Zinc, selenium and other essential minerals offer multiple benefits during a pandemic and beyond.

Some fogs are evocative—billowing in a valley on a hot summer morning or a pre-Halloween night, for example. But brain fog is not a fog that inspires anyone.

Enhanced cognitive abilities is a growing desire among supplement users of all ages—it’s no longer solely an “old people’s” concern.

“Brain health is not just a concern for aging individuals, as it touches the lives of both men and women, young or old, and is among the top five health concerns of consumers aged 18 to 75,” observed Jennifer Weinhardt, BS, MS, senior R&D specialist, Bluebonnet Nutrition, Texas. While today’s active seniors are seeking to prevent the age-related loss of cognitive skills and related mental abilities, there is also a new emerging class of who, she identified, are seeking “’peak cognitive performance’ and a better ‘quality of life.’ This group consists of knowledge seekers and students, making up 40 percent of the population affected by cognitive dysfunction and loss of acuity due to stress.”

Weinhardt referenced a 2013 poll by Trending Machine, which found that Millennials (13-34 at that time) are more likely than seniors over 55 to forget what day it is, where they put their keys, bathe or shower, and bring a lunch. Further, according to the American Psychology Association, Millennials also reported the highest stress levels when compared to all other generations, according to the American Psychology Association.

SPINS data, she added, has shown a nearly $32 million market for products associated with cognitive health, and that:

• 72 percent of consumers are looking for benefits to memory

• 59 percent want to maintain healthy brain function

• 57 percent are looking to prevent memory loss

• 55 percent need help concentrating

• 48 percent are seeking increased focus

• In the year 2000, the average attention span was 12 seconds. When reassessed in 2015, the average attention span had shortened to 8.25 seconds, according to Statistic Brain Research Institute.

• The number of Americans over the age of 65 is projected to more than double in the next 40 years, increasing from 40.2 million in 2010 to 88.5 million in 2050.

Children are an increased focus of manufacturers whose products are fulfilling demand for natural solutions to increasing and sustaining focus, concentration and cognitive acuity. According to Katherine Cole, research and development manager of California-based ChildLife Essentials, cognition and focus gain importance as the child ages—reaching development milestones around the same time as peers is a main concern. For teens and young adults, challenging acuity, memory and focus are important while the brain continues to develop.

Children today face several cognitive health challenges ranging from changing schedules, school unknowns, fear and anxiety, parental job loss and information overload, noted Pamela Wirth, founder of Arizona-based Hello Health and author of Hello, Health: navigating and winning better cognitive and immune function. Other factors that commonly contribute to cognitive issues include poor nutrition and sleep, chronic inflammation, bacterial infections and viruses, and environmental toxins.

“The physicians who advise Hello Health have suggested ingredients that balance the brain gut connection to optimize cognitive and immune health. The supplements suggested include probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins B12 and D3, methylfolate, phosphatidylserine, omega-3 EFAs, frankincense, olive leaf extract and oregano,” she described. “While we understand that a balanced diet gives the necessary vitamins and minerals to the body, it is not always as easy as it sounds to provide kids with the nutrients they need. In addition to diet and genetic disorders such as MTHFR, there is growing research about the gut and its role in cognitive, mood and body health. Many malnourished kids experience hyperactivity, fatigue, autoimmune disorders, allergies, etc.”

Weinhardt added, “The brain health category applies even to children and students developing in a highly competitive academic world and whose parents are committed to supporting their mental performance and academic achievements.”

Gamers—eSports

Another newer and vibrant market for cognitive support is eSports. “eSports has become a rapidly growing segment of the nootropic market,” confirmed Sébastien Bornet, vice president Global Sales & Marketing at Horphag Research. Competitive gamers who are playing for extended periods of time want supplements that support energy, decision-making and focus. In this space, he noted, “consumer interest has evolved from caffeinated energy drinks to science-backed supplements that are shown to support healthy cognition and focus without the side effects of caffeine.” In agreement is Kim Plaza, registered nutritionist, Florida-based ADM Protexin, who commented, “the gaming industry is huge and may partly explain the increase in supplement sales. By understanding the concerns of gamers, retailers can tailor their range to include this demographic.”

Gamers need cognitive function, motor skills and the visual system sharp, according to Cole. “Products containing lutein and zeaxanthin are great for gamers. Studies show not only are these ingredients great for visual health, but they also support cognitive health and function,” she commented.

