Nootropics: Benefits of Taking Brain Health Supplements

Why are brain nutrients important? 

Our brains need nutrition for their development just like any other organ in our body. Starting from neonatal life [1] into late adulthood, nutrients play a large role in neurodevelopment [2] Much of brain development in early life is predetermined by our genetics and is independent of external input, however, there are important and controllable environmental factors that profoundly influence early brain development. One of the most important of these factors is nutrition.

What are brain supplements or nootropics?

With the advent of supplements to boost your body’s development and immunity, much research has focused on nutrients that are specifically beneficial to the brain. Nootropics or “cognitive enhancers” are nutrients that are exclusively important for brain functioning. Some of these “brain supplements” are summarized below:

Neumentix

What is it?

Neumentix is a dietary supplement made from dry spearmint extract consisting of various antioxidant polyphenols. Polyphenols are plant compounds that have numerous health benefits. They act as antioxidants, protecting the body and neutralizing free radicals that cause damage to cells. This spearmint extract is a “Phenolic Complex” containing 29.9% total phenolic content consisting of phenols like Rosmarinic Acid, Salvianolic Acid, Lithospermic Acid, and Caftaric Acid. [3]

What does it do?

• The antioxidant polyphenols present in Neumentix are responsible for its exceptional ability to act as a stimulator of new brain cell growth. Due to its actions as a scavenger of free radicals, it prevents damage to brain cells and allows for their unhampered growth.
• Neumentix is also an excellent additive to improve your working memory i.e. short-term memory responsible for helping your mind understand how to perform new tasks. Working memory is important, especially while performing a complex task, such as multi-factorial decision-making and reasoning.
• Neumentix helps maintain alertness during the day by boosting your brain’s neuronal circuitry, because of this, it also improves your reaction time leading to increased agility and quicker reflexes.

Research that supports the benefits of its use:

A study that aimed to assess the effects of a “Proprietary Spearmint Extract” (Neumentix) on the Cognitive Functioning of men and women with age-associated Memory Impairment concluded that “… results suggest the proprietary spearmint extract, Neumentix, was well tolerated and beneficial nutritional intervention for cognitive health in older subjects with AAMI.” [4]

Another study found that Neumentix treatment improved neurobehavioral impairment, reduced infarct volume, suppressed expression of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 (Iba-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and improved the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. [5]

An experimental study in mice found that a Neumentix mixture improved sleep quality and modulated brain neurotransmitter levels in the mice; the combination significantly increased the concentrations of acetylcholine (Ach), and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). [6]

NeuroFactor

What is it?

Neurfactor is a powder dietary supplement patented by Futureceuticals, aimed specifically at improving brain health, it is obtained from a pure coffee fruit extract (derived from the Coffea arabica plant). Its name was recently changed to “CognatiQ^®” [7] NeuroFactor contains a unique profile of polyphenols, which are plant-derived chemicals that have numerous health benefits in humans.

What does it do?

• Clinical study has shown that Neurofactor is responsible for an increase in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. [7] Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a key molecule involved in plastic changes related to learning and memory i.e. BDNF helps in the formation of new neuronal synapses responsible for the consolidation of new memories and procedural memory (learning).
• The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) belongs to a family of neurotrophins that have a crucial role in the survival and differentiation of neuronal populations during development. Many studies have shown the critical role of BDNF in the regulation of plastic changes in the adult brain, including enhancing synaptic strength. [8]

Research that supports the benefits of its use:

A study aimed to evaluate the “Neurophysiological Effects of Whole Coffee Extract in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Impairment” stated that “Our results contribute additional evidence linking polyphenols (present in Neurofactor) with significant antioxidant properties to positive neuro-physiological and behavioral outcomes in an aging population with subjective cognitive decline.” [9].

Another study assessed the “Effects of Whole Coffee Fruit Concentrate on Cognition and Mood in Healthy Adults”. The projected outcome of this study was that self-administration of Neurofactor for 28 days (or even 14 days) will be associated with an improvement in mood and scores on cognitive tests. This improvement was observed in the latest study status posted on the clinical trials website. [10]

DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid)

What is it?

Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, is a type of omega-3 fatty acid, which is a type of PUFA (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid). DHA is the main omega-3 fatty acid in your brain and essential for a functional nervous system. DHA is incorporated into cellular membranes, making up approximately half of the membrane content in neurons. DHA is the active component in fish.

What does it do?

• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for the growth and functional development of the brain in newborns. It is also required for the maintenance of normal brain function in adults. The inclusion of DHA in the diet improves learning ability, whereas deficiencies of DHA are often associated with deficits in learning. [11]
• DHA is one of the fatty acids present in fish oil responsible for its cardiovascular benefits such as reducing triglycerides in the blood and decreasing thrombosis, while also preventing cardiac arrhythmias. [11]
• DHA deficiencies have also been correlated to depression, in fact, the high incidence of myocardial infarction in patients suffering from depression may be due to the same reason they are more prone to depression in the first place: a lack of DHA in the diet. [11]

Research that supports the benefits of its use:

A study titled “Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): An essential nutrient and a nutraceutical for brain health and diseases” stated, “Evidence mostly from non-human studies suggests that DHA intake above normal nutritional requirements might modify the risk/course of a number of diseases of the brain.” i.e lead to better primary outcomes.

