August 27, 2025 • 26 mins
Lithium: Not Just for Moods, but for Memories. A new Nature study links low lithium levels in the brain—not the blood—to early Alzheimer’s, with mouse data showing memory nearly restored when lithium was reintroduced. In this episode of Blasphemous Nutrition, I unpack the science, the hype, and the hazards: from plaques that “kidnap” lithium, why supplements aren’t the go-to, to the foods and waters where this quiet mineral naturally shows up. Eat your veggies, savor your seafood, and pour that mineral water—because lithium might be your brain’s unsuspecting guardian.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
From phone batteries to brainbatteries.
This trace mineral is thehottest talk in town.
On August 6th.
The publication Nature dropped abombshell of a study.
Low levels of lithium in thebrain, not the blood, are linked
to early Alzheimer's disease andtopping it back up with the
(00:23):
right form of lithium reverseddamage in mice.
Uh, yeah, that is worthunpacking.
So let's do it.
Hey Rebels.
Welcome to BlasphemousNutrition.
Consider this podcast yourpantry full of clarity,
perspective, and the nuanceneeded to counter the
(00:44):
superficial health advice sofreely given on the internet.
I am Amy, the unapologeticallycandid host of Blasphemous
Nutrition and a double degreednutritionist with 20 years
experience.
I'm here to share a more nuancedtape.
On living and eating well tosustain and recover your health.
If you found most health adviceto be so generic is to be
(01:05):
meaningless or so extreme thatit's unrealistic.
And you don't mind theoccasional F-bomb, you've come
to the right place.
From dissecting the latestnutrition trends to breaking
down published research andsharing my own clinical
experiences, I'm on a mission tofoster clarity amidst all the
confusion and empower you tohave the health you need to live
(01:28):
a life you love.
Now, let's get started.
Welcome back to BlasphemousNutrition.
I'm your host, Amy, and ifyou've been reading the latest
research on brain health, youmight be ready to smoke your
phone battery for brain gains,but hold on just a second.
(01:52):
Let's talk about some betteralternatives.
Every few months a headlinestorms across your feed
screaming.
Studies show X preventsAlzheimer's, and most recently,
X is lithium.
Now, before you toss lithiumsupplements into your Amazon
cart or break, open your phonebattery and use it as a salt
(02:13):
lick.
Let's slow down and dig into thescience and see what we can take
from it.
Okay.
Now, lithium is a trace mineralin our food and our water.
Most of the world's sources oflithium are from briny waters or
hard rock deposits in variousareas of the world.
It is the major component inthose lithium ion batteries that
(02:36):
we use in our phones, And it hasactually had a longstanding
existing role in the treatmentof some brain disorders.
Now, if the latest research iscorrect, it may be a missing
piece in protecting our brain aswe age.
For your reference, this studyis called Lithium Deficiency and
(02:57):
the onset of Alzheimer'sDisease, and it was published by
the research publication Nature.
And in this study, researcherswere looking at the role of
metals in brain health.
They began by studying the levelof several different metals in
the brains of deceased elderswho had enrolled in the ROSMAP
study.
Then I'll talk about that in amoment, as well as brain matter
(03:21):
from existing brain banks.
Samples included those who haddied with no cognitive
impairment, as well as those whodied with mild memory loss.
Also known as MCI, mildcognitive impairment or
Alzheimer's disease.
They discovered a single metalthat was significantly reduced
(03:42):
in the prefrontal cortex, onlyin those individuals with MCI or
Alzheimer's disease.
However, there was no differencein blood concentrations between
all of these groups, indicatingthat this is an association that
we will not be able to detectthrough blood testing in living
(04:03):
individuals.
Now, the ROSMAP is alongitudinal clinical,
pathological study of aging,cognitive decline, and
Alzheimer's disease.
So effectively they're assessingcognitive health over a very
long period of time.
Study participants have agreedto comprehensive clinical and
(04:24):
neuropsychological evaluationseach year, and then they donate
their brain to science upondeath.
They've used 21 cognitivefunctional tests.
And 11 tests that were used toinform clinical diagnoses.
So the researchers for thisnature study had access to the
(04:45):
cognitive function tests, andthis is super important.
In, taking a look at the datafrom the ROSMAP map study, they
found that lower brain lithiumlevels were correlated with
reduced cognitive test scores inepisodic memory, as well as
reduced long-term generalknowledge.
(05:07):
For individuals who hadAlzheimer's disease.
Low lithium levels wereassociated with reduced testing
scores in global cognitivefunction as well as episodic
memory.
So basically when lithium wentmissing, memory followed making
this micro mineral appear to bea key player in cognitive
(05:28):
health.
Now, the researchers alsodiscovered that the amyloid
plaque in the brain in those whohave Alzheimer's had effectively
trapped lithium as there werehigher concentrations of lithium
within the amyloid plaque, but adeficit in non plaque brain
(05:49):
tissue.