Cognizin, the branded form of water-soluble citicoline in Bluebonnet’s Targeted Choice BrainPower formula, has been studied specifically for gamers, Weinhardt reported. Citicoline is a naturally occurring nutrient in the brain that helps it stay alert and focused. Cognizin helps enhance communication between neurons, maintain healthy acetylcholine levels, protect neural structures, and support healthy brain activity and energy. A recent clinical trial completed on 250 mg and 500 mg Cognizin daily for gamers demonstrated an increase in both attention span and psychomotor speed in adolescent males after 28 days of supplementation compared to placebo, and found significant increase in motor speed on the finger tap test, and improved attention on Ruff 2 and speed task test.

Modern Problems

As 2021 waits patiently around the corner, there has been dramatic changes in lifestyles that affect mental performance.

One factor everyone of any age has in common, especially today, is stress. “Stress may be the major factor that is impacting all people across gender, age, socio-economic status and education,” explained Jerry Angelini, head of education for Host Defense Mushrooms, Washington. “Stress negatively impacts cognitive function and may increases oxidative damage in the brain. Ergothioneine is a mushroom-derived antioxidant and ergothioneine levels are correlated with cognitive function among other health areas.”

He added that another common factor among all demographics is the status of the gut-brain axis, which heavily influences mental performance.

Bornet observed that one of the most influential factors currently is the ongoing pandemic, which is engendering prolonged stress and anxiety, impacting brain health. Prolonged stress and anxiety can have a profound effect on brain function. He cited a report from Penn Medicine, which showed that pandemic-incurred anxiety has increased the prevalence of what the authors termed “brain fog” in otherwise healthy individuals.

Technology and its social effects have also had dramatic impact on cognitive abilities since the turn of this century. “Screen time and consequently blue-light exposure has increased with greater daily device usage, which affects the brain through the visual system,” said Cole. Then, there’s the impact on memory and information retrieval. “Now that we can have an answer from a search engine in less than a second, it’s interesting to think how many people are still challenging themselves to recall information before looking information up immediately”—and what the long-term impact of this may be.

According to Plaza, there are several hypotheses that suggest that the internet and social media may influence our brains and cognitive processes, such as the variety of instant information that is displayed, encouraging a behavior of attention switching and multi-tasking as opposed to sustained focus. She also pointed to the access to rapid facts, potentially replacing internal memory processes as impacting cognitive function.

“Even compared to 10 years ago, stressors associated with prolonged use of technology are significantly increased,” agreed Angelini.

As all these factors abound with no abatement in sight, adults of all ages are seeking supplements to improve memory retention, focus and cognitive support.

According to 2018 Gallup research, cognitive health supplement use has increased significantly in the previous two years (up from 17 percent to 25 percent), particularly among Millennials and Gen Xers. “It is also encouraging that consumer confidence in the brain health category is on the rise,” stated Weinhardt. “Six in 10 adults believe cognitive health benefits can be achieved by taking nutritional supplements.”

At the retail level, this seems to be the case. Nick Beers, store manager for Garner’s Natural Life of Columbia (South Carolina), related that he typically receives questions about supporting cognitive abilities from older individuals as well as students. “We’re a big college town, and when it’s time for finals we have a lot of college students coming in for supplements that help with memory retention and focus. The older generation has questions regarding supplements that will help with memory and nerve support.”

At Garner’s Natural Life of Columbia, the best-selling brain-support supplements are “the Host Defense mycobotanicals Brain as well as a few others such as Host Defense Lions Mane, Gaia Herbs’ Ginkgo, and our private label Bacopa monniera. I see a mix of customers who purchase these products. It appears as though seniors purchase ginkgo more often but we have a mix of people that purchase Host Defense,” Beers said.

Products

According to Angelini, mushroom mycelium and fermented rice are the foundation of all Host Defense Mushrooms supplements. “Research recently published in peer-reviewed journals describes the strong immune-enhancing activity of mushroom mycelium and the immune-modulating impact the fermented rice exerts,” he said. “The research also explains that the mycelium and fermented rice support tissue regeneration along with the robust immune benefits.”

