People are becoming more concerned about brain deterioration at an early age, putting the onus on consumers to make necessary lifestyle changes, and suppliers to provide ingredients with proven science.

According to Kathy Lund, vice president of business development and marketing for California-based AIDP, a supplier of functional ingredients, more than $172 billion was projected to be spent on total U.S. care for Alzheimer’s patients in 2010, which presents a major cost to families and society. Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased 66 percent between 2000 and 2008, while deaths from other major diseases, including the No. 1 cause of death—heart disease—have decreased.

Due to these telling statistics, consumers are increasingly concerned about the loss of cognitive function, which includes all aspects of perception, recognition, conception, sensing, thinking, reasoning, remembering and imagining, said Lund. “Also of issue is experiencing difficulty or failure for immediate or delayed recall, in processing or completing tasks and processing new information. As such, the cognitive health market is an emerging segment with triple-digit growth in the supplement category. The forecast is for continued growth and diversification,” she said.

“In recent years, we have definitely noticed an increasing interest among consumers for natural product solutions for cognitive functions,” agreed Sebastian Bornet, director of global marketing for Horphag Research, the Switzerland-based makers of Pycnogenol®. “Healthy and active aging has been at the core of our research for the past 40 years.Nowadays, people are very much aware they can live longer. The question is how.” 

Further, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), dementia is the greatest cause of years lost due to disability in adults over 60 in highincome countries. Dementia is a syndrome caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, behavior, thinking and ability to perform everyday activities. As a result, consumers are looking at natural, safe and efficient product solutions, Bornet said.

Lifestyle Matters 

While many people correlate memory and cognition issues with age, lifestyle is proving to be a top factor in brain health.

“Lifestyle is definitely playing an important role in brain deterioration,” said Bill Levi, vice president of operations and business development for New York-based Nutrition 21, an ingredient supplier for more than three decades.“There recently was a flurry of discussion in the media around the apparent tie-in between diabetes and a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s. In fact, some researchers refer to Alzheimer’s as ‘type III diabetes’.

“The brain utilizes more glucose than any other organ in the body,” Levi explained. “As we have all experienced, either too little or too much glucose can have an effect on our mood and energy levels. Therefore, it stands to reason that poor glucose metabolism over a long period of time could have an effect on brain health.” 

“Undoubtedly, nutrition also affects your neurons,” added Lund, who noted that a diet high in sugar and saturated fat diminishes neurogenesis, whereas other foods increase it, such as tea and blackberries, which contain a substance called epicatechin that improves memory.“Chronic emotional stress decreases neurogenesis. Drugs such as nicotine, overuse of alcohol and opiates decrease neurogenesis.”

More specifically, according to new research done by scientists from the Oregon Health and Science University and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer’s disease—while “junk food” diets produced just the opposite result.

The study was done with 104 people, at an average age of 87, with no special risk factors for memory or mental acuity.It tested 30 different nutrient biomarkers in their blood, and 42 participants also had MRI scans to measure their brain volume. The most favorable cognitive outcomes and brain size measurements were associated with two dietary patterns— high levels of marine fatty acids, and high levels of vitamins B, C, D and E. Consistently worse cognitive performance was associated with a higher intake of the type of trans-fats found in baked and fried foods, margarine, fast food and other less-healthy dietary choices.

Lund pointed to other modern lifestyle intrusions that threaten healthy brain function. “Daily stress is contributing to a sense of feeling overwhelmed and impacting sleep quality,” she said.“Adequate sleep helps to maintaining healthy metabolism, learning and memory, and is important for regulating mood and forming emotional memories. insufficient rest adversely impacts our immune system, heart health and brain function.” 

In addition to sleep, exercise is a vital factor that can increase the generation of new neurons throughout life, increase neurochemicals called growth factors and help neurons grow and keep them healthy, said Lund. “Exercise can help treat and possibly prevent depression, anxiety, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. A sedentary lifestyle affects the brain by lessoning mental capacity. There is a clear connection between exercise and cognitive performance.The more exercise, the better performance on verbal, perceptual and mathematical tests. An active lifestyle decreases age-related risks for cognitive impairment and dementia.” 

