In the face of alarmist and dire predictions about dementia, millions of Canadian baby boomers are looking for ways to stay vital and active. If you give them a way to proactively maintain and even improve their brain health, you won’t have any trouble selling it.
All that retailers have to do is identify the products that deliver the good and pass along that information to a legion of consumers who are interested in:
- Increasing their ability to concentrate and focus,
- improving clarity,
- Help prevent or alleviate memory loss,
- Help maintain their mental vitality and improve their capacity to assimilate new concepts,
- Help deal with the depression that inevitably comes with declining health.
So we’ve combined a list of the most effective natural products available to improve and maintain brain health. The order of importance is debatable, because, as with all natural health products, different people have different needs. But most of these ingredients are not just good for everyone – but important or even essential in the quest to maintain brain health.
Many of the items on this list fit into more than a single category. For instance: Pycnogenol and vinpocetine are botanicals that contain high levels of antioxidants. And as a water soluble essential nutrient, choline is often grouped with the B Complex vitamins rather than the phospholipids.
Many of the items on this list fit into more than a single category. For instance: Pycnogenol and vinpocetine are botanicals that contain high levels of antioxidants. And as a water soluble essential nutrient, choline is often grouped with the B Complex vitamins rather than the phospholipids.
Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidization and the resulting production of free radicals, that can damage or kill brain cells (and cells in other parts of the body). A recently concluded study that looked at 5,400 people aged 55+ over a period of 14 years identified no difference in risk between people on high-versus-low antioxidant diets. But as Harvard Instructor of Medicine, Elizabeth Devore, ScD recently told , “The overall message here is it’s the of the antioxidants as opposed to overall levels.” So simply eating more cranberries and blueberries may not do much good, but taking specific anti-oxidants may be invaluable.
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Antioxidants:
Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidization and the resulting production of free radicals, that can damage or kill brain cells (and cells in other parts of the body). A recently concluded study that looked at 5,400 people aged 55+ over a period of 14 years identified no difference in risk between people on high-versus-low antioxidant diets. But as Harvard Instructor of Medicine, Elizabeth Devore, ScD recently told Men’s Health Magazine, “The overall message here is it’s the specificityof the antioxidants as opposed to overall levels.” So simply eating more cranberries and blueberries may not do much good, but taking specific anti-oxidants like Pycnogenol, the carotenoid Astaxanthin or Acteyl-L-carnitine (ACL) may be invaluable.
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Phospholipids:
natural sources include soybeans, eggs, liver, beef, milk, and vegetables and the cabbage family. Alpha GPC has high choline content with very effective bioavailability. Cytidine 5-diphosphocholine (also known as citicoline or CDP-choline) is a choline/cytadine compound that boasts excellent absorption. Related products include Phosphatidylcholine and Choline often marketed as “lecithin products” – even though lecithin is not a particularly effective delivery system. The brain actually has another main phospholipid, Phosphatidylserine (PS) – that boosts memory and concentration. Since the quantities of PS available from natural sources, including cereal grains like rye, legumes and fruit juices are very small, supplementation of PS could be quite valuable.
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Vitamin B Complex:
B Vitamins are said to suppress the amino acid, homocysteine, high levels of which are blamed for brain shrinkage and increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Vegans and vegetarian diets pose some danger of B12 deficiency, because the main natural sources of B12 (meats and yogurts) have been eliminated from the diet. The biggest problem with vitamin B supplements is that they are generally not well absorbed by the body. All absorption takes place in the small intestine, and as we get older, many people suffer various types of intestinal distress that may result in vitamin B12 deficiency – which can cause a progressive degenerative condition of the spinal cord called Subacute Combined Degeneration (SCD) or a disruption of nerve signals between the spinal cord and different parts of the body called Peripheral Neuropathy. While a causal relationship between vitamin B and those conditions has yet to be firmly established, the relationship between hyperhomocysteinemia and Alzheimer’s disease is more certain – and there is no doubt that vitamin B12 in particular is effective in homocysteine suppression. Many vitamin B supplements contain cyanocobalamine, in which the B12 is bound to cyanide. Our livers need to convert it to naturally occurring methylcobalamine. Other than giving yourself subcutaneous injections (with a diabetic syringe into the muscle tissue) – the most effective B12 delivery systems are sublingual tablets (which dissolve under the tongue) and skin absorption (via a skin patch). These generally deliver methylcobalamine – so the body doesn’t need to go through the absorption process and your liver doesn’t have to deal with the toxin (cyanide).
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Omega-3s:
– There are three “essential fatty acids” – so named when scientists determined that they are essential to growth in children and animals. Three forms of omega-3 interact with human physiology: Plant-based omega-3s – known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is shorter-chained than the marine-based omega-3s docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) – which are called “long-chained”. The shorter chained omega-3s are harder for us to synthesize because our bodies must convert them to long-chained fatty acids and as we get older, our bodies gradually lose the ability to do that efficiently. So EPA and especially DHA are considered the more important and more readily usable forms of omega-3. Omega-3s have been shown to relieve depression and anxiety. Preclinical studies indicate that DHA improves memory, and can slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology in mice.
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Botanicals:
A wide category that includes Ginkgo Biloba – the oldest and best known of the traditional medicine treatments. There are a number of other ancient/Ayurvedic medicines believed to have positive effects on brain health. These include Bacopa Monnier (also known as Brahmi) which improves memory and concentration, Mucuna Pruriens (velvet bean) which a mood elevator that eases stress and increases alertness, Kanna – which is a mood elevator and mood stabilizer and Rodeola Rosea – which calms the mind and improves focus. Common herbs said to support mental health include rosemary, tumeric and cayenne.
Bonus Category: Minerals:
Lithium salts have a long and notorious reputation as a treatment for mental illness, but the standard form that was used was lithium carbonate – which is poorly absorbed by the body and has a host of undesirable side effects. Lithium orotate is delivered in smaller, more controllable doses and is much more effectively absorbed. Like calcium and potassium, the body actually requires lithium for good health. Believers are certain that lithium orotate rejuvenates brain cells and modulates mood.
The list above is a good reference chart for when people come looking for products to promote brain health. Over the coming years, there will be more and more products that combine the ingredients in inspiring and hopefully effective ways.
Many of the more traditional products like Webber Astaxanthi and Royal Red Omega-3 Krill Oil are being marketed as traditional, all-purpose supplements. While they may not be marketed specifically as brain health products, they certainly deliver some benefit. Products like Alterra’s NeurOmega are specifically being marketed as brain health products – created to target memory, attention and focus. And some of the newest brain health formulations like Ascenta Spark and Orgen Braineed combine a number of the ingredients we’ve told you about – and some we haven’t (yet). It’s a changing and growing market niche, so put on your thinking caps and get ready to help your more mature customers in the quests to stay vital and active in our changing world.