Host Defense’s MycoBotanicals Brain Energy blends lion’s mane, eleuthero and yerba mate for mental stimulation and endurance. Brain and Body combines turmeric, ginger and cinnamon to nourish the gut-brain connection, increase antioxidant activity, and balance immune hyper-responsiveness and support neuro-regeneration. MycoBotanicals Brain Energy powder can be added to smoothies, stirred into beverages, or added to a recipe, Angelini suggested. Brain Energy provides a small amount of caffeine (11 mgs/serving), and increases mental clarity and energy, plus supports mental endurance. MycoBotanicals Brain capsules and Brain Energy powder can be used together to significantly increase all aspects of cognition, focus and clarity.

Pycnogenol is a known antioxidant shown to boost blood circulation and act as a natural anti-inflammatory, which supports brain health according to Bornet. Pycnogenol also has been shown to stimulate endothelial cells to produce more nitric oxide (NO) which he noted, has multiple beneficial effects on brain function.

A 2018 study found Pycnogenol to improve symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a potential risk factor for dementia and other degenerative cognitive conditions. This research showed that supplementing with Pycnogenol resulted in an 18 percent improvement of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Other studies have shown that supplementing with Pycnogenol can improve attention span, decision making, memory and overall cognitive function in individuals 55 and over; and to improve memory and test scores in college studies.

ChildLife Essentials key brain support ingredients for children—EPA and DHA—have documented safety and efficacy research for brain health and development, according to Cole. She announced, “We’ve gone a step further and combined DHA, EPA, and choline into one product: ChildLife Omega-3 DHA + Choline SoftMelts. Each serving contains 250 mg DHA, 50 mg EPA, 5 mcg (200 IU) vitamin D3, and 42 mg choline to support a child’s nervous system health and development.”

The company’s Pure DHA is also recommended to nourish a growing brain. Nine chewable soft gels provides 270 mg DHA and 180 mg EPA. “Studies revealed that higher concentration of DHA in infants’ brain is linked to improved neurodevelopment and resulted in higher visual and developmental test score,” she said.

Bluebonnet’s Targeted Choice BrainPower Vegetable Capsules are a blend of sustainably harvested or wildcrafted herbal extracts and other nootropics (bacopa whole plant extract, lion’s mane mycelium powder, Cognizin, phosphtatidylserine and wild blueberry extract) that Weinhardt explained supports the brain’s proper response to stress and communication between nerve cells. “These neuroprotective ingredients have been shown to help boost memory (retention/recall) and mental alertness, improve occasional forgetfulness, promote the ability to concentrate, increase attention span, reduce mental fatigue and enhance overall cognitive performance,” she elaborated.

Another avenue of cognitive support is via the microbiota, as research has revealed a clear link between alterations in the gut microbiota composition and cognitive abilities—gut inflammation is a related potential pathogenic cofactor in the development of cognitive deterioration and dementia. “Using probiotic supplements as a potential way to modulate cognitive behavior including learning and memory, is therefore a hot topic of research,” noted Plaza.

In one clinical trial, 12 weeks of supplementation with a multi-strain probiotic supplement was shown to positively affect cognitive function and metabolic status in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, explained Plaza, “Bacillus subtilis PXN 21 strain contained in Bio-Kult Mind was shown to reduce toxic protein aggregation in an experimental model of Parkinson’s disease. Concerning younger adults and students, one study found an improvement in working memory and attention during a sustained cognitive exercise after taking an extract of grape and blueberry. These are rich in polyphenols and provided the rationale to be included within Bio-Kult Mind.”

Of course, there are numerous other brain health/cognitive-support supplements and beverages to select for your customers. The sheer excitement of this category continues to grow as it becomes more and more relevant for a wider variety of individuals to ultimately enjoy a better quality of life through boosting brain power.

Try hosting a quiz show/trivia day where customers who participate can get samples of neuro-support beverages and discounts on brain health products. Celebrate Einstein’s birthday (March 14), which is also Pi day. The point is, this can be a tremendously fun category to promote! VR

For More Information:

ADM/Protexin, www.bio-kult.com; www.protexin.com
Bluebonnet Nutrition Corp., www.bluebonnetnutrition.com
ChildLife Essentials, www.childlifenutrition.com
Host Defense Mushrooms, www.hostdefense.com
HelloHealth, https://hello.health
Horphag Research, www.pycnogenol.com

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