Another Way that Brains (and IQs) Are Degrading From Climate Change

I've already noted that one way human brains stand to degrade from global warming is the proliferation of worm parasites, such as tapeworm larvae and river flukes, which will spread and infest a majority of the populace - especially in impoverished regions.

See e.g. my earlier post on the horrors to emerge from global warming here:.

  http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2011/08/biological-nightmares-of-climate-change.html


 In the case of Taenia solium, or the tapeworm,  before the worms become adults they spend time as larvae in large cysts, which may find their way into the brain (see image) and cause a condition known as neurocysticercosis. Lowball estimates suggest 5 million cases of epilepsy arising from this condition, worldwide. The numbers are increasing as the worm -cyst invasion of the human body is increasing. (See the excellent monograph, Parasite Rex).  Most of the cases, understandably, are in the less developed world, but that is changing as hotter temperatures become the norm in the developed nations.

Now a new threat to brains has been noted (Earth & Space Science News, November, p. 6). in the form of reduced availability of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)..  Humans get their dietary dose of DHA from eating fish and shellfish. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recommends that infants consume 100 milligrams per day, and studies advise that adults consume between 50 and 500 milligrams per day (adult dosage is an active area of research). DHA helps with signal transduction in the brain; past research suggests that it aids learning in toddlers, and it may be linked with lower rates of Alzheimer’s.

The problem?  Changing ocean/ river conditions associated with climate change may reduce the amount of  omega-  3 available for human consumption. A new global tally of the  omega-  3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found that it will drop in availability by 10%–  58% depending on how aggressively humans curb greenhouse gas emissions over the next century.

High-latitude countries like Norway, Greenland, and Chile are projected to sustain enough fish yields to remain above the daily recommended dose of DHA in 2100. But the new model predicts that countries such as China, Japan, and Indonesia that currently produce enough DHA for their populations will have insufficient stores by the end of the century.

The article notes that countries in Africa that rely on inland fisheries will be hit the hardest. Lake and river waters are warming faster than the ocean, and countries that aren’t affluent may not have access to trade or new technologies. Many African countries will produce less than 25 milligrams per person per day by 2100, far below the recommended intake for both infants and adults. Technologies to combat a reduced amount of DHA are still in their early stages. Early trials on genetically modifying the oilseed in canola oil to include DHA are awaiting approval by U.S. regulatory bodies.

Humans can’t create their own omega-3 fatty acids but need it in the cell membranes of our neural tissues to facilitate signal transfer among cells. The projected decline in DHA availability “will thus have detrimental effects for human  well-  being and perhaps even for human evolution,” according to Martin Kainz, an Austrian ecotoxicologist  based at WasserCluster Lunz.

Irina Guschina, a research fellow in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University in Wales who did not participate in the new study, said that the research raises awareness of an “underappreciated risk of global warming.” She cautioned that the recommended dosage of DHA for adults is still being debated, however, and that other fatty acids like  omega-  6 are also important for human health.

As this research progresses people are best advised to eat at least 300 g of omega -3 source foods, such as salmon, at least several times a week.  The takeaway, get your salmon burgers while the DHA content is still high.