U.S. presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has narrated a health crisis he endured resulting in severe memory loss and “brain fog” in the past.

The New York Times reported that Mr Kennedy went for treatment in 2010, and a doctor told him it could have been “caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.”

However, Mr Kennedy’s campaign team issued a statement on Wednesday saying, “Questioning Mr Kennedy’s health is a hilarious suggestion, given his competition. Mr Kennedy travelled extensively in Africa, South America, and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate, and in one of those locations, he contracted a parasite. The issue was resolved more than 10 years ago, and he is in robust physical and mental health.

Mr Kennedy also responded to the brain-eating worm experience, saying, “I offer to eat five more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate.”

Mr Kennedy also suffered from mercury poisoning and heart problems, with elevated levels of mercury in his blood due to a diet heavy in tuna fish.

The presidential hopeful is said to have had other health conditions. Mr Kennedy is said to be a former heroin addict who had contracted hepatitis C from intravenous drug use and has suffered from atrial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heartbeat.

He told the New York Times that the condition landed him in the hospital at least four times, adding he has not experienced any episode for a decade.

Mr Kennedy also has a strained, raspy voice caused by spasmodic dysphonia, a disorder that causes involuntary spasms in the muscles of the voice box.

Mr Kennedy is an independent presidential candidate.