Best Vitamins for Memory - Top 5 Nutrients to Boost Your Brain!

  • By Performance Lab
  • 9 minute read
Best Vitamins for Memory - Top 5 Nutrients to Boost Your Brain!

While you’re probably aware that what you eat impacts how you look and feel, most people don’t realize that what you are eating—or aren’t eating—can hugely impact how well your brain functions.

From learning and memory to attention and information processing, science is discovering how the food we eat directly affects our cognition.

A diet rich in brain foods and brain-supportive nutrients is essential when it comes to staying mentally sharp, attentive, and focused.

And because the gut and brain are so heavily connected—you can thank the gut-brain axis—when we give our bodies whole, nutrient-dense foods, we take care of both!

So, what nutrients are needed for brain health and memory, and where can you find them? Among them are omega-3s, B vitamins, phosphatidylserine, and more. Let’s dive in and explore the rest of the list.

The Basics Of Brain Health and Memory

The brain is constantly changing. From the time we’re conceived to the time we pass, the brain is continuously adapting and learning—it’s why 2+2 seemed difficult when you were three, but 45+93 takes just a second to figure out now.

Information is always surrounding us, and thanks to the magic of our brain, we process, decipher, and remember all of this information.

But here’s the thing: the brain doesn’t stay sharp forever, and if you’re not caring for it and exercising it daily, cognitive degeneration becomes real.

And while changes to the brain are a normal part of the aging process, it’s easy to accelerate memory decline and cognitive impairment if you’re not actively taking steps to prevent them. Just as you take care of your body by eating healthy and exercising, you have to do the same for your brain.

Roughly 60% of the brain is composed of fat, while the remaining 40% is made up of water, protein, carbohydrates, and salt 1. And as the homeopathic saying goes, “treat like with like,” meaning if you want to maintain brain health, fear not fat! It’s one of the most important nutrients for keeping the brain healthy at any age.

There’s a lot that goes into keeping the brain healthy and active, but it’s more than just what you eat—you have to care for your brain on both a physical and mental level. That means on top of taking supplements, you need to ensure you’re:

  • Exercising (or moving) daily
  • Sleeping enough
  • Eating a balanced diet
  • Exercising your brain
  • Reducing stress

They’re simple ways to ensure your brain stays electric throughout your life.

Brain Health Supplements

When it comes to supplements that support the brain, we refer to what’s called nootropics. They are any substance that can alter, improve, or augment cognitive performance, primarily through stimulating or inhibiting the synthesis and release of specific neurotransmitters 2.

Essentially, they’re designed to deliver nutrients that enhance mental performance, concentration, memory, and other aspects of cognitive function from every angle—attention, memory, learning, energy, circulation, and everything else that unlocks your brain’s maximum potential.

So, what exactly do these supplements do? They show benefits for:

  • Enhancing memory
  • Preventing cognitive decline
  • Increasing alertness
  • Preventing age-related memory loss
  • Enhancing nerve signal transmission
  • Protecting the brain from oxidative stress and damage

On top of a healthy diet and lifestyle, they’re a one-stop shop for boosting your brain. Keep reading for the best nutrients to boost memory and overall cognitive function.

Best Nutrients For Boosting Memory

B vitamins

The B vitamins are your energy boosters. They’re required for nearly every process in the body, and a deficiency of any one vitamin can lead to cognitive issues.

Specifically, a B12 deficiency has been linked to slow information processing and poor memory function 3. Love circulating cobalamin levels have also been associated with poor cognitive function and accelerated cognitive decline.

Although the mechanism behind B12’s involvement in cognition is slightly complex, it’s due to its role as a cofactor for the enzyme methylmalonyl-CoA mutase.

Inactivation of this enzyme due to insufficient B12 would cause a build-up of methylmalonyl-CoA. It would potentially substitute for malonyl-CoA in fatty acid synthesis, leading to cognitive dysfunction due to an accumulation of abnormal fatty acids in neural tissues 4.