So.
This discovery took them tomice.
Using mice that are bred to havean outrageously high risk of
Alzheimer's disease.
They found that the mice alsohad a three to four fold higher
concentration of lithium withinamyloid plaque compared to their
non plaque brain tissue.
(06:11):
Then they compared thoseAlzheimer's prone mice to wild
mice and the non plaque brainmatter tissue of an.
Alzheimer's type mouse had farlower concentrations of lithium
compared to wild cousins of thesame age.
So from all of this information,the researchers have
(06:33):
hypothesized that amyloid plaqueeffectively traps lithium,
leaving low concentrationselsewhere in the brain.
Now as any thorough researchteam will do, this team then did
a study putting mice on alithium deficient diet.
They found that lithiumdeficient diets accelerated
(06:56):
Depositing of amyloid plaque andtau proteins in Alzheimer's mice
and increased amyloid levels inaging wild mice as well.
The Alzheimer's disease bredmice also performed more poorly
in learning and long-term memorytesting, but even the Wild M.
(07:18):
Showed signs of reduced memoryretention when they were fed a
low lithium diet.
So the research team concludedthat lithium protects against
memory loss in mice prone toAlzheimer's disease, as well as
during the normal aging process.
In wild type mice.
(07:40):
So then they went even furtherand they looked at how genes
were impacted by lithiumdeficiency.
And that part of the researchgets super technical.
So I'm not gonna get into ithere, but you can go take a look
at the research yourself ifyou'd like.
I've included the link to thatin my substack.
Which is in the show notes andcheck out all the details, but
(08:02):
suffice it to say both generegulation and transcription
were negatively impact by a lackof lithium.
So all of this data led theseresearchers to consider if
repleting.
The body with lithium wouldimpact amyloid plaque and tau in
the brains of mice.
(08:24):
So in the mice that have apredisposition to Alzheimer's
disease, lithium orotate wasgiven.
And it almost completelyprevented amyloid plaque
deposition and accumulation oftau protein formation in younger
mice.
But here's the thing thatfucking blows my mind.
(08:46):
Supplementing with lithium oratealso reduced amyloid plaque by
about 70.
Percent in older mice withAlzheimer's disease who had
existing significant plaquedeposits, and these mice almost
completely reversed their memoryloss.
(09:11):
This is pretty fuckingremarkable.
I had to read and reread thatstatement in the paper to make
sure that I was interpretingtheir claims accurately, because
it literally blew my mind.
And then because I, you know,technical lingo and research
papers can be really difficultto parse out, so I was still
(09:35):
questioning if what I wasreading.
Was actually what I was reading.
So I copy and pasted theoriginal paragraph from the
research paper into chat GPT andsaid, Hey, translate this into
layman's terms, you know,without any kind of opinion.
Right.
On what I thought it might mean.
(09:55):
I just said, Hey.
Translate this into layman'sterms so I could see if it
confirmed my interpretation andit did.
So this is one hell of anobservation from the research
team and from my armchairacademic standpoint.
The work that this research teamhas done is incredibly thorough
(10:17):
and well done.
I think it's a gorgeous exampleof what quality research looks
like, and I haven't seensomething this nice in quite
some time, so that's just kindof amped up my excitement even
more so.
We have all of this stuff fromthe mice, right?
(10:37):
But in assessing this data, theresearch team went back to their
human brain tissue samples tosee what memory testing revealed
when they were looking atlithium levels in human brain
tissue.
And in looking at the humandata, they did observe that
higher lithium levels Theprefrontal cortex of the human
(10:58):
brain is associated with bettertesting scores on working memory
and performance in thoseindividuals who had provided
their tissue samples upon deathafter they had cognitive testing
done in life.
In the discussion section of theresearch paper, the team also
(11:21):
noted that there has beenresearch done in Denmark showing
a correlation between lithium indrinking water and reduced
dementia, which strengthens theobservations that they're
seeing.
In human brain tissue.
So from these mouse brains thatbounce back to human brains with
higher lithium concentrationsholding stronger memory to
(11:44):
entire populations in Denmark,sipping lithium laced water and
having less dementia, all ofthis starts to look less like
coincidence and more like a cluewe cannot afford to ignore.
So after going through thispaper, I.
Seriously considered throwingsome lithium orate into my full
(12:06):
script cart for a hot minute.
So if you have already opened upyour web browser to do the same,
I'm gonna have you pause forjust a moment.
Lithium Orate shows remarkableresults in mice.
However, this form of lithiumhas not yet been tested in human
trials for this condition or theprevention of it.
(12:30):
Additionally, you know, we'relooking at mice who are not
human, and we're also looking attissue from dead people, which.
None of us are.
Additionally, lithium itself isnot like vitamin C.
