The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, and it needs to be nurtured with all the right ingredients to support many aspects of healthy cognitive function.
According to President of Florida-based HP Ingredients, Annie Eng, as a result of the growing concern for brain health, many companies are formulating new cognitive supplements to address this consumer need.
President and Senior Scientist for New Jersey-based PTM Food Consulting, Peter Maletto added that the state of the brain health market is at the very beginning of a nutrient revolution that will push for a better quality of life through specific nutrition, continually learning about how the brain functions and how environmental and dietary factors contribute to brain aging. However, due to new ingredients and scientific research, the market has increased awareness on how it is possible to increase consumers’ intelligence and sensory perception with nutrients beyond the predictors of aging and genetics.
“Lately, new ingredients, research and new technology has brought brain nutrition to an entirely new level,” he explained. Therefore, the supplement market is becoming even richer in functional cognitive ingredients as consumers look to enhance and influence brain function.
Brain Drain
While aging brings the benefits of wisdom and experience, it is also associated with mild memory loss, as well as short-term recall of faces, names, numbers and words—symptoms often referred to as ‘senior moments,’” noted Novel Ingredient Services, a New Jersey-based ingredient supplier.
According to Lynda Doyle, vice president of global marketing at New Jersey-based OmniActive, neurodegenerative diseases include, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease (HD) Down’s syndrome (DS), multiple sclerosis (MS), glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic encephalopathy (DE). All neurodegenerative diseases share an inflammatory process involving increased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and oxidative damage to lipids, nucleic acids and proteins, she said.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.2 million Americans had Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, including approximately 200,000 individuals younger than age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s, said Eng. And by 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease may nearly triple, from five million to as many as 16 million.
Brain Boosters
The human brain is made up of about 100 billion brain cells (neurons) that drive our thinking, learning, feeling and state of mind. According to the Society for Neuroscience, some very recent studies suggest that the strength of a memory can relate to how many new neurons remain in the brain after learning. Yet, as people grow older, brain cells diminish.
Maletto noted that the most exciting area of brain enhancement is “neurotransmitter manipulation,” which can be achieved with certain amino acids, as well as specific plant components that have active ingredients to boost the chosen path of cognitive influence. In fact, neurotransmitters have been known to directly influence dietary supplements, and recent documents have shown that as much as 20 to 40 percent have increased brain activity with dietary nootropic synapse enhancers, he explained.
Chase Hagerman, brand director for Texas-based Chemi Nutra, said that his company has offered two popular ingredients, SerinAid PhosphatidylSerine (PS) and AlphaSize Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (A-GCP), for brain health for about a decade.
A-GCP’s properties increase the immediate formation of acetylcholine, which is the cell’s primary neurotransmitter chemical, he explained. The ingredient may play a crucial role in cognitive function and is highly involved in the transmission of impulses from neuron to neuron and in all brain-based cognitive operations. PS, on the other hand, is more of a protein-specific ingredient. According to Hagerman, “PS assists proteins that manage membrane functions that are involved in transmission of molecular messages from cell to cell, helps nutrients enter into cells, and helps harmful stress-related waste products to exit the cells.” In fact, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) granted two health claims for PS and made a statement that said the ingredient may reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia in the elderly.
HP Ingredients’ NeuroActin ingredient may be able to protect post-synaptic protein loss. NeuroActin is a standardized extract of andrographis paniculata, standardized to andrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide and neoandrographolide, which is U.S. patent pending. The ingredient is derived from the plant andrographis paniculata, a traditional herb from Southeast Asian medicine, and has been known to be a common anti-inflammatory agent. In addition, it shows effects in the central nervous system, including a reduction of oxidative stress, and increased potency of the vitamin E effect.
Better Mood
Not all ingredients tend to the physical aspect of brain health. Mood enhancing and brain alertness ingredients are being sought after, as well, but not without a struggle. When the FDA banned ephedra, the industry had no success finding an alternative just as strong, and when DMAA (geranium extract) surfaced, it was said to be harmful to consumers’ health. For a safer yet effective replacement, PTM Food focused its efforts on new ingredients with the nutrient theacrine, or the “nature identical” Teacrine, which is patented and distributed by Compound Solutions. Multiple studies with humans and animals have reported additional benefits way beyond the typical neurochemistry of caffeine, for example, improved alertness and neural drive, analgesia (reduced sensation of discomfort), liver health and diminished adaption or sensitization phenomena, the company explained.