The interest in brain health grows as people are working longer than previous generations and want to continue to be sharp minded and alert, said Lund.“They want to remain viable and active as they age and continue their quality of life.” Although loss of memory and cognitive function affects both men and women, and is common in the elderly, it is not necessarily a function of aging, as brain growth peaks at age 25, she added.

While cognition products in the past may have been thought of for older demographics, the market is really wide open demographically, agreed Suzanne McNeary, president of Vermont-based NutraGenesis. “Students, professionals of all ages and seniors are looking for enhanced focus. It is a performance-driven category. Take into consideration that many people drink Red Bull or other energy products in the afternoon at work to stay sharp and focused, not just for energy.” 

And according to Blake Ebersole, technical director of Indiana-based Verdure Sciences, recent studies have shown that amyloid-beta and tau begin to accumulate in our brains as early as our teenage years (Braak 2011, Elobeid 2012). “With Western ‘pro-inflammatory’ lifestyles and age, these deposits left unchecked are the direct cause of declining memory and cognitive function. Younger people are now understanding that what they do now will affect their health and cognitive function years from now.” 

Ingredients for the Brain 

According to Ebersole, the market is heading toward products with strong clinical evidence supporting critical aspects of healthy brain aging, “particularly ones proven to reduce as well as prevent accumulation of neuroinflammation and the ‘gunk’ of protein Aggregates like amyloid-beta and tau that cause cognitive decline.” 

The best ingredients are the ones that are shown in clinical studies to address all the critical pathways for healthy brain aging—”especially at low doses in healthy people, and in a short amount of time,” stated Ebersole, who offered that in placebo-controlled clinical research, just 80 mg curcumin (as Longvida® Optimized Curcumin) taken once daily for only 30 days positively influenced amyloid-beta, blood lipids and markers of oxidation, inflammation and physiological stress—all of which are critical for healthy brain aging. “New, groundbreaking research is showing that after just one day, curcumin from a single human dose of Longvida significantly binds to amyloid-beta deposits in the body.” 

Nutrition 21’s Levi agreed that cognitive decline is one of the most feared health issues for Baby Boomers, as they are the ones directly experiencing cognitive decline in their parents and other family members. To help combat this, in May 2010, the company sponsored a clinical evaluation of the effects of Chromax® chromium picolinate on cognition at the University of Cincinnati. The findings showed that supplementation with Chromax chromium picolinate can have a positive impact on recall in an elderly population experiencing cognitive decline. Pre-clinical work showed that chromium from chromium picolinate passed the blood brain barrier in mammals, which is an important indicator for functionality.

Additional ingredients include AIDP’s patented Magtein™, which is the only form of magnesium shown to effectively cross the blood brain barrier, said Lund, adding that it increases brain synaptic density by rejuvenating neural cells.Discovered by a group of scientists at MIT, and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, studies on Magtein have been published in multiple journals of neuroscience— Neuron (January 2010) and The Journal of Neuroscience (October 2011).“Magtein, which has self-affirmed GRAS status, is the only form of magnesium proven to significantly increase brain magnesium levels. Furthermore, animal research showed Magtein improved short-term and long-term memory, spatial recognition and learning as well as alleviating anxiety and phobia in animal models,” said Lund.

NutraGenesis’s Sensoril®, meanwhile, is a multi-patented, clinically proven, standardized extract of ashwagandha.Sensoril has been shown in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study to reduce the inability to concentrate by 75.8 percent and forgetfulness by 57 percent, said McNeary, who added that people feel benefits in a short period of time. “Sensoril also possesses substantiated structure/function claims in mental cognition as well as several other claim areas including stress reduction. Stress plays a significant role in negatively affecting cognition, focus and memory. Sensoril’s stress-inhibiting properties make it a very effective, clinically proven cognition enhancer.” 

