The brain health category is growing as consumers realize that nutrients target much more than cognitive decline. 

Being able to maintain one’s mental faculties often becomes more of a concern as a person ages.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Brain Health Initiative, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death among adults, as one in eight people age 65 and older (approximately 13 percent) and nearly half of those age 85 and older are estimated to have Alzheimer’s.

Further, the CDC reports that current estimates for the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease range from 2.6 million to 5.2 million Americans, and the risk of developing the disease only increases with age. If the present trends continue, by 2050 as many as 16 million people in the U.S. may be living with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the cost of health care for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is expected to increase from $183 billion in 2011 to $1.1 trillion in 2050.

“In my opinion, brain health is resonating with consumers because it is a frightening health concern that people are seeing some of their loved ones struggle with,” said Chase Hagerman, business development and marketing manager for Minnesota-based Chemi Nutra. “In 2010, the Center for Disease Control found that Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth leading cause of death for Americans; with 83,494 deaths.1 That number jumps to the fifth leading cause of death when you look at individuals aged 65 and older2… And that doesn’t bode well when people think of their future. At age 65, most Americans are still planning to be working. In fact, a recent study conducted by Wells Fargo found that 37 percent of middle class Americans believe they’ll work until they’re too sick or until they die.”3 

Because of the number of health concerns and people wanting to retain their mental faculties as long as possible, the brain health market is evergrowing. “The market for brain health supplement[s] is growing steadily,” said Denise Santulli, marketing manager for Puredia, which is exclusively represented by California-based HORN. “According to Euromonitor International, [the] global brain health food supplements market in 2012 [was] about $1.39 billion, increasing steadily from $1.123 billion in 2007.” 

And according to Bill Levi, vice president, strategy and business development for New York-based Nutrition 21, LLC, the aging population, primarily the Baby Boomer generation, is driving growth. “They are the first generation that fully understand the implications of dementia,” he said. “They have experienced firsthand the tremendous effects that cognitive decline has had on family members; and they are scared. Consumer surveys suggest that [the] fear of cognitive decline is right up there with fears of cancer and heart disease.” 

In fact, brain health is such a concern in the U.S., that President Obama unveiled a research initiative designed to revolutionize the understanding of the human brain. Launched with approximately $100 million in the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative ultimately aims to help researchers find new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury.

Segments of Brain Health 

According to Kathy Lund, vice president of business development and marketing for AIDP, Inc. in California, cognitive issues are divided into two segments: brain decline and emotional decline.“Brain decline includes diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, but also lack of focus and brain fog,” she explained. “Emotional decline is caused by anxiety and stress resulting in poor sleep, anger or the inability to concentrate. A big concern for aging consumers is the loss of brain function, whether that is a disease state or difficulty remembering things.” 

And while cognitive issues are a concern for the aging population, some younger people are dealing with issues such as anxiety, depression, ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), among others. Young people who are healthy are being proactive about keeping it that way after witnessing cognitive decline in their parents and grandparents.

“Baby Boomers dominate that cognitive health consumers’ population segment. General cognitive decline and even more serious conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are becoming alarmingly more prevalent,” said Wael Massrieh, vice president of scientific affairs for Neptune Technologies & Bioressources in Canada. “Depression and anxiety also are commonly diagnosed in adults, whereas children and adolescents struggle with ADHD and learning disorders. The cognitive health market does indeed encompass all population segments.” 

“One trend in the cognitive health category is the increasing interest in people in the 18-65 age group getting help to achieve peak performance— whether it is in learning, memory or mental performance,” added Seth Flowerman, director of business development for PLT Health Solution in New Jersey. “This shouldn’t comes as much of surprise considering the competitive nature of our global society and the increased mental demands of the information age.”

Brain Healthy Ingredients 

There are a number of ingredients from omega-3 fatty acids and Bacopa monnieri to ashwaghanda and curcumin that address brain health issues. For instance, omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive and behavioral function, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Further, a number of studies show that reduced intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with increased risk of age related cognitive decline or dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

“Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been a keystone ingredient experiencing excellent double digit growth in the adult cognitive health segment. This is not completely surprising as DHA is already a key player in the infant brain development and prenatal space,” said Neptune’s Massrieh. “Phospholipids, and especially marine derived omega-3 phospholipids, will be the new keystone ingredients for this market segment. Omega-3 phospholipids are excellent candidates to transport DHA across the blood brain barrier (BBB). The BBB only allows molecules that can cross cell membranes by means of lipid solubility or selective transport to cross into the brain.” 