You can't just take itwilly-nilly and not worry about
negative impacts.
For those who do takeprescription lithium for bipolar
(12:53):
disorder or schizophrenia, closemedical monitoring is needed
because it can cause thyroid andkidney damage.
It's generally not recommendedfor anybody who has existing
issues with either of thoseorgans.
Lithium is no rookie to thebrain health world.
It's actually Psychiatry's OGmood stabilizer, and has been
(13:16):
used for decades with somesuccess depending on the
individual at prescriptiondoses.
Lithium in carbonate form saveslives in those who have bipolar
disorder, and sometimes helpswith depression, schizophrenia,
and even cluster headaches.
(13:37):
It's also a bit of an anti-agingrockstar.
Studies suggest lithium islinked to longer telomeres,
boosted BDNF, which is likebrain fertilizer as well as.
Greater mitochondrial function.
So Nirvana was not kidding whenthey named a track after it.
Lithium has been shaping brainsand moods for decades, even if
(14:02):
it didn't seem to work for KirkCobain.
Mood disorders aside,, a 20 yearlongitudinal study out of
Finland on individuals takinglithium for a mood or psychotic
disorder for a minimum of threeyears showed no evidence of
dementia protection.
Since they're prescribed alithium of a different form,
(14:25):
that could be the reason.
However, there are other studiesthat show this form of lithium.
Lithium carbonate may in fact beprotective, but we have this
confounding variable of existingbipolar disorder, which itself
independently increases dementiarisk.
Studies in the generalpopulation are way more lacking
(14:47):
with regards to lithium andmemory and in not as promising
with what is out there.
Most of the clinical studies onlithium are using lithium
carbonate at prescription leveldoses, not the low dose over the
counter lithium orate.
That is found in supplements.
(15:07):
So we have no human clinicaltrials showing lithium orate as
being an effective treatment orpreventative for cognitive
decline.
We've only just discovered thatit's protective in mice in one
study, this is why we can't justload up the cart with
supplements and think that weare going to be spared from
(15:27):
dementia.
So despite what appears to beoverwhelming promise and high
temptation, I'm refraining fromsupplementation at this time.
And honestly the, like, thereason why I am even considering
supplementation is because I dohave a family history of
Alzheimer's disease.
(15:49):
And so this topic in particularis of a high interest, let's
just say that.
Um, after being.
Removed, but on the sidelines ofwatching a family member pass
from Alzheimer's, like wecollectively agree, the rest of
us on that side of the family,that none of us, none of us ever
(16:11):
wanna live through that andsuffer from dementia.
It's just absolutely horrific.
And seeing this study does haveme really, really excited
because this is.
Some of the most excitingresearch that I've seen in the
field of Alzheimer's since DaleBredesen came out with his work
(16:34):
about 10 years ago, but it isn'tthe lack of existing evidence on
lithium, that is the primaryreason why I am refraining from
supplementation.
Here's the primary reason.
Lithium, like most otherminerals competes for absorption
in the body.
(16:54):
Specifically, it sharesreceptors and therefore competes
with sodium, potassium,magnesium, and calcium.
So adding in some lithium candisrupt the ability to utilize
these minerals from your diet orsupplements.
If you're a savvy listener, youmay recognize that these
(17:15):
minerals are electrolytes andelectrolytes play a crucial role
in heart health, blood pressure,and are pretty essential for
athletes as well.
So there's many potentialsituations where lithium could
be problematic outside of kidneyor thyroid disease.
It could wreak havoc for anathlete training during the
(17:37):
summer.
It could be extremelyproblematic for somebody who has
high blood pressure and aretaking diuretics or are on a low
salt diet, or even for someonewho is not already getting
enough potassium or calcium fromtheir existing diet, which is a
hell of a lot of people.
Lithium toxicity has beenobserved in those taking
(18:00):
prescription lithium, which iswhy their blood levels are
closely monitored.
Symptoms of toxicity includediarrhea, nausea, stomach pain,
neurological issues such astremors and difficulty walking,
confusion, and in very severecases it can cause seizures or
coma, even low dose lithiumorate marketed.
(18:25):
As natural and safe has a hugeevidence gap.
The orate form has not beenstudied in large human clinical
trials, and unlike theprescription form lithium
carbonate, it isn't monitoredregularly with blood tests.
I'm not in a position where Ican strong arm my doctor into
(18:46):
getting regular blood testingfor a supplement I'm taking, and
you probably aren't either.
So I'm definitely holding backfor now.
Okay.
This caveat out of the way theevidence presented by this study
is compelling enough that I amgoing to be seeking out edible
sources that tend to be higherin lithium.
(19:09):
Because lithium levels in foodare so dependent upon the
regional levels of lithium inthe soil or water where they're
cultivated or harvested.
