Are Supplements That Promise Better Memory For Real?
Plus, the BHK Guide to Brain Health Supplements
Hello, everyone. I am writing to you from the desert in New Mexico where I have been soaking up early summer. While I’ve been working a lot—it is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and my calendar is full of events—I try to get outside even when I write. My favorite spot to work is a screened porch facing the mountains. It’s quiet in the mornings save for the thrum of hummingbirds and a few rowdy ravens.
I’ve spent many hours on the porch this week putting together your latest downloadable guide: the BHK Guide to Brain Health Supplements. Hundreds of over-the-counter products promise better brain health by taking a pill. Baby boomers are gobbling up these supplements in record numbers. An estimated 50% of adults over age 50 take a supplement to improve memory, attention, and focus.
As I went into in the last newsletter, these products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which means they can make claims without supporting data. Some supplements have solid science to back them up and are worthy of your consideration. Most, however, do not. That’s why I wrote the guide—available below—to sort through the science to help you decide if a brain health supplement is right for you, and if so, which one.
There’s no one pill to prevent Alzheimer’s
First, it’s important to know that no supplement has been definitively shown to reduce Alzheimer’s risk. While the research is getting better, there are still very few studies that compare taking a supplement to a placebo over enough years to prove Alzheimer’s risk reduction.
Filling in the gaps of a brain-healthy diet
The most promising brain health supplements draw on what we know about how dietary patterns protect cognitive health. For example, we know that following the Mediterranean and MIND diets can reduce Alzheimer’s risk by about half while improving cognitive function. This comes from a complex combination of factors that includes certain nutrients and bioactive substances that are known to be neuroprotective, such as the omega-3s and vitamin D from fish and the flavanols in colorful plant foods. One way to look at brain health supplements, then, is to fill in any deficiencies you may have from eliminating food groups, not eating enough, or having a health challenge that interferes with absorption. (More on that here.)