Furthermore, several physiological processes need to work at an optimal pace in order to warrant the best cognitive abilities, explained Frank Schonlau, scientific director at Horphag Research.“The first is blood supply because brain function depends on uninterrupted oxygen supply unlike other organs that have anaerobic respiration alternatives,” he said.“Active ingredients like Pycnogenol French maritime pine bark extract have been proven to improve endothelial function.Healthier endothelial functions allow arteries to expand to supply active areas of the brain with oxygen-rich blood.” 

Pycnogenol has also demonstrated the ability to significantly lower F2-isoprostane (developed from oxidized membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids have been linked to cognitive impairment) levels in a double-blind, placebocontrolled clinical trial with 101 Australian senior citizens with moderate cognitive function impairment.“Participants demonstrated decreased cognitive function impairment that coincided with a significant memory improvement as compared to the placebo-treated control group,” said Schonlau.

Trends 

Certainly, manufacturers should always evaluate the science when selecting ingredients; McNeary expressed that this is particularly true for manufacturers of memory and cognition products, who should consider whether the ingredient is clinically proven. “The product has to deliver for the consumer—otherwise it is a onetime sale, which everyone knows does not make a business, brand or product.” 

According to Nutrition 21’s Levi, the science is strongest on a handful of single-ingredient products.Combination products with lower doses of a variety of ingredients are also available, but the science behind these tends not to be as strong, he said.McNeary, however, said that while there are several well-researched and clinically proven ingredients that can stand on their own and deliver the cognition benefits that consumers are looking for, many marketers prefer to create formulas that would include synergistic ingredient combinations.

Schonlau agreed with the latter opinion.“The physiologic processes in the brain involved in gradual cognitive decline are too complex for consumption of a single dietary component to be dealt with,” he explained. “Neurons depend on particular ‘building blocks’ for their membrane insulation and these are especially polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are not present in free form in the membranes but as glycero-phosphatidylcholine esters (lecithin) or glycero- phosphatidylserine esters. These substances are present in food, but supply may be insufficient in those with unhealthy diets. Providing these ‘building blocks’ for neuronal membranes reconstruction together with a powerful antioxidant such as Pycnogenol will greatly improve neuronal function.” 

And while it is up to manufacturers to select science-based ingredients, Horphag’s Bornet said the onus is on the consumer as well. “There is the body and there is the mind. Consumers may not realize that supplementing a healthy diet is just as important to maintaining mental performance as it is to maintaining six-pack abs. High-quality, safe and efficient is not enough.Increasingly well-educated and healthconscience consumers are also looking at both natural and scientifically proven ingredients.”

Extra! Extra!

Visit www.niemagazine.com to learn more about lifestyle, a healthy brain and fit mind.

FORMOREINFORMATION:

■ AIDP, (866) 262-6699
■ Horphag Research, +41 (0)22 710 26 26
■ NutraGenesis, (802) 257-5345
■ Nutrition 21, (914) 701-4500
■ Verdure Sciences, (317)776-3600

B Vitamins May Boost Memory

Older adults who took vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements for two years had greater improvements on short- and long-term memory tests than adults who did not take the vitamins, according to an Australian study. The benefits were modest but encouraging, said author Janine Walker, a researcher at Australian National University, of the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

According to Reuters Health, the researchers asked more than 700 people aged 60 to 74 years to take a daily dose of folic acid and vitamin B12, or placebo pills that resembled the vitamins. The vitamin dose included 400 mcg of folic acid and 100 mcg of vitamin B12, and participants didn’t know which they were assigned to take.

Study participants showed signs of depression, but none had been diagnosed with clinical depression, the researchers said. After 12 months, there seemed to be no difference between the groups in how well people scored on mental tests, including memory, attention and speed. But after two years, those who took the vitamins showed more, if modest, improvement in their scores on the memory tasks.

For instance, on a short-term memory test, those who took the placebo pills improved their score from about 5.2 to about 5.5 over two years. Those who took the vitamins increased their test scores from 5.16 to about 5.6.

“It’s not yet clear how taking vitamins might work to boost brain functioning, and not all studies have agreed on their benefits. Further tests are needed, including whether other groups of people, especially those older than people in the new study, would also benefit from taking vitamins,” Walker said.