We don't have reliable sourcingfrom the grocery store, but it
does appear that there are somefoods that contain higher
amounts of lithium than others.
(19:29):
Mineral water can also be a highquality source, and it will also
have additional minerals likemagnesium and calcium that
provide the balance that.
Supplementing with lithium alonewill never accomplish.
So this is my reminder to drinkmore.
Garl Steiner of note, GarlSteiner is a German mineral
(19:52):
water and there are geothermaland rock deposits of lithium in
Germany.
So that's what I'm gonna go towhenever I see it in the grocery
store.
I'm gonna grab a bottle, bringit home.
You may be able to test lithiumlevels in your water supply at
home, and you'll have a higher,likelihood of finding positive
(20:15):
results if you live in areaswhere there's granite, uh,
history of volcanic activity, orif you're near any kind of
geothermal hot spring.
Additionally, seafood can be areally good source of lithium,
especially from small filterfeeding fish.
Canned sardines and anchovieshave been tested to have higher
(20:35):
concentrations of lithium,especially in the gills and the
organs.
So canned small whole fish aredefinitely to be included in a
brain protective menu.
It's not just the omega threesthat offer brain preservation.
Most lithium from our foodsupply is going to come from
(20:56):
cereal, grains, nuts andvegetables, especially potatoes,
tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage.
Because most interest in lithiumhas come from a place of
toxicity and not nutrition, andit is not yet even acknowledged
as an essential micronutrientspecific data on food sources of
(21:18):
lithium and concentrations oflithium in food sources has been
really, really difficult for meto find.
Suffice it to say.
What I have found indicatesthat.
All of this is all the morereason to keep your vegetables
and sardine intakes high andconsistent.
(21:39):
And maybe we need to stop beingso afraid of some of those
starchy carbs.
Tuck into some quinoa porridgeor oats this winter.
Or if your health does notpermit something like that, be
sure to have a nice cabbagetomato stew.
Or enjoy a Scandinavian snack ofsardines on whole meal rye if
(22:00):
possible, for the sake of yourbrain.
Unlike supplementation, food andwater sources are smaller in
dose and they usually containthose other competing minerals
that can help preventimbalances.
The great thing about food andmineral water as well is that
there's no known toxicity withdaily ingestion, and so that's
(22:23):
why I'm gonna go to food first.
Okay.
The big takeaway here is thatlithium is this quiet background
mineral that we have totallyoverlooked until now, because
the wellness world is too busypushing mushroom coffee and keto
diets for brain health, andpharmaceutical companies are not
gonna be making billions off oftrace minerals, so they have no
(22:45):
interest in this.
But in the brain, this.
Quiet Trace Mineral may bepulling guard duty, protecting
our memory, stabilizingneurocircuitry, and holding the
line against decline.
The research is still unfolding,but the story is clear.
Sometimes the strongest shieldsfor your brain matter come from
(23:08):
the least expected places.
All of this is a reallypromising piece in the dementia
puzzle, and I, for one, am goingto be on the lookout for more
research on this mighty mineral.
But the bottom line for today,folks, eat your damn vegetables,
savor your seafood, and grabsome whole grains.
You'll get some lithium and athousand other brains supporting
(23:31):
nutrients to preserve yourcognitive health.
Drink some mineral water aswell, harvested from mountainous
or volcanic regions.
When you are going out lookingfor mineral water specifically,
look for the source.
And seek out mineral waters frommountains, from springs, from
(23:52):
volcanic regions of the worldlike Iceland.
And these are more likely tocontain some lithium in them,
even though nobody's testing forthat at this point in time.
The other thing, don't go roguewith supplements without any
kind of medical oversight.
Lithium is not vitamin C.
(24:14):
It is dangerous at high doses,and if you don't know what your
existing lithium levels are,supplementing could be super
problematic.
Remember, in the study,researchers found that blood
levels of lithium.
We're equal regardless ofwhether or not someone had
cognitive decline.
(24:35):
It is lithium deficiency in thebrain.
That is the issue, and we don'thave a way that I know of to
test for that.
So supplementing willy-nilly nota very good idea.
At this time.
We need to wait for moreresearch to come out.
Choose Food first, and folks,stay curious if the science
(24:56):
holds the trace Minerals in yourtap water may help guard your
brain better than half of theoverpriced tonics touted on
Instagram.
That's it for today.
Stay salty, stay curious, andI'll see you next time.
Any and all information sharedhere is for educational and
(25:19):
entertainment purposes only, andis not to be misconstrued as
offering medical advice.
Listening to this podcast doesnot constitute a provider client
relationship.
Note, I'm not a doctor nor anurse, and it is imperative that
you utilize your brain and yourmedical team to make the best
decisions for your own health.
(25:39):
The use of information on thispodcast or materials linked to
this podcast.
Are at the user's own risk.
