Brain enhancers: Can they work?
Dear Reader,
A pill to boost your brainpower - science fiction or reality? Several companies will tell you: reality. SmartNootropics is one of them. Their Smart Stack nootropic capsules are supposed to boost your memory, focus and energy. Do they work? Exam period is just the right time to try it out. SmartNootropics sent me a bottle for an honest review.
The capsules arrived yesterday. I took the first this morning before my French exam. I felt like I knew all the answers - but was that because I studied the right grammar chapters, or was it because Smart Stack helped me remember everything better? We'll see how the other exams this month turn out.
Meanwhile, let's take a close look at the list of ingredients. What nootropic substances are in these capsules and what do they do?
Alpha-GPC: L-Alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine
This substance passes the blood-brain-barrier. Your nerve cells turn it into Acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. In doses between 300 and 1,200 mg daily, it helps stroke patients recover. In experiments with rats, it helps the animals learn faster. There's no study data available about its effect on healthy people. Those 450 mg daily might or might not enhance your memory.
L-Theanine
This substance creates part of the taste of green tea. You won't notice any of that in the capsule, of course. Together with caffeine, L-Theanine can reduce stress and improve your mood. A good idea for exam period! And caffeine appears later on the list.
Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Scientific studies are inconclusive about this one. Your body usually produces the amount it needs. One proven effect of ALC supplements: They might help a little against depression.
Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine)
This vitamin appears in fruit, vegetables and grain. If it's missing from your nutrition, brain performance will drop. Supplementing sounds like a good idea for people who don't eat their greens. But be careful: A supplement with more than 20 mg daily can increase your cancer risk on the long run, if you are male.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamine)
Another vitamin your nerves and brain cells need. This one appears in meat, eggs, milk and dairy, fish - in short, all foods of animal origin. Vegans tend to lack Vitamin B12 if they don't take a supplement.
Zinc
This mineral can, indirectly, work as an antioxidant. It's also used to treat depression and to prevent age-dependent macula degeneration. Zinc deficiency can impair your mood and cognitive performance. Supplementing can make sense if you don't get enough zinc in your food.
Magnesium
Another mineral you should be getting from your food if you're eating right. If you're not, magnesium deficiency can cause muscle cramps. And supplements seem to increase cognitive performance in alzheimer's patients.
Guaraná (contains Caffeine)
The short-term effect of guaraná: Its caffeine will keep you awake for those long nights of studying. Each capsule of Smart Stack supplement contains the caffeine dose of about half a cup of coffee. Guaraná itself is supposed to enhance your performance. A placebo-controlled trial in 2004 showed that it makes you more alert and increases your speed in certain cognitive tasks, but it might cost you some accuracy. Small doses (75 mg of extract) seem to work better than large ones. All the studies so far had few volunteers, so there's little evidence.
Rhodiola rosea
Known as roseroot, golden root or king's crown, this yellow flower grows in cold regions. Traditional herbal medicine uses the dried leaves to alleviate fatigue and high-altitude-sickness. In Sibiria, people believe the root extract to enhance memory and focus. (They also use it against impotence.) What does science say? Not enough studies, and the few that exist are of low quality. But since traditional medicine has been using the plant for a long time, R. rosea extract might really be of some help against fatigue.
Bacopa monnieri
A little white flower that grows in tropical and subtropical climates around the globe. It's known as water hyssop, brahmi or Indian pennywort. Ayurvedic medicine uses this plant to treat cognitive and neuronal defects. What does science say? B. monnieri extract does seem to make volunteers a little faster in cognition tests.
Black pepper extract
Black pepper contains piperine, which seems to protect a little against alzheimer's. However, it doesn't change the cognitive performance of young adults.
To take or not to take?
Looking at the list of ingredients, we found three that might enhance cognitive performance in healthy adults. One protects against alzheimer's - not relevant yet for most university students. Two reduce stress and fatigue. That is relevant for university students. One ingredient helps a little against depression. Four are vitamins and minerals you usually get from your food. But if you aren't eating right because of all that studying, a supplement might be a good idea.
Will these capsules help me get better grades this exam period? We'll find out. Smart Nootropics generously sent me a month's supply. Enough to get me through my dozen subjects. I'll keep you updated.
Yours sincerely
Christina Widmann