Teacrine is also a dopamine and energy enhancer that helps provide a feel good mood, which, according to Maletto, makes it the top cognitive nutrient in the industry for years to come. He explained that based on recent studies, the brain contains only 2 percent of the body’s weight and consumes approximately 20 percent of the body’s total energy and 80 percent of the brain’s energy is used for brain’s signaling processes—which opens up a market for theacrine.
Along with the promise of theacrine, Maletto pointed to a few other influential ingredients for brain health. Amino acids, such as tyrosine and DL phenylalanine, and old standards that are still mainstays in the feel-good dopamine influence on the brain. Acetylcholine, he noted, acts as a neurotransmitter that helps increase memory, retention and learning influence in the brain. Disruptions in acetylcholine neurotransmission are associated with many memory-related or age-associated disorders, and result in impairments in learning memory and cognitive processing, alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine (GCP), a cognitive acetylcholine enhancer form of choline. “However, GCP is not the ordinary form of choline,” he said. “GCP is a source of phospholipids and choline. It is utilized for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in the brain, and for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, this one of the chemicals that enable brain cells to communicate with each other.” Still, too much choline could be hazardous, so he recommended the acetylcholine esterase (AChE) enzyme that breaks down excess choline.
PTM Food offers another ingredient that is just breaking out of its shell in the American market, and being recognized for its attributes, including positive cognitive health benefits—cannabidiol (CBD). Long overshadowed by THC, Maletto said many scientific references suggest that CBD could help people with anxiety by managing their symptoms with doses ranging from 200 to 400 mg. “The only issue,” he said, “is that CBD is very costly at the moment, however, when it is fully legalized, we could see this market as one of the largest, most effective forms of cognitive enhancement we have ever seen.”
Omega-3s
According to Dan Lifton, president of New York-based MayPro, one of the core ingredients that continue to lead sales for brain health is omega-3s. The omega-3 LC-PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been proven to support cognitive function and mood, such as depression. Supporting that statement, Dr. Isaac Berzin, founder and chief technology officer for Israel-based Qualitas Health said, “The 2011 meta-analysis by Sublette et. al., shows that EPA–and more importantly, unopposed EPA–can be effective to treat depression.” In addition, DHA is able to attach and fend off the receptors, but without initiating the same anti-inflammatory cascade, he continued. The company’s brain and mental health ingredient, Almega PL, is rich in EPA omega-3 oil with phospholipids and glycolipids, which have been shown to have high bioavailability. Berzin noted that one way to ensure an effective dosage is incorporating ingredients with high bioavailability.
Research and Efficacy
Two other natural mood boosters include PLT Health Solutions’ Zembrin Sceletium tortuosum and Synapsa Natural Memory Support. “These represent two distinct needs in the cognitive health market and both ingredients have excellent science supporting them,” Executive Vice President, Seth Flowerman explained. According to the company, Zembrin is the world’s first patented, standardized and clinically studied extract of Sceletium tortuosum, a succulent herb commonly found in South Africa, which has been used to relieve stress with mood-enhancing effects. “The strong convergence of historical, anecdotal, in-vitro, in-vivo and clinical information provides compelling evidence that supports Zembrin’s experiential stress benefits,” Flowerman added.
Vice President, Medical & Scientific Affairs with PLT Health Solutions, Dr. Barbara Davis reported that in 2014, the company, along with HG&H Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd., announced their published study “Acute effects of Sceletium tortuosum (Zembrin), a dual 5-HT reuptake and PDE4 inhibitor, in the human amygdala and its connection to the hypothalamus.” The double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial using 16 healthy university students showed that 25 mg of Zembrin reduced anxiety-related activity of amygdala, and its associated anxiety circuitry within only two hours of being administered. “When you look at what the market has been in the past for mood products like St. John’s wort, 5-HTP, valerian and others, Zembrin represents both an economic and social opportunity for our industry to provide a safe, effective and high-quality product that can tangibly improve the quality of peoples lives,” Flowerman said.
