How Food Choices Shape Memory, Cognition & Cravings | Dr. Scott Kanoski
Episode of Huberman Lab · October 12, 2026 · 2 h 2 min
Andrew Huberman and neuroscientist Scott Kanoski discuss GLP-1 drugs, artificial sweeteners, diet's effects on hippocampal memory, the vagus nerve, the gut microbiome and food reward.
Summary
Andrew Huberman interviewed Scott Kanoski, a USC neuroscientist, about how the brain and body regulate eating and how food affects memory. Kanoski explained natural GLP-1 as a gut- and brainstem-derived hormone that suppresses appetite, largely via the vagus nerve, and said it remains controversial whether newer GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy reach the brain. He said there are no data on microdosing, that nausea and vomiting drive discontinuation, and that most users stop within two years, which is why he was not worried about micronutrient deficiencies.
On artificial sweeteners, Kanoski said evidence is too mixed for recommendations, described a rodent study in which adolescent exposure to stevia, acesulfame K or saccharin produced adult memory and glucose-regulation changes, and noted he drinks Coke Zero. He described human studies showing that memory of a recent meal shapes later hunger, and his lab's findings that Western diets, early-life sugar and heat-treated diets rich in advanced glycation end products impair hippocampal memory in rodents, with specific gut bacteria (Parabacteroides, Lactococcus) implicated.
The conversation covered links between midlife diet and dementia, exercise rescuing diet-induced deficits, a gut–vagus–medial septum–hippocampus acetylcholine pathway activated during meals, vagal nerve stimulation in an Alzheimer's rat model, and the hippocampus's role in interpreting interoceptive hunger signals. Kanoski argued the microbiome field is too young to name good or bad bacteria, noting fecal transplant for C. difficile as the established exception.
Later topics included the Fen-Phen era and rising obesity rates, dopamine reward pathways and the plasticity of food preferences, the contested concept of food addiction, Kanoski's encounter with the sugar lobby after a press release, and oxytocin's role in both reducing intake and promoting social facilitation of eating via the hippocampus.
Chapters
- 0:00
Introduction
Huberman introduces Scott Kanoski and his research on hunger, memory and nutrition.
- 2:14
How GLP-1 and GLP-1 drugs work
Kanoski explains natural GLP-1, the drugs' origins in diabetes, side effects, microdosing, and whether drugs reach the brain.
- 12:57
Vagus nerve, satiation and food noise
Kanoski describes the paracrine vagal mechanism for GLP-1 satiation and the unknown basis of reduced food noise.
- 18:39
Artificial sweeteners
Kanoski reviews mixed evidence on low-calorie sweeteners and his lab's adolescent rodent study.
- 26:21
Memory of meals and individual eating patterns
Studies show meal memory shapes later hunger; the two agree eating patterns are individual.
- 33:42
Western diet, sugar and processed food impair memory
Kanoski describes rodent models of sugar, junk food and heat-treated AGE-rich diets causing lasting hippocampal deficits.
- 43:47
Dementia, exercise and the vagus–hippocampus link
They discuss diet and dementia risk, exercise rescue, vagotomy data and vagal nerve stimulation in Alzheimer's models.
- 1:02:08
Engineering better food and GLP-1 concerns
Huberman asks why food isn't engineered for nutrition, and they discuss GLP-1 discontinuation and nutrient concerns.
- 1:12:54
Gut-to-hippocampus acetylcholine signaling
Kanoski describes the vagus–medial septum–hippocampus pathway and meal-driven acetylcholine release.
- 1:21:05
Interoceptive awareness and the hippocampus
Amnesic patients and lesioned rodents show the hippocampus is needed to interpret hunger signals.
- 1:26:39
Omega-3s and the gut microbiome
Kanoski describes bacterial populations tied to memory and the immaturity of microbiome science, including C. diff treatment.
- 1:39:46
Obesity trends and processed food history
They recall Fen-Phen, rising obesity above 40%, and changing school food environments.
Linked moment · 1:43:21Skip to 1:43:21 using a listen link in the info box.
1:43:21Dopamine, cravings and food addiction
Kanoski explains state-dependent dopamine reward, preference plasticity, food addiction debate and the sugar lobby.
- 1:55:57
Oxytocin and social eating
Kanoski describes oxytocin reducing intake via the brainstem but promoting social eating via the hippocampus.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski says there are no data on GLP-1 microdosing and he wants randomized controlled trials before believing it works.
“I'm old-fashioned, and I like to see the large clinical trials, randomized controlled clinical trials, before I start to believe something's actually working”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski says it is unclear whether newer GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy enter the brain, unlike earlier-generation drugs.
“Whether these newer generation GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, are getting into the brain is less clear”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski explains that native GLP-1 fails to reduce food intake in animals with sensory vagus nerve lesions.
“If you do a selective lesion to the sensory vagus nerve as it comes up from the GI tract to the brain, and then inject GLP-1, it's not effective in reducing food intake”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski reports his lab found adolescent rodent exposure to sweeteners within FDA limits caused adult memory impairments and glucose regulation changes.
“we found that the animals had some memory impairments, which was an unexpected finding. We don't really know the mechanism for that”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski says the evidence on artificial sweeteners is too inconsistent for recommendations, though he personally drinks Coke Zero.
“Yeah, I don't think we have the evidence for recommendations at this point. The literature is all over the place”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski reports that junk-food diets in juvenile rodents cause memory impairments that persist after switching to a healthy diet.
