Best Brain Supplements: 7 You Should Consider
Everyone has felt fatigued or a little foggy from time to time. Many of us may have experienced difficulty with memory recall, lower cognitive speed, and general mental decline, which is inevitable as we get older. It's no wonder many people are looking into brain health supplements more than ever!
However, the brain supplement industry is filled with false advertisements and synthetic “brain boosters” that don’t really enhance cognition or mental energy levels. That’s why we put together this collection of seven of the best brain supplements you should consider.
Each of the below supplements is a vital ingredient found in many healthy foods or holistic brain supplement solutions, like the kind we offer at Hope Health.
Let’s take a look at these top brain supplements in more detail.
Do Brain Supplements Really Work?
Brain supplements are almost universally natural compounds or ingredients you can find in foods and beverages. Scientists have identified these ingredients as having beneficial effects on energy, alertness, or mood.
In this way, many basic or healthy brain supplements may work by improving your energy or enhancing cognition. That being said, brain supplements derived from synthetic chemicals or that promise to make you into a genius are almost certainly not worth it.
Indeed, no brain supplements can increase your intelligence as a raw factor. Furthermore, brain supplements made with synthetic chemicals may lead to ancillary side effects. Because of this, should you decide to take a mind-boosting supplement, be sure that it is made of natural or organic ingredients whenever possible.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at seven of the best brain supplements you can target. Each of these supplements can be found in supplement capsules, powders, and other solutions. Or you can get these supplements in foods by targeting certain dietary choices.
B Vitamins
B vitamins are some of the most important in your body. They include vitamins B6, B12, and B9 (also known as folic acid), and they’re used for your cells to gain energy.
That being said, B vitamins are present in most foods and healthy beverages, and you probably aren’t deficient in them. Those who are deficient in B vitamins can fix this by targeting foods like leafy greens, including spinach and kale, or by taking multivitamins.
How do B vitamins support cognition? By providing your brain with more energy and mental agility. In other words, B vitamins may help your body function at its maximum potential. Taking a B vitamin supplement or a multivitamin won't help your brain directly, but it will help you overall, and your brain will benefit as a side effect.
L-Glutamine and L-Theanine
L-glutamine is one of the most common amino acids in your body. It makes up 60% of the free amino acids in your system. As a nonessential amino acid, your body can create L-glutamine from other sources, but you may be deficient if you don't have a balanced diet.
Your brain may also benefit from l-glutamine foods, such as fish. L-glutamine may help promote positive nitrogen balance throughout your bodily tissues and reduce cellular damage that may lead to mental degradation in old age.
L-theanine, meanwhile, is another natural amino acid that may be able to support mental performance when combined with caffeine. The exact cause of this enhancement isn’t fully understood. Still, scientists have detected some cognitive improvements in individuals who drink green tea, which naturally contains caffeine and l-theanine in the right concentrations.
Caffeine
Caffeine isn’t just an energy booster that might leave you jittery in the afternoon. Caffeine is a stimulant that is well known to provide cognitive boosts when consumed in the proper dosages.
Because of this, it’s not a good idea to take caffeine pills or powder. Caffeine taken in supplement form is often absorbed in high concentrations, leading to side effects like jitteriness, excessive urination, and more. However, caffeine absorbed as part of tea or coffee is just fine for many people.
In fact, a little bit of caffeine can lead to health benefits and improve cognition by blocking adenosine from reaching brain receptors. This may help reduce brain fog, enhance memory recall, improve your cognitive agility, and more.
Just be careful not to drink too much coffee or tea throughout the day; you may eventually become dependent on caffeine and get a headache if you don’t get your morning cup of coffee on time!
Vitamin E
Another key vitamin for overall bodily health, vitamin E, is an antioxidant that may help fight off free radicals: essentially free-floating molecules that can lead to cellular degradation and even damage brain cells called neurons.
Vitamin E is necessary for all kinds of bodily processes. While you can find vitamin E in many effective supplements, you can also get vitamin E from sources like nuts, seeds, and various vegetable oils.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Eating fatty fish is a good idea since it’s usually rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids may help support overall brain health.
As with many things, the exact scientific reason for these links is not fully understood. But scientists know that omega-3 fatty acid deficiency is linked to brain fog, low mental acuity, and problems with memory recall.
Fortunately, omega-3 fatty acids can be added to your diet relatively easily or consumed as part of fish oil or similar supplements.
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba is a natural herb and a major medicinal plant in Chinese medicine. There may be some benefits linked to absorbing the various nutrients and vitamins in Ginkgo Biloba. However, more research needs to be performed to solidify this connection, particularly when it comes to mental prowess and cognition. It can also aid in improving short-term memory.
Bacopa Monnieri
Another herb found in many traditional medicinal guides, Bacopa Monnieri, is a plant with a variety of powerful nutrients and vitamins that your body can absorb when bacopa is used in tea or modern supplements. There's some evidence to show that bacopa may improve focus by calming the mind and boosting your self-control. In other words, it may be very helpful to fight mental fatigue when you need to take a test or can’t seem to focus on an intense mental activity.
Summary
As you can see, the best brain-boosting supplements aren't synthetic or chemical cocktails at all. They're natural herbs, vitamins, and key amino acids that your body also needs for general wellness. In other words, give your body the things it needs to stay healthy, and brain health will follow!
Luckily, you can get many of these brain boosters in Hope Health’s Mind Supplements. Combining many helpful herbs like St. John’s Wort and Ginkgo Biloba, our Mind Supplements are ideal for improving memory, reducing stress, and supporting mental clarity all around. Give these supplements a try today and check out the rest of our wellness solutions!
Sources:
B Vitamins | The Nutrition Source | Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Effects of coffee/caffeine on brain health and disease: What should I tell my patients? | NCBI