This Healthline article outlines various health benefits of DHA. DHA is especially important for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and other memory impairment diseases of the central nervous system. [12]

B complex

What is it?

Vitamin B complex is a group of B vitamins that play a major role in your body’s functions. You typically get these vitamins through the diet. B Vitamins are especially important for brain health because they are involved in the process of DNA synthesis in our body. The vitamin B complex is made of eight B vitamins:

• B1 (thiamine)
• B2 (riboflavin)
• B3 (niacin)
• B5 (pantothenic acid)
• B6 (pyridoxine)
• B7 (biotin)
• B9 (folic acid)
• B12 (cobalamin)

What does it do?

• B vitamins have a direct impact on your energy levels, brain function, and cell metabolism due to their requirement as cofactors to various enzymes, especially the enzymes indirectly responsible for propagating DNA synthesis.
• They may help prevent dementia and boost the production of neurotransmitters – chemicals that deliver messages between neurons in the brain and body. Without a steady supply of this nutrient, which the body doesn’t store, we are at higher risk for cognitive decline, including memory loss. [14]

Research that supports the benefits of its use:

According to WebMD, B vitamins are necessary for healthy brain function. Some data shows that vitamin B6 in particular may play a role in the prevention of the neurological disorder Parkinson’s disease which is a neurodegenerative disease in which the substantia nigra of the brain is unable to produce adequate amounts of dopamine. This leads to a variety of neurological symptoms known as “Parkinsonian features”. [13]

A study published in the PubMed indexed nutrients Journal summarized the various roles of B vitamins in our body as “Their collective effects are particularly prevalent to numerous aspects of brain function, including energy production, DNA/RNA synthesis/repair, genomic and non-genomic methylation, and the synthesis of numerous neurochemicals and signaling molecules.” Thus proving their importance and need to be taken in diet. [15]

Healthline also highlights all the benefits of B vitamins. [16]

Bibliography:

[1] Georgieff, M. K., Ramel, S. E., & Cusick, S. E. (2018). Nutritional influences on brain development. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992), 107(8), 1310–1321. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.14287

[2] Pan Y. (2021). Nutrients, Cognitive Function, and Brain Aging: What We Have Learned from Dogs. Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 9(4), 72. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci9040072

[3] https://www.kemin.com/na/en-us/markets/human-nutrition/products/neumentix

[4] Cook, C., Herringer, K., Nieman, K. M., Sanoshy, K. D., Fonseca, B. A., Schild, A. L., Kelly, K., Lawless, A. L., Maki, K. C., & Ceddia, M. (2015). Effects of a Proprietary Spearmint Extract on Cognitive Function and Tolerance Parameters in Men and Women with Age‐Associated Memory Impairment. The FASEB Journal, 29(S1). https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.900.15

[5] Bian, Y., Yamashita, T., Taira, Y., Shang, J., Tsunoda, K., Feng, T., Sasaki, R., Liu, X., Shi, X., Tadokoro, K., Nomura, E., Matsumoto, N., Osakada, Y., Omote, Y., Takemoto, M., Hishikawa, N., Ohta, Y., & Abe, K. (2020). A Polyphenolic Complex Attenuates Inflammatory Response and Blood- Brain Barrier Disruption. Current neurovascular research, 17(3), 286–293. https://doi.org/10.2174/1567202617666200517105727

[6] Zhang, Y., Jia, X., Chen, X., Liu, Y., Zhao, Z., Hao, J., Wu, R., Feng, H., & Ren, X. (2021). L-theanine and Neumentix mixture improves sleep quality and modulates brain neurotransmitter levels in mice. Annals of palliative medicine, 10(4), 4572–4581. https://doi.org/10.21037/apm-21-663

[7] https://www.futureceuticals.com/neurofactor

[8] Miranda, M., Morici, J. F., Zanoni, M. B., & Bekinschtein, P. (2019). Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: A Key Molecule for Memory in the Healthy and the Pathological Brain. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2019.00363

[9] Robinson, J. L., Yanes, J. A., Reid, M. A., Murphy, J. E., Busler, J. N., Mumford, P. W., Young, K. C., Pietrzkowski, Z. J., Nemzer, B. V., Hunter, J. M., & Beck, D. T. (2021). Neurophysiological Effects of Whole Coffee Cherry Extract in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Pilot Study. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(2), 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10020144

[10] https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/history/NCT01965795?V_4=View#StudyPageTop

[11] Horrocks, L. A., & Yeo, Y. K. (1999). Health benefits of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Pharmacological research, 40(3), 211–225. https://doi.org/10.1006/phrs.1999.0495

[12] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dha-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2

[13] https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-b-complex

[14] Kennedy D. O. (2016). B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy–A Review. Nutrients, 8(2), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8020068

[15] Kennedy D. O. (2016). B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy–A Review. Nutrients, 8(2), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8020068

[16] https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/vitamin-b-complex