Independent US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr revealed that a worm ate part of his brain.
It emerged that the 70-year-old made the claim during a 2012 interview, known as a deposition, in his divorce proceedings from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy.
At the time, he said his earning power had been diminished by cognitive problems.
He said he had had memory loss and mental confusion in 2010, so he contacted neurologists who detected a dark spot on his brain scans.
They said he had a tumor, but another doctor came to a different conclusion, believing he had a dead parasite in his head, The New York Times reported.
In his 2012 interview, Kennedy said the doctor thought the abnormality “was caused by a worm that got into my brain, ate a part of it, and then died.”
Kennedy, son of former Attorney General and former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy and former Senator Ted Kennedy, also said during the deposition that he was diagnosed with mercury poisoning.
He said: “I have cognitive problems, clearly. I have short-term memory loss and long-term memory loss that affects me.”
He told the New York Times that he was sure the mercury poisoning was caused by his diet that included a lot of tuna. Tuna contains higher levels of mercury than other fish, according to the NHS.
Environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Kennedy, also known by his initials RFK Jr, told the publication: “I loved tuna sandwiches. I ate them all the time.”
He said tests showed their mercury levels were 10 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe.
A chemist told the same publication that the mercury levels Kennedy described were high, but not surprising for someone who consumed that amount and type of seafood.
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Kennedy said he made changes after the health problems, including getting more sleep and cutting back on fish.
He told the newspaper that he had now recovered from memory loss and confusion and had no after-effects from the parasite, which he claimed had not required any treatment.
Doctors who have treated parasitic infections and mercury poisoning have said that both conditions can sometimes permanently damage brain function, but patients can also have temporary symptoms and recover completely, the publication reported.
Kennedy said he didn’t know what type of parasite it was or where he might have contracted it.
But several infectious disease experts and neurosurgeons told the New York Times that, based on what Kennedy described, they believed it was probably a pork tapeworm larva.
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Kennedy is far behind Donald Trump and Joe Biden in national polls. Photo: Reuters
When asked if his health problems would affect his fitness to serve as president, a Kennedy campaign spokesperson told the publication: “That’s a hilarious suggestion, given the competition.”
Kennedy, along with two other third-party candidates, philosopher Cornel West, 70, and doctor Jill Stein, 73, are facing the Democratic incumbent. Joe Biden81 years old, and Republican candidate donald trump77 years old, in the November presidential race.
In national polls, Kennedy currently has around 10%, compared to 41% for Trump and 40% for Biden.
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