No information nor resourcesprovided are intended to be a
substitute for professionalmedical advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
Be a smart human and do notdisregard or postpone obtaining
medical advice for any medicalcondition you may have.
(26:00):
Seek the assistance of yourhealthcare team for any such
conditions and always do sobefore making any changes to
your medical, nutrition orhealth plan.
From phone batteries to brainbatteries.
This trace mineral is thehottest talk in town.
On August 6th.
The publication Nature dropped abombshell of a study.
Low levels of lithium in thebrain, not the blood, are linked
to early Alzheimer's disease andtopping it back up with the
(00:23):
right form of lithium reverseddamage in mice.
Uh, yeah, that is worthunpacking.
So let's do it.
Hey Rebels.
Welcome to BlasphemousNutrition.
Consider this podcast yourpantry full of clarity,
perspective, and the nuanceneeded to counter the
(00:44):
superficial health advice sofreely given on the internet.
I am Amy, the unapologeticallycandid host of Blasphemous
Nutrition and a double degreednutritionist with 20 years
experience.
I'm here to share a more nuancedtape.
On living and eating well tosustain and recover your health.
If you found most health adviceto be so generic is to be
(01:05):
meaningless or so extreme thatit's unrealistic.
And you don't mind theoccasional F-bomb, you've come
to the right place.
From dissecting the latestnutrition trends to breaking
down published research andsharing my own clinical
experiences, I'm on a mission tofoster clarity amidst all the
confusion and empower you tohave the health you need to live
(01:28):
a life you love.
Now, let's get started.
Welcome back to BlasphemousNutrition.
I'm your host, Amy, and ifyou've been reading the latest
research on brain health, youmight be ready to smoke your
phone battery for brain gains,but hold on just a second.
(01:52):
Let's talk about some betteralternatives.
Every few months a headlinestorms across your feed
screaming.
Studies show X preventsAlzheimer's, and most recently,
X is lithium.
Now, before you toss lithiumsupplements into your Amazon
cart or break, open your phonebattery and use it as a salt
(02:13):
lick.
Let's slow down and dig into thescience and see what we can take
from it.
Okay.
Now, lithium is a trace mineralin our food and our water.
Most of the world's sources oflithium are from briny waters or
hard rock deposits in variousareas of the world.
It is the major component inthose lithium ion batteries that
(02:36):
we use in our phones, And it hasactually had a longstanding
existing role in the treatmentof some brain disorders.
Now, if the latest research iscorrect, it may be a missing
piece in protecting our brain aswe age.
For your reference, this studyis called Lithium Deficiency and
(02:57):
the onset of Alzheimer'sDisease, and it was published by
the research publication Nature.
And in this study, researcherswere looking at the role of
metals in brain health.
They began by studying the levelof several different metals in
the brains of deceased elderswho had enrolled in the ROSMAP
study.
Then I'll talk about that in amoment, as well as brain matter
(03:21):
from existing brain banks.
Samples included those who haddied with no cognitive
impairment, as well as those whodied with mild memory loss.
Also known as MCI, mildcognitive impairment or
Alzheimer's disease.
They discovered a single metalthat was significantly reduced
(03:42):
in the prefrontal cortex, onlyin those individuals with MCI or
Alzheimer's disease.
However, there was no differencein blood concentrations between
all of these groups, indicatingthat this is an association that
we will not be able to detectthrough blood testing in living
(04:03):
individuals.
Now, the ROSMAP is alongitudinal clinical,
pathological study of aging,cognitive decline, and
Alzheimer's disease.
So effectively they're assessingcognitive health over a very
long period of time.
Study participants have agreedto comprehensive clinical and
(04:24):
neuropsychological evaluationseach year, and then they donate
their brain to science upondeath.
They've used 21 cognitivefunctional tests.
And 11 tests that were used toinform clinical diagnoses.
So the researchers for thisnature study had access to the
(04:45):
cognitive function tests, andthis is super important.
In, taking a look at the datafrom the ROSMAP map study, they
found that lower brain lithiumlevels were correlated with
reduced cognitive test scores inepisodic memory, as well as
reduced long-term generalknowledge.
(05:07):
For individuals who hadAlzheimer's disease.
Low lithium levels wereassociated with reduced testing
scores in global cognitivefunction as well as episodic
memory.
So basically when lithium wentmissing, memory followed making
this micro mineral appear to bea key player in cognitive
(05:28):
health.
Now, the researchers alsodiscovered that the amyloid
plaque in the brain in those whohave Alzheimer's had effectively
trapped lithium as there werehigher concentrations of lithium
within the amyloid plaque, but adeficit in non plaque brain
(05:49):
tissue.
So.
This discovery took them tomice.
Using mice that are bred to havean outrageously high risk of
Alzheimer's disease.
They found that the mice alsohad a three to four fold higher
concentration of lithium withinamyloid plaque compared to their
non plaque brain tissue.
