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The Best Supplements for Brain Health
Focusing on your brain’s functionality and health is always important, no matter your age, activity level, or general health. Monitoring brain health can ensure that you can maintain clarity, alertness, and energy levels throughout your life. To ensure better brain health, eating well and exercising regularly are two of the most critical moves you can make. However, taking supplements can also be another way to maintain cognitive functions.
Keep reading to learn more about the best supplements for brain health.
The Different Types of Brain Supplements
Brain supplements occupy a diverse supplement category and can fall under several different classifications. For example, you may decide to take certain nutrients to support your overall health and well-being, such as B vitamins. You may also choose to take specific supplements that are designed to improve brain health by boosting an assortment of cognitive functions. This can include taking supplements to help your ability to concentrate, increase your attention span, or improve your memory.
Below are some of the most common brain support supplement types.
Supplements for Increasing Concentration
The ability to focus on one task at a time is important and necessary so that projects are completed. However, some people are prone to distraction, which may result from an imbalance of nutrients. Some supplements are designed to help you achieve better concentration and keep you on task.
Memory Support Supplements
Memory function is important not only for remembering special moments in your life but also for remembering how to perform everything from daily activities to specialized tasks. When memory function is inhibited, a person’s ability to remember how to carry out basic tasks can be hampered. Memory supplements can be helpful because they are targeted at keeping the neurons that are part of the memory-forming process functioning at peak performance.
Nootropic Supplements
Nootropic derives from the Greek word nous, which means “mind,” as well as the Greek word tropein, which is translated as “to turn.” Any supplement that improves your brain’s performance is part of the nootropic category. Some nootropics are designed to help increase creativity or increase cerebral circulation. Others are meant to help you focus and absorb information.
General Supplements for the Brain
If you are looking for support for overall brain health, you may want to take a variety of nutrient supplements. For example, vitamins are essential for boosting brain function, including one of the best vitamins for brain health, B12. One critical form of B12 contains methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin to boost brain performance and health.
Best Supplements for Brain Health
Although a healthy diet and an active lifestyle are recommended to sustain good brain health, supplements can help reinforce these healthy habits and ensure you are able to sustain cognitive functions. Below are some of the best supplements for brain health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most important supplements that you can take to support the brain. These fatty acid supplements, typically derived from fish oils, are greatly beneficial for the brain. OMEGA fish oil supplements may help decrease inflammation in the body and brain, which helps to reduce your risk of declining cognitive function, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and neurodegeneration.
Caffeine
For those who love caffeine, there is a reason to celebrate – it may help improve brain functions. Caffeine is frequently reported to increase energy levels and improve your ability to focus, boost your mood, and even relieve depression symptoms. Keep in mind that although taking caffeine supplements can provide several health benefits, taking too much can result in insomnia, heart palpitations, and anxiety.
Creatine
Creatine supplements are often used for enhancing physical performance, but this amino acid-rich compound can also improve brain health. Creatine is even theorized to help enhance recovery for people suffering from a concussion or a mild traumatic brain injury. This supplement may also relieve depression and protect against neurodegenerative diseases.
L-Theanine
L-theanine is a beneficial amino acid, typically derived from certain mushrooms and some green and black teas when used in supplement form. It may help individuals who take the supplement to see an increase in the brain’s performance. People may also experience an improvement in focus and concentration.
Vitamin D
While vitamin D is a vitamin, it is also a hormone essential to the body’s overall functioning, including brain health. In short, vitamin D is necessary for brain development. If you do not get enough of this vitamin, you may develop negative health issues over time, such as depression or dementia. Fortunately, one study in Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research has concluded that simple supplementation can help older individuals sustain cognitive health.
While you can get vitamin D from spending time in the sun, a supplement may be needed during the winter, especially if you spend most of your time indoors or cover your skin outside.
B Vitamins
Eight different B vitamins are beneficial to brain health, as they can help prevent memory loss, reduce the decline in cognitive functions, and protect against neurodegenerative diseases. Many people achieve their B vitamin needs through eating a healthy diet. However, many older individuals and those eating a plant diet may need B supplements to ensure that the body does not have a B vitamin deficiency.
Magnesium
Magnesium offers many health benefits, but more recent research has demonstrated that it is also beneficial to brain health. It provides protection for the brain and nervous system to prevent degeneration. One study demonstrated that adults aged 60 and above who took magnesium supplements and ate food that contained high amounts of magnesium performed better on cognitive tests than those who took low amounts of magnesium.
Choline
Choline is an essential neurotransmitter the body needs so that the brain can create acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is essential for developing memories and overall cognitive function. While eating eggs may provide baseline levels of choline, supplementation is a quicker, more direct way to ensure you’re getting enough choline.
How to Boost Your Brain Power with Supplements
As mentioned, eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet is very important to maintaining cognitive health. When you make sure to eat foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, you are helping your body produce the secondary nutrients and send the chemical messages it needs for overall well-being.