According to a study4 published in PloS One, University of Pittsburgh researchers recruited men and women between 18 and 25 years of age to take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement daily for six months. The supplement contained 750 mg of DHA and 930 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Before and after the six-month supplementation period, researchers conducted positron emission tomography (PET) scans and blood sample analyses on the subjects, who also took tests to assess their working memory.

After six months of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, the subjects performed better on the working memory test. The scientists noted that this is consistent with previous research showing that increased DHA may improve cognitive performance.

Neptune offers Neptune Krill Oil (NKO®). According to the company, preliminary animal studies and a human clinical study already demonstrated NKO’s benefits on ADHD. More recently, in order to address the growing cognitive health consumer population, Neptune extended its product line by launching a new formulation, NKO Focus that combines NKO with three scientifically validated ingredients, namely, lutein and vitamins A and B1. According to Massrieh, the ingredients in NKO Focus are clinically proven to support both brain health and vision, two organs that complement and are highly dependent on each other.

Bacopa monnieri (also known as Bacopa monniera or Bramhi) has also been touted for its brain health benefits. Bacopa is widely used in ayurvedic medicine for a number of health issues including enhancing memory, analgesia and epilepsy. “In Bacopa monniera, the compounds responsible for brain health are triterpenoids, saponins and bacosides,” explained Vinod Khanijow, executive vice president of HerbaKraft Inc. in New Jersey. “The bacosides help to repair the damaged neurons by increasing the kinetic activity that in turn enhances nerve impulse transmission. When the brain cells start degenerating, this mechanism helps in preventing the damage. Also the high antioxidant activity of bacosides combat the free radicles generated in the brain during various stress conditions,” he noted.

In a study5 published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, researchers in Thailand administered a toxic substance that mimics the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the brain in male Wistar rats. One group of rats also received a bacopa extract for a period of two weeks before and one week after administering the neurotoxin. The researchers found that compared to the control group, bacopa reduced the time needed to escape from a water maze, suggesting a beneficial effect on spatial memory. In addition, it mitigated the loss of brain cells due to the neurotoxin.

PLT Health Solutions’s Synapsa™ Natural Memory Support is a patented, standardized form of Bacopa monnieri that has been the subject of more than 30 years of research. “While most cognitive health supplements focus on the issue of cognitive decline—mainly in an aging population—the studies behind Synapsa focus on ‘peak cognitive performance’ outcomes that offer benefits for a much broader audience,” said Flowerman. “The studies show support for two distinct 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, such as test-taking.” 

Verdure Science’s Bacopa monneri ingredient is Bacognize®. “Our core brain health ingredients include Bacognize (Bacopa monneri) and Longvida® [optimized curcumin] and have been increasingly popular in the brain health market,” said Chelsea Thomas, marketing coordinator for the Indiana-based company. “Consumers’ desire for lower dosage (without reduced efficacy) and more dispensation options have led to the development of Bacognize Ultra and Longvida SD. Along with new clinical research soon to be published on Longvida, we do have two new ingredients in the pipeline.

In addition to Bacopa Monniera, HerbaKraft offers ahawagandha (Withania somnifera). According Khanijow, like bacopa, ahawagandha is known for its beneficial effect on brain health. “In ayurveda, ahawagandha is known as brain tonic known to act in the human body by modulating the neuro-endocrine-immune system and is a rich source of antioxidant,” Khanijow said. “Several scientific studies proved that ashwagandha acts as a stress reliever by regulating the cortisol level.” 

Studies also show that chromium picolinate can help improve memory function in elderly adults with early memory decline. “Proper cognitive function, such as memory, perception and cognition, require consistent healthy glucose metabolism in the brain,” said James Komorowski, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Nutrition 21. “As a result, compromised metabolism of glucose can lead to a breakdown in cognitive function and have a harmful effect on overall brain health by significantly reducing brain glucose transporters. Chromax® chromium picolinate supports brain glucose transporter function and contributes to healthy glucose metabolism, significantly affecting a healthy mood and cognitive function.” 

Branded Ingredients & Credibility 

For the cognitive health category, suppliers say branded ingredients flourish because consumers know they can rely on them. “Branded ingredients will dominate this category because of a need to build trust with the consumer. In the cognitive health category, the branded ingredient lets the manufacturer and the consumer know that the science behind it is of high quality,” said PLT’s Flowerman. “Branded ingredients also represent consistency and safety in product quality.” 

In addition to Synapsa, PLT offers Zembrin, the world’s first patented, standardized and clinically studied extract of an elite selection of Sceletium tortuosum. Sceletium has been used for millennia for its stressrelieving and mood-enhancing effects. According to Flowerman, Zembrin is marketed to nutraceutical and functional food and beverage producers who are interested in incorporating this innovative, evidence-based ingredient in products that experientially support reduced anxiety, enhanced mood and improved cognitive function.