(06:11):
Then they compared thoseAlzheimer's prone mice to wild
mice and the non plaque brainmatter tissue of an.
Alzheimer's type mouse had farlower concentrations of lithium
compared to wild cousins of thesame age.
So from all of this information,the researchers have
(06:33):
hypothesized that amyloid plaqueeffectively traps lithium,
leaving low concentrationselsewhere in the brain.
Now as any thorough researchteam will do, this team then did
a study putting mice on alithium deficient diet.
They found that lithiumdeficient diets accelerated
(06:56):
Depositing of amyloid plaque andtau proteins in Alzheimer's mice
and increased amyloid levels inaging wild mice as well.
The Alzheimer's disease bredmice also performed more poorly
in learning and long-term memorytesting, but even the Wild M.
(07:18):
Showed signs of reduced memoryretention when they were fed a
low lithium diet.
So the research team concludedthat lithium protects against
memory loss in mice prone toAlzheimer's disease, as well as
during the normal aging process.
In wild type mice.
(07:40):
So then they went even furtherand they looked at how genes
were impacted by lithiumdeficiency.
And that part of the researchgets super technical.
So I'm not gonna get into ithere, but you can go take a look
at the research yourself ifyou'd like.
I've included the link to thatin my substack.
Which is in the show notes andcheck out all the details, but
(08:02):
suffice it to say both generegulation and transcription
were negatively impact by a lackof lithium.
So all of this data led theseresearchers to consider if
repleting.
The body with lithium wouldimpact amyloid plaque and tau in
the brains of mice.
(08:24):
So in the mice that have apredisposition to Alzheimer's
disease, lithium orotate wasgiven.
And it almost completelyprevented amyloid plaque
deposition and accumulation oftau protein formation in younger
mice.
But here's the thing thatfucking blows my mind.
(08:46):
Supplementing with lithium oratealso reduced amyloid plaque by
about 70.
Percent in older mice withAlzheimer's disease who had
existing significant plaquedeposits, and these mice almost
completely reversed their memoryloss.
(09:11):
This is pretty fuckingremarkable.
I had to read and reread thatstatement in the paper to make
sure that I was interpretingtheir claims accurately, because
it literally blew my mind.
And then because I, you know,technical lingo and research
papers can be really difficultto parse out, so I was still
(09:35):
questioning if what I wasreading.
Was actually what I was reading.
So I copy and pasted theoriginal paragraph from the
research paper into chat GPT andsaid, Hey, translate this into
layman's terms, you know,without any kind of opinion.
Right.
On what I thought it might mean.
(09:55):
I just said, Hey.
Translate this into layman'sterms so I could see if it
confirmed my interpretation andit did.
So this is one hell of anobservation from the research
team and from my armchairacademic standpoint.
The work that this research teamhas done is incredibly thorough
(10:17):
and well done.
I think it's a gorgeous exampleof what quality research looks
like, and I haven't seensomething this nice in quite
some time, so that's just kindof amped up my excitement even
more so.
We have all of this stuff fromthe mice, right?
(10:37):
But in assessing this data, theresearch team went back to their
human brain tissue samples tosee what memory testing revealed
when they were looking atlithium levels in human brain
tissue.
And in looking at the humandata, they did observe that
higher lithium levels Theprefrontal cortex of the human
(10:58):
brain is associated with bettertesting scores on working memory
and performance in thoseindividuals who had provided
their tissue samples upon deathafter they had cognitive testing
done in life.
In the discussion section of theresearch paper, the team also
(11:21):
noted that there has beenresearch done in Denmark showing
a correlation between lithium indrinking water and reduced
dementia, which strengthens theobservations that they're
seeing.
In human brain tissue.
So from these mouse brains thatbounce back to human brains with
higher lithium concentrationsholding stronger memory to
(11:44):
entire populations in Denmark,sipping lithium laced water and
having less dementia, all ofthis starts to look less like
coincidence and more like a cluewe cannot afford to ignore.
So after going through thispaper, I.
Seriously considered throwingsome lithium orate into my full
(12:06):
script cart for a hot minute.
So if you have already opened upyour web browser to do the same,
I'm gonna have you pause forjust a moment.
Lithium Orate shows remarkableresults in mice.
However, this form of lithiumhas not yet been tested in human
trials for this condition or theprevention of it.
(12:30):
Additionally, you know, we'relooking at mice who are not
human, and we're also looking attissue from dead people, which.
None of us are.
Additionally, lithium itself isnot like vitamin C.
You can't just take itwilly-nilly and not worry about
negative impacts.
For those who do takeprescription lithium for bipolar
(12:53):
disorder or schizophrenia, closemedical monitoring is needed
because it can cause thyroid andkidney damage.
It's generally not recommendedfor anybody who has existing
issues with either of thoseorgans.
