Choosing the Best Supplement for Brain Health

There are plenty of reasons you may be considering a brain health supplement. You may want to improve memory now, or prevent memory loss in the future. Are you experiencing brain fog? Maybe you need help with focus or feeling sharp. Or possibly you’re just looking for general support to keep your brain healthy. Whatever your reason may be, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.

When selecting a brain support supplement, be wary of any claims that seem too good to be true. Remember that you can’t out-supplement a poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle. Following brain healthy lifestyle factors synergistically strengthens your brain today and over time, and the role of a quality supplement can be helpful as added support. So, before we dive into brain supplements, let’s review the elements of a brain healthy lifestyle.

Brain Health Lifestyle (hint: nutrition is a big one)

Stress management: Stress is a part of daily life, but chronic stress can impact brain health.​Some great stress relievers include socialization, exercise, mindful movement practices like yoga, and Tai Chi, as well as prayer and meditation.

Restorative sleep: Six to eight hours of quality sleep per night is essential. It allows clearance of waste products from the brain. It’s also important for avoiding chronic conditions like diabetes and depression, which are risk factors for dementia.​

Physical activity: Evidence shows that physical activity can increase neuroplasticity, lower brain inflammation, and reduce the risk of dementia.​1 Even without formal exercise, moving more in your daily life can have a benefit.

Mental fitness: Exercising your brain is just as important as exercising your body. It builds your brain’s resilience. Some ways to build mental fitness are education, learning a second language, playing a musical instrument, and solving puzzles.

Social interactions: Relationships with family and friends are why we exist. Keep them strong! Strong social connections can improve the immune system and are associated with better cognitive function in late life.

Diet and nutrition: Diet can profoundly impact your cognitive performance today and can significantly reduce your risk of cognitive decline. Many studies link the Mediterranean and MIND diets to significantly lower risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. A range of nutrients that are abundant in these dietary patterns have been identified as key to brain health.

Let’s face it, busy schedules can make it difficult to always bring these brain-health lifestyles into your life. A perfect Mediterranean or MIND diet can be hard to stick to all the time. But don’t give up! Research shows that even if you aren’t adhering to these dietary patterns perfectly you can still see benefits to brain health. ​A quality supplement that accounts for any missing brain health nutrients can help you fill in these nutritional gaps.

Choosing supplements for brain health

Not all brain health supplements are created equally. If you’re in the market for one, here are some tips to help you make a choice:

1. A quality supplement for brain health should contain a combination of nutrients rather than a single nutrient; this enables them to take advantage of synergies amongst each other. Look for the most bioavailable (easily absorbed and used by the body) forms and diet-informed dosages (doses that are similar to those found in the most brain healthy diets) that are backed with data that supports their role in brain health and function. Some of these may be familiar to you, like vitamin D, Vitamin E, Omega-3 fats, B vitamins, and magnesium. Others may be a little less familiar, but equally important as part of the complex of brain supportive nutrients found in abundance in the Mediterranean and MIND diets.

2. Investigate the manufacturer: Look for a respected team of experts behind the product. Is a single “doctor” behind the formulation of the product? Or did a well-rounded team of neurologists and nutrition experts with published research in the field work together to create the product?

3. Read the small print: It’s critical to look at the other ingredients listed on the label of any supplement. Choose a product that is free of major allergens or diet-restricted ingredients. A quality brain health supplement should not include artificial colors or fillers, and should contain GMO free ingredients.