On top of that, B12 is also involved in mood and has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression 5.

While meat-eaters may be getting enough of this brain booster from animal products, vegans and vegetarians might have a tough time.

That’s why adding something like Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi can be helpful—it supplies 100% RDI of 17+ essential vitamins and minerals (including B12) for optimal body-wide performance.

There’s a lot to gain by complementing your diet with a multi like this.

Omega-3 fatty acids

As we said before, the brain is composed mainly of fat, which means healthy fats are a must for brain health—especially DHA. And if you’re looking for a good brain supplement, omega-3 fatty acids are an excellent place to start.

Because your body can’t naturally produce omega-3s, they have to come from food, and they’re used to build brain and nerve cells, making them essential for learning and memory 6, 7. And not getting enough could be linked to impaired learning and depression 7, 8.

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What’s more, omega-3s may also prevent age-related mental decline and help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s 9-11. And while cold-water fatty fish have always been the go-to for omega-3 supplements, there’s something that may prove even better: algae.

It’s the vegan-friendly alternative to fish oil that’s purer, more potent, and more powerful. How? It’s the original aquatic source of marine EPA and DHA.

That way, you don’t have to worry about contamination, rancidity, and odor. And when you choose something like Performance Lab Omega-3, you’re also getting the most potent clinically-backed dosages for maximum brain potential.

Citicoline

Citicoline, also known as cytidine diphosphate-choline (CDP-Choline), is a naturally occurring nucleotide that functions as an essential intermediate in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho), the major phospholipid of all cell membranes 12. Phosphatidylcholine can then produce acetylcholine, one of the primary neurotransmitters in the nervous system.

As such, increasing your intake of choline can boost levels of both phosphatidylcholine and acetylcholine, which are linked to memory and mood 13.

Research has shown that higher intakes of choline are associated with improved brain functions such as memory and information processing, better long-term verbal memory, and a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s 14-16.

Phosphatidylserine

Similar to phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid and an essential component of nerve cell membranes; it covers the nerves to offer protection and facilitates proper neurotransmission.

Although phosphatidylserine is important for all cells, it’s highly concentrated in the brain; it’s also essential for the proper function of mitochondria.

Aging has been associated with biochemical alterations and structural deterioration of the brain that can interfere with neurotransmission, and studies show that supplementation with phosphatidylserine can help slow, halt, or reverse changes to protect and preserve nerve cell function 17.

Research has linked PS supplementation with improvements in cognitive functions like short-term memory, long-term memory consolidation, memory formation, memory retrieval, information recall, focus and concentration, reason, problem-solving, and more.

Maritime pine bark

Who would’ve thought that the bark of a pine tree could offer such profound benefits for brain health? We sure didn’t—but research suggests otherwise.

Isolated from the bark of the maritime pine tree, maritime pine bark extract is a concentrated source of phytochemicals that possess powerful biological and physiological properties, especially where brain health is concerned.

Cognitive impairment and neural deterioration are two hallmark symptoms linked to aging, and studies show that changes to the brain structure, neural activity, and biochemical profile are significant contributing factors to functional losses and reduced cognitive ability.

Thanks to its powerful antioxidant and bio-modulating properties, maritime pine bark offers protection against free-radical-induced brain damage by acting as a radical scavenger to protect DNA from damage, enhance the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes, and protect other endogenous antioxidants from oxidative damage.

Other Tips To Keep Your Memory Sharp At Any Age

Meditate

Meditation is excellent for relaxation and stress relief, but it can also keep your brain sharp. Studies show that regular meditation can increase grey matter in the brain—grey matter is the tissue that contains neuron cell bodies 18.

Aging is associated with a decrease in grey matter, adversely affecting memory and cognition 19, 20. However, meditation has been shown to support memory in people of all ages and may enhance information retention.

Keep learning

Do you know how they say learning never stops? Don’t let it! Experts suggest that a higher level of education is linked to better mental function, and memory may stay strong if you get into the habit of being mentally active.

