Do you feel wound up constantly?
Oversensitive?
Wired and tired?
If so, you may have a GABA deficiency. And it probably isn’t all that uncommon in today’s fast-paced, chaotic, sleep-deprived world.
But you don’t have to live with those feelings forever. There are things you can do to restore optimal GABA levels, such as sleeping enough, reducing stress, eating the right foods, and using the right supplements.
However, not all GABA supplements are created equal, so it’s important to only buy the ones that work.
And we’ll help you out with that decision as we go over a supplement called GABA Brain Food to judge whether or not it’s one of the better GABA supplements out there.
Let’s dive into this GABA Brain Food review to check out the product, its ingredients, potential health benefits, and if it’s ultimately worth buying to help you chill out.
About GABA Brain Food
GABA Brain Food is made by Natural Stacks, a company who has produced a variety of other neurotransmitter-based products, such as Serotonin Brain Food, MoodBiotic, Dopamine Brain Food, MagTech Magnesium, Smart Caffeine, Serotonin Brain Food, Max DHA Krill Oil, and CILTEP.
Natural Stacks GABA Brain Food supplement is designed to support the body’s natural production of GABA, leading to enhanced mental calmness.
After all, GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, which helps to put the brakes on overthinking and mental stress/excitation. In fact, many common Benzos and other anxiolytic drugs work on GABA receptors. However, they’re very addictive and have many side effects.
But GABA Brain Food is made with natural compounds to help boost your body’s GABA levels in a natural, safe manner, so you can still get all of the benefits without all of the side effects.
One of the unique aspects of GABA Brain Food is that it contains key ingredients, such as citrulline, to help GABA cross the blood-brain barrier, which is typically a sticking point for most GABA supplements.
GABA Brain Food Benefits
The primary benefits of GABA Brain Food are:
Reduced Stress
GABA Brain Food is advertised to reduce stress and promote more mental calmness by increasing GABA, which helps the brain to simply slow down.
Enhanced Relaxation
Similarly, GABA Brain Food is touted to enhance relaxation via the same process, so you can get that rest and rejuvenation you need.
Improved Sleep
Lastly, GABA Brain Food is designed to reduce those “tired but wired feelings” and help you shut off the mind at night, leading to better sleep quality.
These are certainly some benefits that many people would willingly receive. But will GABA Brain Food actually work? Read on to find out!
GABA Brain Food Ingredients
GABA comes with a select handful of ingredients, which include:
- GABA
- L-Citrulline
- Rosemary Leaf Extract
- Grape Seed Extract
GABA
Just like most GABA-boosting supplements, GABA Brain Food contains GABA itself, which is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. It is well-established that GABA plays key roles in stress reduction and sleep quality.
However, GABA supplementation isn’t always that beneficial since it doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier very well, which may lead to physical but not necessarily mental relaxation.
But there is still some evidence showing that GABA supplementation may reduce stress and improve sleep, especially if it involves a more bioavailable form of GABA.
And that leads us to the next ingredient.
Recommended Dose: Anywhere from 200 to 2,000mg, depending on condition
L-Citrulline
L-citrulline (citrulline) is an amino acid usually found in pre-workout products (for example: Cutler Nutrition Prevail and Primal Surge) because it can increase arginine and nitric oxide levels, which boosts blood flow.
But this same increase in blood flow may help GABA enter the brain more efficiently and have greater effects. Plus, increasing nitric oxide by itself has also been shown to increase endogenous GABA production.
And one study found that arginine supplementation alongside GABA led to a nearly 400% increase in brain GABA levels compared to controls.
Now, that was arginine, but since citrulline increases nitric oxide too (usually even BETTER than arginine) these effects should be similar, if not even better.
Recommended Dose: 1,000 to 3,000mg
Rosemary Leaf Extract
Rosemary leaf extract is an herb known for its rosmarinic acid content. Rosmarinic acid is able to inhibit GABA transaminase, which is an enzyme that breaks down GABA.
So, inhibiting this enzyme allows GABA to stay in the body in its active form for a longer period of time.
And studies have shown that rosemary has benefits for sleep, anxiety, stress, and mood, but more human research is needed.
Recommended Dose: 500 to 1,000mg
Grape Seed Extract
The fourth and final ingredient in GABA Brain Food is grape seed extract. Grape seed extract is rich in polyphenols and other healthy bioactive compounds.