Lithium is no rookie to thebrain health world.
It's actually Psychiatry's OGmood stabilizer, and has been
(13:16):
used for decades with somesuccess depending on the
individual at prescriptiondoses.
Lithium in carbonate form saveslives in those who have bipolar
disorder, and sometimes helpswith depression, schizophrenia,
and even cluster headaches.
(13:37):
It's also a bit of an anti-agingrockstar.
Studies suggest lithium islinked to longer telomeres,
boosted BDNF, which is likebrain fertilizer as well as.
Greater mitochondrial function.
So Nirvana was not kidding whenthey named a track after it.
Lithium has been shaping brainsand moods for decades, even if
(14:02):
it didn't seem to work for KirkCobain.
Mood disorders aside,, a 20 yearlongitudinal study out of
Finland on individuals takinglithium for a mood or psychotic
disorder for a minimum of threeyears showed no evidence of
dementia protection.
Since they're prescribed alithium of a different form,
(14:25):
that could be the reason.
However, there are other studiesthat show this form of lithium.
Lithium carbonate may in fact beprotective, but we have this
confounding variable of existingbipolar disorder, which itself
independently increases dementiarisk.
Studies in the generalpopulation are way more lacking
(14:47):
with regards to lithium andmemory and in not as promising
with what is out there.
Most of the clinical studies onlithium are using lithium
carbonate at prescription leveldoses, not the low dose over the
counter lithium orate.
That is found in supplements.
(15:07):
So we have no human clinicaltrials showing lithium orate as
being an effective treatment orpreventative for cognitive
decline.
We've only just discovered thatit's protective in mice in one
study, this is why we can't justload up the cart with
supplements and think that weare going to be spared from
(15:27):
dementia.
So despite what appears to beoverwhelming promise and high
temptation, I'm refraining fromsupplementation at this time.
And honestly the, like, thereason why I am even considering
supplementation is because I dohave a family history of
Alzheimer's disease.
(15:49):
And so this topic in particularis of a high interest, let's
just say that.
Um, after being.
Removed, but on the sidelines ofwatching a family member pass
from Alzheimer's, like wecollectively agree, the rest of
us on that side of the family,that none of us, none of us ever
(16:11):
wanna live through that andsuffer from dementia.
It's just absolutely horrific.
And seeing this study does haveme really, really excited
because this is.
Some of the most excitingresearch that I've seen in the
field of Alzheimer's since DaleBredesen came out with his work
(16:34):
about 10 years ago, but it isn'tthe lack of existing evidence on
lithium, that is the primaryreason why I am refraining from
supplementation.
Here's the primary reason.
Lithium, like most otherminerals competes for absorption
in the body.
(16:54):
Specifically, it sharesreceptors and therefore competes
with sodium, potassium,magnesium, and calcium.
So adding in some lithium candisrupt the ability to utilize
these minerals from your diet orsupplements.
If you're a savvy listener, youmay recognize that these
(17:15):
minerals are electrolytes andelectrolytes play a crucial role
in heart health, blood pressure,and are pretty essential for
athletes as well.
So there's many potentialsituations where lithium could
be problematic outside of kidneyor thyroid disease.
It could wreak havoc for anathlete training during the
(17:37):
summer.
It could be extremelyproblematic for somebody who has
high blood pressure and aretaking diuretics or are on a low
salt diet, or even for someonewho is not already getting
enough potassium or calcium fromtheir existing diet, which is a
hell of a lot of people.
Lithium toxicity has beenobserved in those taking
(18:00):
prescription lithium, which iswhy their blood levels are
closely monitored.
Symptoms of toxicity includediarrhea, nausea, stomach pain,
neurological issues such astremors and difficulty walking,
confusion, and in very severecases it can cause seizures or
coma, even low dose lithiumorate marketed.
(18:25):
As natural and safe has a hugeevidence gap.
The orate form has not beenstudied in large human clinical
trials, and unlike theprescription form lithium
carbonate, it isn't monitoredregularly with blood tests.
I'm not in a position where Ican strong arm my doctor into
(18:46):
getting regular blood testingfor a supplement I'm taking, and
you probably aren't either.
So I'm definitely holding backfor now.
Okay.
This caveat out of the way theevidence presented by this study
is compelling enough that I amgoing to be seeking out edible
sources that tend to be higherin lithium.
(19:09):
Because lithium levels in foodare so dependent upon the
regional levels of lithium inthe soil or water where they're
cultivated or harvested.
We don't have reliable sourcingfrom the grocery store, but it
does appear that there are somefoods that contain higher
amounts of lithium than others.
(19:29):
Mineral water can also be a highquality source, and it will also
have additional minerals likemagnesium and calcium that
provide the balance that.
Supplementing with lithium alonewill never accomplish.
So this is my reminder to drinkmore.
