Michael Crawford: DHA, Prenatal Nutrition & The Shrinking Brain

Michael Crawford, PhD, is a British researcher who focuses on the importance of marine fatty acids in human development and health outcomes. Michael got his PhD in 1960 in chemical pathology at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, University of London. Since then, Michael has been a vital part of countless projects including setting up advanced medical schools and hospitals in Uganda, working with the Indonesian government on marine farming projects, all the while becoming the world’s expert in essential fatty acids.Michael has a particular interest in the role and necessity of docosahexanoic acid (the omega-3 fatty acid DHA) and arachadonic acid in the evolution of the brain. Humans have the largest brain relative to body size, and our brains are made predominantly of highly unsaturated fatty acids; particularly DHA. Without the consistent consumption of seafood during our early evolution as we left the trees and departed our primate ancestors, we could never have developed the cranial capacity we eventually did. However, with shifting dietary patterns and destruction of marine habitats, the all-critical marine food web is being damaged. Micheal posits that this will spell disaster for humanity if we do not maintain a strong relationship with these essential marine nutrients.Michael’s new book, “The Shrinking Brain” documents how our brains developed, what has gone wrong over the last century, and what we can do to optimally nourish ourselves and our progeny. He also has several recent publications regarding the quantum mechanical effects of DHA in signal transduction in the brain.Michael's Work:The Shrinking BrainDocosahexaenoic Acid Explains the Unexplained in Visual TransductionFollow My Work:WebsiteConsultationsInstagramYoutubeSpotifyApple Podcasts