If you find your memory just isn’t what it used to be, are having trouble focusing, performing, or are constantly feeling fatigued, distracted, or moody, your brain likely needs a little support. Whether you’re a busy mom trying to juggle it all, a high-powered executive that's "always-on", or a student trying to make ends meet, a variety of things can impact your brain health, clarity, and performance. Let's explore how nootropic supplements can help enhance your cognitive health.
Understanding How Brain Health Is Impacted
Many people suffer from nutrient deficiencies, sugar addiction, stress overload - all of which adversely affect brain health. Like all things health-related, you have to start with the basics: addressing the underlying issues, including your diet, stress levels, sleep, and physical activity (or lack thereof). So before you reach for that second, third (or dare we say it - fourth) cuppa joe and further compromise your brain health (as well as deplete precious nutrients), let’s look at some powerful, effective, and safe natural nootropic supplements that can fuel your brain and supercharge your cognition.
Nootropics = “smart pills” are cognitive enhancers that help improve memory, focus, concentration, learning capability, reasoning, and motivation.
Key Nootropics That Help Boost Cognitive Health
Omega-3 Fatty Acids For Brain Support
Your brain is approximately 60 % fat, and Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are among the most crucial nutrients for brain integrity and its ability to perform.1 Omega-3s are essential building blocks for a healthy brain and may offer protection against damage to brain cells. They may also help support memory and focus and reduce inflammation. Omega-3s become increasingly important as you age, and research suggests that increasing our intake now is likely to prevent the onset of dementia.2 This is huge – especially when you consider that the Lancet recently revealed that 40% of Alzheimer’s cases are considered preventable.3 Because we can’t make omega-3s in our body, we have to get them from diet and/or supplements. And while eating more fish will certainly supply some EFAs, a good-quality omega-3 supplement will provide the therapeutic quantities your brain needs to function optimally now and well into old age.
Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) As A Nootropic
MCTs (primarily from coconut or palm), are typically associated with athletes, the gym crowd, or the keto diet, however, they also offer tremendous benefits to brain health and performance. MCT oil is sometimes – perfectly justifiably – referred to as “rocket fuel for the brain. It’s specifically because of their shorter length, that MCTs are more easily digested, and can be used as an immediate clean source of energy. MCTs also don’t have a stimulatory effect on insulin. This is important because lower insulin levels improve the quality and duration of intellectual performance in infants, adults, the elderly as well as in diabetics, (and you guessed it, poor glycemic control is associated with lower performance and memory).
Ginkgo Biloba As A Nootropic
Ginkgo, an extract from the leaf of the Chinese ginkgo tree, is a classic nootropic and has been shown to offer very tangible benefits to the brain: improved cognitive function, healthy mood balance, increased energy, better memory4 as well as decreased anxiety. Ginko is so effective that it’s a prescribed medicine in Germany for a variety of cognitive conditions. Anything from improving memory and focus, to increasing vascular dilation, improving blood flow and the health of blood vessels, promoting recovery from strokes, as well as improving circulatory problems and those related to memory impairment. Ginkgo also offers other benefits because it has a protective effect against mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, so helps reduce inflammation and prevent free radical damage (including in the brain – a key factor in the development of dementia).
Vinpocetine For Cognitive Health
Vinpocetine is an exciting nootropic derived from the periwinkle plant. It has a hefty body of research behind it, and, like ginkgo, it’s sold under prescription in Europe and other parts of the world to help improve symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Vinpocetine is an effective supplement that helps stimulate and support blood flow to the brain, as well as raises oxygen levels in the brain, which together, boosts cerebral metabolism (so better focus, concentration, memory, and, performance). As a bonus, vinpocetine has thermogenic properties, so can help boost overall metabolism, support weight loss, and enhance exercise performance. Pairing vinpocetine with ginkgo multiplies the benefits, which is why you’ll often find supplements that combine the two.
Gotu Kola As A Nootropic
Gotu kola is another classic nootropic that has a wide range of potential brain and cognitive health applications. One of the most well-known benefits of Gotu kola is its ability to improve cognition and memory at the molecular level, which is why it’s one of the most widely used supplements for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. Interestingly, because of its name, a lot of people believe it contains caffeine, however that could not be further from the truth. Gotu kola is actually a relaxant with well-documented anxiety-relieving and antidepressant effects, so can be invaluable in a variety of both acute and chronic acute stress and anxiety conditions.
Magnesium L-Threonate For Cognitive Support
Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions throughout the body, and its deficiency can impact your health in multiple ways – including compromising brain health. Contrary to other forms of magnesium, Magnesium L-Threonate (Mag T) is absorbed rapidly and has the unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and boost brain levels of magnesium. This is why Mag T can quickly remedy cognitive dysfunction, sleep disorders, and anxiety. In addition, this form of magnesium has also shown to be able to structurally reverse certain aspects of brain aging. Research has shown that once inside the brain, Mag T increases the density of synapses, one of the primary causes of cognitive decline.5
Vitamin B-12 – Methylcobalamin As A Nootropic
Methylcobalamin is the only form of Vitamin B-12 that can cross the blood-brain barrier, without biotransformation. Its methyl group stimulates the synthesis of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for stabilizing our moods. And serotonin imbalance is a key factor in mental health conditions such as ADHD, as well as anxiety and depressive conditions. Methylcobalamin also protects your brain against excitotoxins and helps lower harmful levels of homocysteine. Practitioners will often recommend it to help treat memory loss, poor concentration, and Alzheimer's disease, as well as to improve mood end energy in both the young and old. Finally, it’s worth noting that a methylcobalamin supplement is ideal for those under a lot of stress.
PS – Phospholipids As A Nootropic
Phosphatidylserine fulfills a variety of vital functions in your body, but above and beyond everything else, it’s a key building block for brain cells. PS is a phospholipid that contains both amino acids and fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids work synergistically with PS to provide the building blocks for healthy cell membranes (i.e. to help ensure a healthy brain). Because PS can cross the blood-brain barrier, it’s able to offer direct support both to the structure and function of your brain cells. PS has been used extensively to stimulate cognitive function, enhance focus, concentration, and performance, as well as sharpen memory across age groups. PS is also used extensively for Alzheimer’s disease, age-related cognitive decline, depressive conditions, ADHD, and to boost athletic performance.
Amino Acids For Cognitive Health
Amino acids combine to create proteins and serve as precursors to several neurotransmitters - chemicals in the brain that either excite or inhibit your neurons. Certain amino acids can cross the blood-brain barrier, where they can stimulate the synthesis of neurotransmitters, so have a direct impact on brain chemistry and mood balance. Each amino acid, of course, has its distinct functions inside your body, and some play an integral role in your brain function, cognition, and mood balance. Recent research has shown that supplementing with the following 7 key essential amino acids - leucine, phenylalanine, lysine isoleucine, histidine, valine, and tryptophan - improves attention and cognitive flexibility, as well as psychosocial functioning, and ultimately, prevents cognitive decline.6
As you can plainly see, brain boosting supplements and nootropics are a no-brainer (pun intended!) for anyone looking to optimize brain health, sharpen their performance, and maintain healthy cognition throughout life.