Garl Steiner of note, GarlSteiner is a German mineral
(19:52):
water and there are geothermaland rock deposits of lithium in
Germany.
So that's what I'm gonna go towhenever I see it in the grocery
store.
I'm gonna grab a bottle, bringit home.
You may be able to test lithiumlevels in your water supply at
home, and you'll have a higher,likelihood of finding positive
(20:15):
results if you live in areaswhere there's granite, uh,
history of volcanic activity, orif you're near any kind of
geothermal hot spring.
Additionally, seafood can be areally good source of lithium,
especially from small filterfeeding fish.
Canned sardines and anchovieshave been tested to have higher
(20:35):
concentrations of lithium,especially in the gills and the
organs.
So canned small whole fish aredefinitely to be included in a
brain protective menu.
It's not just the omega threesthat offer brain preservation.
Most lithium from our foodsupply is going to come from
(20:56):
cereal, grains, nuts andvegetables, especially potatoes,
tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage.
Because most interest in lithiumhas come from a place of
toxicity and not nutrition, andit is not yet even acknowledged
as an essential micronutrientspecific data on food sources of
(21:18):
lithium and concentrations oflithium in food sources has been
really, really difficult for meto find.
Suffice it to say.
What I have found indicatesthat.
All of this is all the morereason to keep your vegetables
and sardine intakes high andconsistent.
(21:39):
And maybe we need to stop beingso afraid of some of those
starchy carbs.
Tuck into some quinoa porridgeor oats this winter.
Or if your health does notpermit something like that, be
sure to have a nice cabbagetomato stew.
Or enjoy a Scandinavian snack ofsardines on whole meal rye if
(22:00):
possible, for the sake of yourbrain.
Unlike supplementation, food andwater sources are smaller in
dose and they usually containthose other competing minerals
that can help preventimbalances.
The great thing about food andmineral water as well is that
there's no known toxicity withdaily ingestion, and so that's
(22:23):
why I'm gonna go to food first.
Okay.
The big takeaway here is thatlithium is this quiet background
mineral that we have totallyoverlooked until now, because
the wellness world is too busypushing mushroom coffee and keto
diets for brain health, andpharmaceutical companies are not
gonna be making billions off oftrace minerals, so they have no
(22:45):
interest in this.
But in the brain, this.
Quiet Trace Mineral may bepulling guard duty, protecting
our memory, stabilizingneurocircuitry, and holding the
line against decline.
The research is still unfolding,but the story is clear.
Sometimes the strongest shieldsfor your brain matter come from
(23:08):
the least expected places.
All of this is a reallypromising piece in the dementia
puzzle, and I, for one, am goingto be on the lookout for more
research on this mighty mineral.
But the bottom line for today,folks, eat your damn vegetables,
savor your seafood, and grabsome whole grains.
You'll get some lithium and athousand other brains supporting
(23:31):
nutrients to preserve yourcognitive health.
Drink some mineral water aswell, harvested from mountainous
or volcanic regions.
When you are going out lookingfor mineral water specifically,
look for the source.
And seek out mineral waters frommountains, from springs, from
(23:52):
volcanic regions of the worldlike Iceland.
And these are more likely tocontain some lithium in them,
even though nobody's testing forthat at this point in time.
The other thing, don't go roguewith supplements without any
kind of medical oversight.
Lithium is not vitamin C.
(24:14):
It is dangerous at high doses,and if you don't know what your
existing lithium levels are,supplementing could be super
problematic.
Remember, in the study,researchers found that blood
levels of lithium.
We're equal regardless ofwhether or not someone had
cognitive decline.
(24:35):
It is lithium deficiency in thebrain.
That is the issue, and we don'thave a way that I know of to
test for that.
So supplementing willy-nilly nota very good idea.
At this time.
We need to wait for moreresearch to come out.
Choose Food first, and folks,stay curious if the science
(24:56):
holds the trace Minerals in yourtap water may help guard your
brain better than half of theoverpriced tonics touted on
Instagram.
That's it for today.
Stay salty, stay curious, andI'll see you next time.
Any and all information sharedhere is for educational and
(25:19):
entertainment purposes only, andis not to be misconstrued as
offering medical advice.
Listening to this podcast doesnot constitute a provider client
relationship.
Note, I'm not a doctor nor anurse, and it is imperative that
you utilize your brain and yourmedical team to make the best
decisions for your own health.
(25:39):
The use of information on thispodcast or materials linked to
this podcast.
Are at the user's own risk.
No information nor resourcesprovided are intended to be a
substitute for professionalmedical advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
Be a smart human and do notdisregard or postpone obtaining
medical advice for any medicalcondition you may have.
(26:00):
Seek the assistance of yourhealthcare team for any such
conditions and always do sobefore making any changes to
your medical, nutrition orhealth plan.
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