. I am sure it is coming. He can be considered an expert on vision, as that is what he studies academically. That’s it.
I’m not saying that all his advice is bad, or that people shouldn’t listen to him. Teetotaling obviously won’t hurt you, and probably helps you, so go for it!
But take his advice with a grain of salt, and ask your physician before implementing any of his suggestions that are unconventional and/or have potential for side effects.
My son and I discussed quite a bit of that because he looked at far more than just the one podcast on alcohol and disagreed with a lot of the other nutrition advice he found. Nutrition and healthy living is a passion of his. (This is my “green” son, not my medical son.)
As we said in our discussion, it’s ok to look at what someone says and agree with part of it, but not buy the whole package. Just because someone can be right on something doesn’t mean they’re right about everything. Ditto with wrong. This goes for all humans, not just those with podcasts.
None of my family would ever buy supplements or packaged stuff TBH. All of us are more into natural foods to be healthy - more Blue Zones advice types. Part of our discussion included wanting to look into more of the BZ advice to have Wine at 5. Is it really helpful, or is the correlation with longevity a confounding variable due to something else.
We don’t have answers. It’s just the way our discussion went.
I’m going out to dinner with my wife this weekend. I’ll start with a vodka gimlet, transition to a glass of wine paired with my entrée, then have an espresso martini for dessert. Am I doomed?
Thank you for posting that link. I was wondering how a research prof could find so much time to prepare and record podcasts on a regular basis. In academia, it seems like one needs to constantly look for grant money… and grant writing takes soooo much time! His alcohol podcast was OK… nothing earth shattering, and I did not notice any product pitches. Haven’t looked at his website or any social media presence or listened to anything else he podcasted.
We all make our own choices. If you care about what it’s doing to the insides of your body, listen to the podcast, consider the study evidence, and decide for yourself. It’s what my family does (even if I let my kids listen and summarize for me).
I see no reason to make other’s decisions for them, whether they want a soda and Twinkie, meat platter, or vegetable delight for their dining pleasure (and any dessert or other drinks to go with any of the rest).
Last Friday I went out for a business lunch at a reasonably fancy restaurant and one of the people at my table ordered an “Arnold Palmer.” I asked “What’s an Arnold Palmer?” I’m not a young person, but I haven’t heard of that drink (non-alcoholic in this case) before in my life. Tells you how much I know about drinks, alcoholic or not.
We all do a risk/reward/return analysis here. That’s what life is always about pretty much.
He used to be pretty productive in his research, but he’s mostly abandoned it now. He was reasonably well-funded by the NIH, but no longer has any NIH funding. He had a decent sized lab a few years ago, but now it seems to be just one hard-working postdoc who is doing everything alone :-/ Not good mentoring… but I suppose that’s irrelevant to his work as a podcaster. I don’t know what will happen to his research after that postdoc leaves. His funding ran out in 2020, and I believe he started his podcast Jan 2021. His lab website now only has info about his podcast.
Maybe it’s regional? My (minor) children love Arnold Palmers. It’s become a joke in our family because none of us seem to pronounce it right. Try saying “Arnold Palmer” 3 times fast
The person who ordered the drink asked me “Do you know what a Shirley Temple is?” I said “Of course.” He responded “It’s an adult version of the Shirley Temple.”
I wonder if he’s morphing into Dr Oz, starting with “real” and turning to “how to get rich.”
Nonetheless, I don’t mind considering data presented from anyone. We just cross check it with other studies/thoughts too. Our family is very science/data based - as much as we can be anyway. As you know, theories (hypotheses) only go so far IRL.
We were lucky to score a pack of Athletic Brewing’s Radler. It tased wonderful during our heat spell. Can’t find it anywhere… my husband suggested making our own using Athletic’s light brew - the old fashioned way. I also liked their Light Cooper n/a beer.
Speaking of Lyre’s bubbly, I ordered a six pack from their website because Amazon was out. Well… that did not go well, lol. FedEx dropped the carton, and it was clear that there was something broken inside. I refused to accept the package and told the driver to take it back. After a couple of weeks of no response from the company, I emailed the customer service expecting to hear radio silence. To my surprise, they quickly responded, apologizing for miscommunication, and let me pick a refund or another shipment. I picked the latter! Again, a week or two passed with no action, but then I got a box with 5 bottles inside, all neatly packed. That was delivered by Amazon. one bottle was backordered. It finally arrived this week - a loose champagne bottle in a big cardboard box. No cushion of any kind! Again, delivery was by Amazon, and the bottle was intact! Bottom line: great n/a bubbly, decent customer service, but iffy shipping!
I’m glad to have some options for refreshing adult summer drinks with less than 0.5% ethanol content.
Oh we’re big fans of the Rural Juror! When driving by the Drury Inn, we wonder if rural jurors ever stay at the Drury for cases involving urban fervor. And then they’re written about on Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog, lobbing law bombs.
I don’t want to sound preachy, but I’m not sure if you’re reading the thread about Dr. Peter Attia’s book “Longevity.” Your lifespan/healthspan is not only about your health today, but also about 10-20-30 years from now as well. Disease doesn’t always happen “overnight,” it’s often a slow, decade(s) long process.
I also liked their Light Cooper n/a beer.