It is a sad fact that as we age, our brain and cognitive health may decline. Often, this leads to a slow loss of certain cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, decision-making, and even critical thinking. In worst scenarios, this leads to major cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Because of this, it makes sense why people want to supplement in order to keep their brain health in peak performance – and why they are looking for brain health supplements. However, it’s not only major brain problems that cause people to take brain health supplements. People take brain health supplements in hopes of boosting one’s cognitive function such as memory and concentration. These supplements, they think (and hope), will help them perform better in their job, at school, or during other activities they’re working on.
The question is, do these brain health supplements really work? To begin we will answer the question, what are brain health supplements, and how do they help you? In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know before choosing a supplement, including what our picks for the best supplements for brain health are.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What Are Brain Health Supplements
Brain health supplements are supplements mainly composed of a nutrient or compound that is said to be beneficial or can improve our cognitive function. Some brain health supplements also come in formulas, but we will only talk about individual ingredients for this article because they are the basis of these formula supplements.
The big question is: do they work? At least for the ones that we will discuss in this article, yes, they do work. However, it’s important to be realistic when taking brain health supplements. You will not have a sudden burst of memory powers or concentration once you’ve taken these supplements.
So, how do they work? Since each brain health supplement has their own features, we will instead go into the most common ingredients included in brain health supplements.
4 Best Brain Health Supplement Ingredients Explained
1) Caffeine
If you are looking for a simple brain health supplement, you can look no further than your coffee or tea. Caffeine is a proven natural stimulant for our brain. It stimulates our nervous system, making us less tired and boosting our energy, which results in making us more energetic and alert.
Aside from an energy boost and increased alertness, caffeine can also contribute to your memory, reaction time, and overall cognitive health.
Unlike the rest on this list, you don’t need a dietary supplement to take caffeine. Coffee is already good to go, and so is tea or dark chocolate. You can get caffeine from other sources such as sodas and energy drinks, but they are less healthy compared to the first three above.
2) Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba is a herbal supplement that is known to provide a variety of benefits for the brain. Specifically, it is believed that it can improve brain function by helping to increase blood flow in our brain, hence resulting in improved cognitive function such as memory and focus.
Some researches provide such evidence for this, but overall research on the subject is mixed. For instance, according to one study, taking ginkgo Biloba supplements can help improve thinking and memory skills. However, not all are convinced by such results.
3) Fish Oil
Fish oil supplements are rich in EPA and DHA, which are two types of omega-3 fatty acids. DHA and EPA are linked with plenty of health benefits, and this includes benefits for our brain or cognitive health.
Between DHA and EPA, DHA is more credited for improving and supporting brain health. Research shows that DHA can improve memory, reaction time, and thinking skills. DHA is also actually one of the key fatty acids needed by our body to maintain the function and structure of our brain.
EPA is less credited when it comes to brain health, but some research suggests that EPA is helpful when dealing with depression by helping people with depression improve their mood.
4) Creatine
The last one may come as a surprise to you, but creatine can benefit our cognitive function as well.
To those who don’t know what creatine is, creatine is a natural substance that plays a vital role in our body’s energy metabolism. It actually occurs naturally in our body, mostly in our muscles and a few ones in our brain.
While creatine is often sold as a supplement, you can actually get it from animal sources such as meat, eggs, and fish.
Creatine is mostly used by bodybuilders and athletes for muscle growth purposes, however, it can benefit the brain too. For instance, according to one research, creatine supplements can improve thinking skills and memory for people who don’t eat meat.
However, meat-eaters will not benefit much from the brain benefits of creatine supplements since they’re getting it from their diet already.
How To Take Supplements For Brain Health
You can get brain health supplements either through supplementation or diet.
Brain health supplements in dietary supplement forms often come in pill or capsule form. If you are having a hard time swallowing pills, you can also take them in liquid form – either as a droplet or, if designed by the manufacturer, mixable with a beverage of your choice.
Creatine supplements often come in powder form, whereas caffeine is best taken from its food sources such as coffee, tea, or dark chocolate.
Do Brain Health Supplements Really Work?
As mentioned above, brain health supplements generally work because they naturally can bring benefits to our brain. But as mentioned also above, it is important to be realistic when taking brain health supplements – they will not boost your brain right away and make you an all-knowing person!
If you will take dietary supplements, be sure to check the label to see if you’re getting the right amount of the supplement and see if there’s any additives or ingredients that can be harmful.
But at the end of the day, the key to keeping a healthy brain is by living a healthy lifestyle – proper diet, regular exercise, managing stress well, and getting enough sleep. No supplements can help you if you don’t lead a healthy lifestyle.
Are Brain Health Supplements Right For You?
Since many brain health supplements are harmless, then they should work well with the average person. Just a caution for caffeine-sensitive people: if you cannot tolerate even low levels of caffeine, it’s better to avoid it than to experience its negative side effects.
If you are pregnant or are currently taking medication, consult your doctor first before taking any supplements to ensure that you won’t experience any unexpected side effects.
Best Brain Health Supplements
Qualia Mind
Qualia Mind is one of the most advanced and comprehensive mental performance products available. Its fast-acting formula is designed to fuel cognition while supporting long-term brain health.For most, benefits can be felt in as soon as 40 minutes, delivering calm energized focus all day.
USE CODE “FITNESSCLONE” FOR 15% OFF QUALIA MINDMind Lab Pro
Mind Lab Pro is a nootropics supplement that helps optimize your entire brain to support a state of peak overall mental performance. It also promises to help everyone perform better mentally, no matter who they are, what they do, or what they need. It uses 11 multi-tasking nootropics in clinical range dosages to help users reach peak performance.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON MIND LAB PROAlpha Brain
Alpha Brain is a dietary supplement that helps support cognitive functions, including memory, mental speed, and focus. They’re quite popular as they’ve sold over 1 million bottles.
GET A FREE TRIAL OF ALPHA BRAINDr. Formulated Organic Memory & Focus for Adults 40+
This supplement provides clean, simple, clinically studied whole food ingredients, 600mg of Organic Neurophenol Organic Grape & Wild Blueberry, 100mg of Organic NeuroFactor Organic Coffee Fruit. It promises to support memory, focus & clear thinking.
GET THE BEST PRICE ON DR. FORMULATED ORGANIC MEMORY & FOCUS FOR ADULTS 40+Alternatives To Supplements For Brain Health
Like many supplements, the main alternative to brain health supplements is consuming these vitamins and minerals in their raw form. As we mentioned above, there are many common foods that include these exact vitamins that can positively impact your body and brain health in particular.
These ingredients include caffeine, ginkgo berry, fish oil, and creatine. These can be found in foods or taken separately as well.
Final Thoughts: Supplements And Your Brain Health
If you are thinking about adding these supplements to your diet, now is a great time to try them out. Brain health supplements are secure and safe supplements to test that carry a variety of benefits with it. If you start taking brain health supplements and experience any adverse symptoms, contact a medical professional for help.
