Bacopa Monnieri Helps Support Memory, Speed of Learning and Energy Levels.
Bacopa Monnieri is a natural herb native to the wetlands of Europe and Asia. Studies suggest that Bacopa Monnieri supplements increase the cerebral blood flow and help activate choline. Choline affects the receptors in your brain that gives you sharper focus and attention.
One research study with healthy adults aged 65 or older showed…
"Significant improvements in attention (less likely to pay attention to irrelevant information), working memory and less anxiety and depression."
Further studies went on to show that the speed of learning, memory capacity and increased energy levels improved greatly over a 12 week period (relative to a 5 week period).
Rhodiola Rosea Has A Pronounced Effect On Mental Fatigue, Stress, And Anxiety.
A study testing the fatigue of students caused by stress during final exams showed that over a 20 day period, the students participating in the study achieved 8.4% better grades than the students taking a placebo.
Another study including physicians working the night shift found that the doctors taking Rhodiola Rosea had a clear anti-fatigue effect, in some cases as much as 20% improvement in performance during a 24-hour shift!
None of the participants in any of the studies reported any negative side effects.
As Vitamin D Levels Decrease, Cognitive Impairment Increases.
Receptors for vitamin D are found throughout the brain and play a critical role in making memories.
The researchers from the University of California, Davis, and Rutgers University found that memory skills declined two to three times faster in those with low blood levels of the vitamin compared to those with adequate vitamin D levels.
A team of researchers at Tufts University in Boston analyzed vitamin D blood levels in over 1,000 people over the age of 65 to determine its relationship to cognitive function. Out of the 1,000 study participants, 65% had “insufficient” or “deficient” levels of the sunshine vitamin. These people performed worse on tests of executive function (such as reasoning, flexibility, and perceptual complexity), attention, and processing speed compared with those who had optimal levels of vitamin D.
“This work, and that of others, suggests that there is enough evidence to recommend that people in their 60s and older discuss taking a daily vitamin D supplement with their physicians,” said study author Joshua Miller, now at Rutgers.
The active P5P form of Vitamin B6 brings down homocysteine levels.
“A group of experts reviewed literature evidence from the last 20 years and they concluded “that elevated plasma total homocysteine is a modifiable risk factor for development of cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease in older persons.”
One study showed that “Low vitamin B-6 concentrations were associated with lower MMSE and worse attention and executive function in the multivariate analysis"
Folate May Slow Down And Lower The Risk of Cognitive Decline
Folate intake was positively associated with performance on a variety of measures of cognition (speed, memory, and fluency).
It has also been found to improve cognition in healthy adults.
A recent study from Oxford University showed over a two year period that brain atrophy in people taking folate was 53% lower in the active treatment group - that's 53% less brain decay in only two years!
Not only that, in Holland, they have found that people taking a daily dose of folate supplementation for three years increased cognitive function, specifically memory and information processing.
Vitamin B-12 Has A Positive Impact On Performance
Your body's vitamin B-12 levels directly affect many neurological functions. This includes neurotransmitters that are crucial to psychological functioning. Vitamin B-12 appears to lower both the risk and rate of cognitive decline.
Data suggests that B12 supplementation may have a positive impact on global cognitive functioning and in particular on the performance of memory tasks. Indicating that there may be a role for B vitamin supplementation in lowering the risk of cognitive decline.
A study out of Australia showed that linear effects were also observed for younger women for whom vitamins B-12 intake was associated with memory performance.