Challenging your brain with mental exercises daily can help to activate processes that maintain neuronal health and stimulate communication between brain cells. Learn a new skill, read a book, do a puzzle, learn a musical instrument—but don’t let the learning stop!

Get enough sleep

Insufficient sleep has adverse outcomes for nearly every body system, but it hits your brain especially hard—and sleep deprivation can interfere with memory.

One study of 40 children between 10 and 14 years old found that children who slept better (they were sleep trained) the night before a memory test performed 20% better on memory tests 21.

Similar studies find that shift work, especially night shifts, affects various aspects of cognitive function, specifically working memory and attention 22.

Ideally, you want to aim for 7 to 9 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep each night following proper sleep hygiene practices.

Exercise daily

Regular exercise is fantastic for both physical and mental health, and research finds that exercise may help improve memory in people of all ages. A 2013 study found that just 15 minutes of moderate exercise on a stationary bike resulted in improvements in cognitive performance, including memory 23.

Why? Exercise may boost the production and release of neuroprotective proteins and enhance the growth and development of neurons, which results in better brain health 24.

Supplement

Diet plays a massive role in how well your brain performs, and while we’d love to tell you that your brain gets everything it needs from food, it doesn’t. That’s where complementing a healthy and balanced diet with a solid nootropic supplement stack comes in handy.

When you stack brain boosters like Performance Lab Mind, Omega-3, NutriGenesis Multi and Caffeine+, you’re getting peak cognitive performance for total mind and body benefits.

References

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  2. Talih F, Ajaltouni J. Probable Nootropicinduced Psychiatric Adverse Effects: A Series of Four Cases. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2015;12(11-12):21-25.
  3. Morris MS. The role of B vitamins in preventing and treating cognitive impairment and decline. Adv Nutr. 2012;3(6):801-812. 
  4. Metz J. Cobalamin deficiency and the pathogenesis of nervous system disease. Annu Rev Nutr. 1992;12:59-79. 
  5. Köbe T, Witte AV, Schnelle A, et al. Vitamin B-12 concentration, memory performance, and hippocampal structure in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(4):1045-1054.
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  8. Liao Y, Xie B, Zhang H, et al. Efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs in depression: A meta-analysis . Transl Psychiatry. 2019;9(1):190. 
  9. Bakre AT, Chen R, Khutan R, et al. Association between fish consumption and risk of dementia: a new study from China and a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Public Health Nutr. 2018;21(10):1921-1932. 
  10. Belkouch M, Hachem M, Elgot A, et al. The pleiotropic effects of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid on the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. J Nutr Biochem. 2016;38:1-11. 
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  12. Fioravanti M, Buckley AE. Citicoline (Cognizin) in the treatment of cognitive impairment. Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(3):247-251. 
  13. Poly C, Massaro JM, Seshadri S, et al. The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(6):1584-1591.
  14. Nurk E, Refsum H, Bjelland I, et al. Plasma free choline, betaine and cognitive performance: the Hordaland Health Study. Br J Nutr. 2013;109(3):511-519. 
  15. Spiers PA, Myers D, Hochanadel GS, Lieberman HR, Wurtman RJ. Citicoline improves verbal memory in aging . Arch Neurol. 1996;53(5):441-448.
  16. Little A, Levy R, Chuaqui-Kidd P, Hand D. A double-blind, placebo controlled trial of high-dose lecithin in Alzheimer’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1985;48(8):736-742.
  17. Glade MJ, Smith K. Phosphatidylserine and the human brain. Nutrition. 2015;31(6):781-786.
  18. Tang R, Friston KJ, Tang YY. Brief Mindfulness Meditation Induces Gray Matter Changes in a Brain Hub. Neural Plast. 2020;2020:8830005. 
  19. Dicks E, Tijms BM, Ten Kate M, et al. Gray matter network measures are associated with cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging. 2018;61:198-206. 
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