Magtein™ from AIDP is a breakthrough super-mineral with strong evidence supporting cognitive function and brain health. Magtein works via a completely different mechanism by keeping brain cells healthy, without being over activated. When brain cells are healthy and well rested, they will respond to signals with clarity and robustness. According to the company, MIT scientists, including a Nobel Prize laureate, have shown promising results with Magtein in four published preclinical research studies to improve memory, recognition and learning as well as alleviating anxiety and phobias.

Cistanche Pure™ (Cistanche tubulosa) has been one of Puredia’s core ingredients since the company was established in 2010. According to the company, Cistanche Pure affects cognitive function by stimulating the secretion of nerve growth factor (NGF) in neurone. NGF has potent biological activities such as preventing neuronal death, promoting neurite outgrowth, supporting synapse formation and enhancing memory function.

Chemi Nutra offers branded ingredients SerinAid® PhosphatidylSerine (PS) and AlphaSize® Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (A-GPC). “SerinAid PS continues to be one of the most respected raw ingredients for brain health. In fact, it is the only ingredient to have a qualified health claim for cognitive function6,” said Hagerman. “There are two claims, one relates to cognitive dysfunction in the elderly, the other relates to dementia in the elderly.” 

And while there are benefits to having a recognized brand, HerbaKraft’s Khanijow noted that the most important thing is the presence of the active compounds in right quantity. “If the product is evaluated and validated for efficacy and potency, then it doesn’t matter if the product is branded or not,” he said.

Further, many Americans are taking control of their health by learning what they should incorporate into their daily routines, and they are looking for products that contain ingredients with the backing of research. 

“Recently, because of media reports, people are more informed about what they should consume, said Khanijow. “It is becoming difficult to convince consumers about health benefits of the ingredients based on ancient literature. Our customers’ acceptance today completely depends on scientific evidence.”

“Substantiation from quality research is the best means of marketing in my experience,” added Chemi Nutra’s Hagerman. “Consumers know deceitful claims when they see it. Fortunately, consumers these days have a little more discretion and tend to research a product online before they buy. And they have just the tool to do the job on site—smartphones. In fact, a Nielsen report found that over 55 percent of consumers use a mobile device to research an item before they buy it.”7 

According to Verdure’s Thomas, it is important for ingredient manufacturers to demonstrate the credibility of their ingredients, which rely heavily on validated research. “We focus a lot of time and energy into clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of our branded ingredients so that our customers and their customers can feel confident about the quality products they are buying,” she explained.

And as consumers learn about the importance of maintaining a healthy brain, the sky is the limit for the category. “Manufacturer’s interest in the cognitive health category is very strong since it is emerging as one of the fastest growing, broadest segments in the nutrition field,” concluded AIDP’s Lund. “A recent Datamonitor report indicated the segment growing over 11 percent while SPINS indicated growth at 13 percent. The population is aging, working longer and living longer. These factors contribute to stress on cognitive ability and the desire to maintain a youthful brain function.”

Resources: 

1 www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm 

2 www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/10LCID_All_ Deaths_By_Age_Group_2010-a.pdf 

3 www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2013/10/25/work-until-you-die-more-middle-class-americans-saythey-can-never-retire/ 

4 Narendran R, Frankle WG, Mason NS, et al. Improved working memory but no effect on striatal vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 after omega-3 polyunsaturated Fatty Acid supplementation. PloS One. 2012;7(10):e46832. Doi: 10. 1371/journal.pone.0046832. Epub 2012 Oct 3.

5 Uabundit N, Wattanathorn J, Mucimapura S, et al. Cognitive enhancement and neuroprotective effects of Bacopa monnieri in Alzheimer’s disease model. J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Oct 4.

6 www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/ labelingnutrition/ucm073992.htm#qccognit. 7 www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2012/how-ussmartphone-and-tablet-owners-use-their-devices-forshopping.Html. 

Extra! Extra!

Visit www.niemagazine.com to read about about a study that links pesticide exposure to Alzheimer’s disease.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

■ AIDP, Inc., (866) 262-6699
■ Chemi Nutra, (651) 407-0400
■ HerbaKraft Inc., (732) 463-1000
■ HORN (Puredia), (800) 442-4676
■ Neptune Technologies & Bioressources, (450) 684-2262
■ Nutrition 21, LLC, (914) 701-4500
■ PLT Health Solutions, (973) 984-0900
■ Verdure Sciences, (317) 776-3600