Why Use Memory Supplements?

Many hundreds of thousands of us take vitamin supplements daily to top up the nutrients required for our bodies to perform at their best.

In fact, the vitamin supplement market had combined sales of over $40 billion in 2010 (source: dietary supplements regulatory and market Outlook report – business insights-January 2011). With the sports and speciality category of supplements showing the highest growth in the US.

Yet in spite of these impressive growth and usage statistics, the reality is the majority of us do not consider using supplements to protect our memory as important as using vitamin supplements to protect our bodies. There are a number of reasons for this but perhaps the most prevalent is the widely held belief that memory loss is inevitable as we get older and that this process is as irreversible as it is inevitable.

Given that over 10 million individuals, mostly of the baby boomer generation, are projected to develop some form of Alzheimer’s as they move through life, it is surprising that the majority of us do not recognise the importance of brain nutrition in protecting and improving memory performance for the long term.

This article aims to examine and explain some common reasons why the use of memory supplements as part of your brain nutrition program is essential in preventing age-related memory loss.

Memory Supplements Balance Brain Nutritional Needs

When it comes to diet and our bodies we all know the drill; eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables every day, drink a litre and a half of water, sugar and saturated fat are bad, a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates are good.   Nonetheless many of us are tempted to stray down the wrong path and binge eat precisely the kind of foods we been told not.

And given how hectic modern life is more and more of us are being forced to over-rely on  processed foods and microwaveable ready meals in place of the recommended fresh fruits, vegetables, water and protein-balanced diet.

It is not surprising then that many people are going through their days feeling tired, depressed and unmotivated. The big problem arises when we begin to believe that how we are feeling is normal.

Because our brains and bodies are not getting the right kind of nutrients there is a danger that we will end up sleepwalking through life, operating subpar, believing this is just the way it is and making no attempt to change.

These principles apply to the brain as well is the body.  An increased understanding of how the brain works and what it needs to perform at its best, has allowed us to identify specific amino acids and brain supporting nutrients to improve and/or protect the various critical functions of the brain.

In the same way that the  best and most effective focus supplements contain focus boosting amino acids like L-methionine or Acetyl-L-carnitine  to naturally boost an individual’s ability to concentrate for longer periods of time, so too do memory supplement formulas like Brainsmart Memory work to naturally boost an individual’s ability to memorise and recall complex information consistently overtime.

Memory Supplements Reduce the Stress That Destroys Memory 

We live in an non-stop, 24-7, always connected, always-on world. The consistent need to be better and more competitive than the next man is set against the backdrop of recession, job insecurity, rising inflation, debt and anxiety.

No wonder we feel stressed!  It feels like we’ve always been stressed and we always will be stressed. We accept our stress and wear it like a heavy coat that weighs us down but we carry on regardless.

The very modern phenomenon of brain fog, which encompasses poor memory and lack of concentration has been shown to be almost certainly linked to stress.

A recent landmark research study in France, using thousands of adults over a decade-long period to examine the links between stress and memory loss has evidence that those subjects in the study who suffered from high levels of cholesterol and/or blood pressure were more likely to develop dementia as they grew older.

Specifically the research shows that individuals who smoke and /or had high blood pressure or cholesterol levels were between one to five times more likely to develop some form of memory loss than those individuals who led healthier and more active lifestyles.

There are a number of further studies (mostly with animals) that have sprung up on the back of the original French research. These studies are beginning to demonstrate the connection between brain nutrition to protect memory and brain nutrition to reduce stress.

The current breed of memory supplements aim to cross the divide between memory and stress by providing the brain/body nervous system with the correct balance of memory boosting stress-reducing amino acids.

About the Author

Sam Jansen is a leading brain scientist, lawyer and author, studying neuroscience, social behaviors and the science of happiness.You can find him at Google+