PLT’s Synapsa Natural Memory Support, is backed by six double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies, where healthy adults showed great improved performance in the following areas–visual processing, learning rate, working memory, information retention, mental activity. Synapsa is the standardized form of Bacopa monnieri, which has more than 30 years of research. The studies have shown support of two types of benefit from Synapsa Natural Memory Support—daily long-term use to enhance learning and memory, and short-term use to improve mental performance in cognitively demanding situations, for example, test taking, Flowerman said.
OmniActive Health Technologies offers CurcuWIN Tumeric Extract (min. 20 percent curcuminoids). According to Doyle, “In addition to its documented brain health benefits, curcumin has demonstrated benefits for in several areas of health: heart, joint, immune, gut and sports nutrition.” Curcumin has demonstrated its ability to support a variety of heath benefits related to inflammatory response and oxidative stress. With high bioavailability and dispersibility in water, the company allows manufacturers to expand their applications beyond tablets and capsules. The company used its UltraSOL Nutrient Delivery System to enhance the bioavailability and solubility of curcumin by dispersing a highly purified powder (95 percent curcuminoids) in a water-soluble carrier along with other food grade excipients and antioxidants so that it can stop the degradation of curcumin. “The result is a turmeric extract powder (20 percent curcuminoids), with solubilized curcuminoids in a special food grade matrix, which withstands metabolic degradation and enables higher uptake of curcuminoids in a naturally balanced ratio,” Doyle noted.
Lutein and zeaxanthin can also play a role in the brain’s development and health, in fact, 75 percent of carotenoids in the brain are lutein and zeaxanthin, Doyle continued. OmniActive offers Lutemax Free Lutein, Lutein Esters and Lutemax 2020 Lutein with Enhanced Levels of Zeaxanthin Isomers. The award-winning Lutemax 2020 provides tons of premium lutein enhanced with zeaxanthin isomers, specifically 5:1 lutein and zeaxanthin ratio helping address common inadequacies in the diet to help visual function and macular health. Because its dose is higher than most commercial forms, the company explained, formulators could add nutritionally relevant amounts to their products.
“It’s important to formulate products with ingredients at dosages supported by clinical research, and not ‘fairy dust’ to capitalize on popular or up-and-coming ingredients,” said MayPro’s Lifton. The company created two researched and studied ingredients, BioPQQ and Bluenesse. During double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have backed-up BioPQQ claims of improving spatial awareness, short-term memory and concentration. “BioPQQ has been used in all of the clinical studies on PQQ published to date and is the only natural NDI (new dietary ingredient)-accepted PQQ on the market,” he said. Its newer brain health product is a proprietary extract of lemon balm, which has been used as a calming herb for mental performance, and ETAS, a proprietary ingredient derived from the lower half of asparagus stalks so it can help boost production of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), as well as helping to increase sleep quality and cognitive performance, plus improve stress.
Moving Forward
According to Eng, “Manufacturers are looking for new ingredients and ideas, with unique mechanism of action, proven effective and address more than what the traditional St. John’s wort can offer.” There is remarkable room for growth in this area–particularly in the area of cognitive performance related to study and work, he said.
“There is no doubt that the ingredients that will be most successful will have an experiential effect on consumers,” Flowerman added. “This produces positive reinforcement and better compliance on an on-going basis. We have had success with ingredients that generate results on a short-term or acute basis, as well as based on scientific studies.”
Feeling ingredients kick in immediately is one of the benefits of the growing market in brain health, Maletto said. Another obvious benefit is when manufacturers have a clear understanding of brain biochemistry. “The manufacturer or supplier should be able to provide information to support any labeling claims so that the consumer can make an educated decision on whether it will benefit their health or not.”
Flowerman agreed it is vital to have quality science as a foundation for the value deposition for the consumer and as a source of label claims on consumer products. “Further, he said, “manufacturers should keep their eyes open for new, well-researched ingredients that address more than one ‘mechanisms of actions,’ while keeping up-to-date with current research, since the market has many natural ingredients being used for multiple concerns.” NIE
For more information:
Chemi Nutra, (512) 823-2500
HP Ingredients, (941) 749-7066
Maypro Industries, LLC, (914) 251-0701
OmniActive Health Technologies, (866) – LUTEMAX (588-3629)
PLT Health Solutions, Inc., (973) 984-0900
PTM Food Consulting, Inc., (888) 736-6339
Qualitas Health, +1 432-242-4620, ext. 105