Even the most nutrition-focused often find themselves lacking something that the body needs. Fortunately, it is possible to boost brain power with the help of supplements. Below are some additional supplements to take to support brain health.
Resveratrol
A natural compound found in grapes, wine, and other berries, resveratrol can help repair damage in the brain cells. This may help halt declining cognitive performance and increase the blood flow to the brain. Another benefit is the potential ability to help prevent memory loss from worsening over time.
Theobromine
This stimulant is naturally found in chocolate and is another way to help people feel more awake without having to drink coffee or energy drinks. Studies are still being conducted to understand the full extent of this stimulant’s benefits.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
Addressing your overall health is an important part of ensuring brain health, and improving gut health may be inextricably linked to improving brain health. Taking probiotic and prebiotic supplements is one important way to take care of your gut. You can also find prebiotics in certain vegetables, fruits, and grains that produce healthy gut bacteria, while probiotics can be found in yogurt, sauerkraut, and some fermented foods, such as kimchi. However, supplementation is often a key way of maintaining healthy gut bacteria without the fuss.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a shrub that has been used for centuries as a therapeutic supplement. Today, we use it to help support memory function and decrease stress levels. Studies have also found it can help improve cognitive function.
Periwinkle
This delicate flower is not simply for planting in your garden. Periwinkle flower supplement can be very useful, as it is a rich source of a nutrient known as vinpocetine. This nutrient promotes healthy blood flow to the brain and can help you to remain focused on tasks and remember details.
Spearmint
Spearmint is a type of mint that does more than simply freshen your breath – it also contains phenolic compounds like rosmarinic acid. Phenolic compounds may help with concentration. Ashwagandha supplements can be taken with spearmint tea to boost concentration.
Dopamine Supplement
Dopamine is something that the body manufactures and releases to maintain the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, which is why it is known as the “feel good” neurotransmitter. However, dopamine is also involved with important brain functions like memory, concentration, and learning. Over time, the body’s dopamine levels can decrease due to aging or stress. This is why using dopamine support supplements can be helpful in boosting your cognitive function as well as maintaining your ability to focus.
Sage
Sage is an herb that helps the body produce acetylcholine more efficiently. As mentioned, this neurotransmitter is necessary for your brain to operate at its peak performance. Those who have taken sage extract may boost acetylcholine production and remain more attentive with improved memory.
Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
Lion’s mane mushrooms are helpful to the brain’s functions as they promote a healthy flow of oxygen to the brain. They also assist with memory function and focus. Lion’s mane mushrooms have also been known to decrease inflammation and have been used for treating depression and anxiety.
Peppermint
Peppermint (specifically peppermint oil) is a great way to boost your brain power. It contains compounds known as monoterpenes, which support your mental stamina and increase your concentration levels. If you are feeling low on energy or just not feeling well in general, peppermint oil is a good supplement to take.
Using Supplement Combinations
While you’ll find most of these supplements available stand-alone, if you’re looking to boost your overall brain health, you may want to consider a multi-ingredient supplement tailored to your needs. Finding a supplement combo that targets your areas of need means you’ll have fewer supplements to take and can even provide additional opportunities for your body to capitalize on their various benefits. For example, magnesium and B vitamins may be more effective when taken together.
Most brain health supplements are safe to take together, but it’s important to take a look at your supplement lineup to ensure there is no interference. Alternatively, stick with pre-formulated combination supplements to maximize your brain health benefits without the stress.
Increase Your Brain’s Health and Performance with the Right Supplements
Boosting your brain’s health and performance is possible if you eat right, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and choose the right supplements that support brain health. Finding the right supplements is key if you want to increase your energy levels, boost your recall, and stabilize your moods.
Visit our online Health and Wellness Shop to browse our full selection of vitamins and supplements that help support brain health, and get on the way to building a better you.
Sources:
- Lau, H., Mat Ludin, A. F., Rajab, N. F., & Shahar, S. (2017). Identification of Neuroprotective Factors Associated with Successful Ageing and Risk of Cognitive Impairment among Malaysia Older Adults. Current gerontology and geriatrics research, 2017, 4218756. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/4218756
- Tao, M. H., Liu, J., & Cervantes, D. (2022). Association between magnesium intake and cognition in US older adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011 to 2014. Alzheimer’s & dementia (New York, N. Y.), 8(1), e12250. https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.12250
- Xing, D., Yoo, C., Gonzalez, D., Jenkins, V., Nottingham, K., Dickerson, B., Leonard, M., Ko, J., Faries, M., Kephart, W., Purpura, M., Jäger, R., Sowinski, R., Rasmussen, C. J., & Kreider, R. B. (2022). Effects of Acute Ashwagandha Ingestion on Cognitive Function. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(19), 11852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911852