It has been shown to increase nitric oxide levels via the endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway, which also leads to widened blood vessels and improved blood flow.
Thus, its proposed effects are similar to citrulline, in that it is supposed to help GABA cross the blood-brain barrier more effectively.
Plus, one human clinical study also showed that grape seed extract lowered perceived stress, so it might have some direct effects too.
Recommended Dose: 100 to 300mg
Does GABA Brain Food Work?
GABA Brain Food is likely a pretty good supplement for boosting GABA and relaxation, but there are ways it could be better too.
On the plus side, all of the ingredients are well-researched and generally proven to offer the effects that Natural Stacks claims.
And the dosage for GABA that they use is well within the clinically effective range, so that’s another benefit.
They also provide a really unique approach in trying to optimize GABA bioavailability by including citrulline and grape seed extract, which do enhance blood flow.
However, the doses in GABA Brain Food are pretty low compared to the research (granted, those studies are for exercise performance and cardiovascular health, so it’s sort of unclear if the dosage needs to be as high for boosting GABA).
The inclusion of rosemary leaf extract should also help to boost GABA, but the dose for this is also on the lower end.
It also would’ve been smart for Natural Stacks to include additional herbal ingredients known to support enhanced production of GABA, such as lemon balm, passionflower, and valerian.
You can find some of those other ingredients in products such as Mood Up Stress Down.
But overall, it’s still likely a decent supplement to increase GABA and support calmness.
Claims vs. Reality
Generally, GABA Brain Food should be able to reduce stress, enhance calmness, and promote better relaxation and sleep. So, their claims can pretty much be stood by.
After all, they use ingredients that boost GABA production and increase its effectiveness, so that should lead to those “chill-out” effects you’re after.
But just be aware that it might not work for everyone, and that the effects will differ depending on the person.
GABA Brain Food should probably help decrease mild to moderate anxiety, stress, and sleep problems, but it may not put much of a dent in more severe issues.
So, it’s important to be realistic.
The good thing is that GABA supplements are usually faster acting and typically start to work the first time you take them. So, if you are someone who could benefit, you’ll likely know right away. But the maximum benefits will still probably have to take a couple weeks.
Who is GABA Brain Food Best For?
GABA Brain Food is best for people who want to reduce their mild to moderate stress and anxiety while also improving overall sleep quality.
It may not be enough for people with more severe problems, but it’s worth trying out if you feel more stressed and anxious than you’d like and want a supplement to dietary and lifestyle practices for achieving overall balance and mental wellness.
Is GABA Brain Food Safe?
Possible side effects of GABA Brain Food include:
- Upset stomach, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, etc.
- Headache
- Sleepiness
- Muscle weakness
- Shortness of breath
- Tingling in extremities
- Numbness
- Itchy scalp
Where to Buy GABA Brain Food
You can buy GABA Brain Food on the Natural Stacks website at this link.
Each bottle contains 20 servings (60 capsules). The regular price is $39.95 ($2.00/serving), or you can save 20% by choosing the Subscribe & Save option, which lowers the price to $31.96 ($1.60/serving); you can get it delivered every 1, 2, or 3 months.
Looking at the price, it is somewhat expensive per serving but certainly still pretty affordable. I’d like to see either the dosages a little bit higher or the price per serving a little bit lower to really say you’re getting your money’s worth, but it’s still pretty good overall.
And they also offer a 30-day 100% happiness, money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with Serotonin Brain Food, just let them know, and they’ll refund you; you don’t even have to return the bottle (unless it’s after the first time).
Save up to 20% on GABA Brain FoodWe scour the web for the best deals on supplements. Want to get up to 20% off your order of GABA Brain Food? Click the button below to get this deal!GET THE DEALHow to Take GABA Brain Food
You are supposed to take 1 to 3 capsules of GABA Brain Food as needed, likely on days when you have higher stress and anxiety and/or trouble sleeping.
Final Verdict: GABA Brain Food Review
GABA Brain Food provides a unique approach to GABA supplementation by increasing the bioavailability of GABA through some key ingredients. However, some of the ingredients aren’t dosed very high, and it’s missing out on some more beneficial ingredients.
Even still, GABA Brain Food is, altogether, a pretty good GABA supplement worth buying if you want to try it out for mental calmness, stress reduction, and sleep support.