“they show these memory impairments that last even after you switch them to a healthy diet”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski describes unpublished findings that a heat-treated AGE-enriched diet impairs memory, reversible by reintroducing an eliminated bacterial population.
“There was a population of bacteria that was eliminated through the heat treatment process. And when we reintroduced it to the animals, we were able to reverse these memory impairments”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski argues that a lifelong healthy diet matters more for dementia risk than dietary change after symptoms appear.
“I think it's more important to have a healthy dietary pattern throughout life as opposed to once there's a problem, you know, switching at that point”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski says his lab has shown vagal nerve stimulation devices can rescue diet-induced memory impairments in rodents.
“Right now, we have shown that these devices can rescue the memory impairments from an unhealthy diet”
- Andrew Huberman
Huberman voices concern that GLP-1 use could produce a population that is muscle-depleted and micronutrient deficient.
“So it could be that we end up with a, a large population of people who are kind of skinny fat because of the loss of muscle with the GLPs”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski says he is not concerned about GLP-1-induced micronutrient deficiencies because most users discontinue within two years.
“People don't take, in general, they don't take these GLP-1 drugs for a long period of time. A majority will discontinue treatment within two years of starting”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski warns that GLP-1 use in lean individuals carries unknown risks because trials in that population have not been done.
“I think there are a lot of potential issues with GLP-1-based drug use in lean individuals that we just don't have any grasp on”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski explains that hippocampal acetylcholine ramps up during eating and ends higher after a meal, which he thinks helps animals remember the meal.
“We think that that elevated postprandial level of coelacoline hippocampus is to allow the animals to remember what the hell's going on”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski says amnesic patients eat repeated meals while reporting fullness, showing the hippocampus is needed to interpret satiety signals.
“The hippocampus is needed to understand what that signal means”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski argues the microbiome field is too new to identify definitively good or bad bacteria.
“it's such a new field of research that I don't think you can say with clarity, like, here are the good bacteria and here are the bad bacteria”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski states that over 60% of calories many Americans consume come from processed foods and that over 40% of US adults are obese.
“At this point, over 40% of US adults are obese”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski declines to take a side on food addiction but says DSM criteria could be argued to apply to food.
“You can make an argument that there is food addiction based on those criterion, but that doesn't mean that it's the same thing”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski recounts that the sugar lobby issued public statements against his early sugar research after it received press.
“as someone who's researched the negative impacts of sugar consumption, I've had a few brushes myself with the sugar lobby”
- Scott Kanoski
Kanoski reports his lab found social facilitation of eating requires hippocampal oxytocin signaling, a role opposite oxytocin's usual intake-reducing effect.
“We found that that phenomenon requires oxytocin signaling in the hippocampus”
People
In the conversation
- Andrew HubermanAmerican neuroscientist, professor at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast
- Scott KanoskiProfessor of human and evolutionary biology and neurobiology at the University of Southern California who studies hunger, memory and diet
Discussed
- George BrayObesity researcher cited for the view that the best diet is one you can stick to
- Suzanne HiggsResearcher whose studies showed that recalling a recent meal reduces later snacking
- Jeff BrunstromResearcher who used a self-refilling soup bowl to study meal memory and hunger
- Wolfgang LanghansZurich researcher whose work showed GLP-1 satiation depends on the vagus nerve
- Michael PollanJournalist and author of How to Change Your Mind
- Paul RozinPsychologist credited with early studies of amnesic patients eating repeated meals
Topics
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From the publisher
Dr. Scott Kanoski, PhD, is a Professor of Human and Evolutionary Biology and Neurobiology at the University of Southern California. We discuss how different foods impact memory and cognitive function as well as cravings. We also discuss how GLP-1 drugs work to control hunger in the brain and body, the role of the gut microbiome, and the effects of artificial and low calorie sweeteners on hunger and satiety. This episode highlights how nutrition impacts much brain health and learning capacity and how our memory impacts food choices too. Read the full episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Scott Kanoski (00:02:33) GLP-1, Natural GLP-1 Production; GLP-1 Drugs, Microdosing (00:07:06) GLP-1 Drugs & Benefits (00:10:36) Sponsor: Our Place & Helix Sleep (00:13:24) GLP-1 & Hunger Suppression, Vagus Nerve; Food Noise (00:18:39) Artificial Sweeteners & Appetite, Preclinical Studies (00:26:50) Memory & Meals; Stress; Eating & Individualization, Fasting (00:33:42) Memory Impairments, Western Diet, High Sugar, Processed Food (00:42:33) Sponsor: AG1 (00:43:46) Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease & Western Diet; Exercise (00:49:40) Vagus Nerve, Hippocampus & Memory, Hormones (00:57:10) Sugar & Fat Consumption, Memory; Engineering Food for Quality (01:04:32) GLP-1s, Nutrient Deficiency, Weight Loss & Other Effects (01:11:33) Sponsor: LMNT (01:12:54) Vagus Nerve & Hippocampus, Eating & Acetylcholine (01:21:05) Hippocampus, Memory & Food; Interoceptive Awareness & Western Diet (01:27:21) Omega-3s; Microbiome & Processed Foods (01:34:00) Microbiome, Antibiotics, C. diff Infection (01:37:23) Sponsor: Function (01:39:01) Foods to Enhance Microbiome; Rising Obesity & Highly Processed Food (01:43:39) Dopamine & Food Choice, Change Food Craving…
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 1, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.