Fish are getting depressed from exposure to anti-depressants in the water.
As recently reported, in a new paper scientific researcher Jerker Vinterstare has claimed that anti-depressant pollution in water is altering the behaviour of aquatic life, making fish ‘nervous and cowardly’. His study focused on a particular species of carp which was exposed to the neurotransmitter serotonin, a key ingredient in a class of anti-depressant drugs known as SSRIs.
Fish Become ‘Nervous and Cowardly’ when Exposed to Anti-Depressant Contaminants
The effects on the carp were similar to those observed in humans in the early stage of taking such drugs. Humans often experience paradoxical effects that include becoming more depressed, suffering from mania and having suicidal thoughts and tendencies.
Vinterstare’s research chimes with other recent work from Monash University, Australia, which has shown the threat posed to fish populations by growing levels of pharmaceutical contamination. Water contamined by the antidepressant fluoxetine (otherwise known as Prozac) has been shown to lower the resilience of fish populations by dramatically reducing differences in the behaviour of individuals.
Prozac
Prozac is one of the most prescribed psychotherapeutic drugs in the world, and an extremely common contaminant of surface water around the world.
“For fish populations to thrive in the face of environmental change, members of a group need to behave differently from each other,” said Dr Polverino, one the leaders of the research.
“If a fish takes the wrong decision and dies, some others will survive by taking different actions.”
The role of environmental pollution and its effects, not just on animal but on human life as well, is coming more and more into focus, bringing dire predictions about the possible future consequences if such pollution is not reduced.
Just a few years ago, it was considered the sole preserve of cranks and conspiracy theorists to claim that industrial chemicals found in the environment, especially the drinking water, were causing serious effects in animals and humans. In 2015, Alex Jones, the host of Infowars, was roundly mocked for a rant in which he uttered the now famous line, ‘I don’t like ‘em putting chemicals in the water that turn the friggin’ frogs gay!’
Now these concerns are truly mainstream. A few weeks ago we reported on a new book making predictions of a coming fertility apocalypse among humans as a result of extensive pollution by industrial chemicals known as ‘xenoestrogens’. These chemicals mimic the effects of the natural hormone estrogen.
In 2017, The New York Times reported that much can be learned from “depression” in fish as their neurochemistry is surprisingly similar to humans. In other words, fish too can suffer from depression.
According to The New York Times:
“The neurochemistry is so similar that it’s scary,” said Julian Pittman, a professor at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Troy University in Alabama, where he is working to develop new medications to treat depression, with the help of tiny zebrafish. We tend to think of them as simple organisms, “but there is a lot we don’t give fish credit for.”
Dr Shanna Swan. Her new book Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race is out now.
Professor Shanna Swan has claimed that by 2045, nearly all men may be infertile, with half producing no sperm at all and half producing an amount that is little more than nothing. Between 1979 and 2011, there was a massive 59% decrease in the sperm count of the average Western man.
Here at Herculean Strength we believe nothing is inevitable. What we advocate is a targeted approach that reduces our exposure to endocrine-disrupting substances, whether industrial or natural, as much as possible, and encourages a healthy, active lifestyle and diet that maximises natural testosterone production — and, in turn, boosting male fertility.
We’ve already devoted a series of articles to the dreadful effects of low testosterone, including its effects on mental health; the industrial compounds such as xenoestrogens and microplastics that are disrupting our hormones; foods that will boost your testosterone and foods that will lower it; and testosterone-boosting natural compounds. These articles, which include practical guidance on how to rebalance your hormones and optimise your masculinity, will serve as the basis for a full book on the subject, which we have tentatively named Reclaim Your Masculinity.
