Lifestyle changes
Stay physically active and make room for learning, social contact, and activities that hold your attention. Support regular sleep and keep hearing, vision, and routine health care up to date.
Brain Health
Brain health connects the thinking skills you use today with the ability to remain capable and engaged over time. Memory, learning, attention, and mental flexibility each contribute to familiar activities, from following a conversation to taking on a new skill. Supporting those abilities is part of maintaining independence and quality of life. The brain depends on a continuous supply of energy and a range of nutrients involved in cell membranes, nerve signaling, and normal maintenance. Different ingredients focus on particular aspects of this foundation or on specific cognitive priorities. Understanding their role helps keep a brain-health routine purposeful and relevant to your circumstances. The most useful priorities come from everyday life. You may want to retain new information more comfortably, stay mentally engaged, or support long-term cognitive wellbeing. A clear focus makes it easier to choose appropriate support and recognize meaningful changes in the activities that matter to you.
Warnings
- Check medicine interactions: Ask a pharmacist or clinician to review your exact products alongside your medicines. The ingredient, amount, and treatment determine which combinations are suitable.
- Review potent cognitive ingredients: Review compounds such as huperzine and vinpocetine individually for suitability and interactions. Agree any ongoing use with an appropriately qualified professional.
- Assess new cognitive changes: New, progressive, or function-limiting changes in memory or thinking need assessment. Supplements should not delay a review of possible medical, sleep-related, or medicine-related causes.
- Tell your surgical team: Share a complete supplement list before a procedure. The team can advise which products to stop and when; a single stopping interval is not appropriate for every supplement or procedure.
Ingredient overview
Goal guidance
Diet changes
Include varied plants, whole grains, legumes, protein foods, and sources of unsaturated fat. Pay extra attention to nutritional intake when appetite is reduced or food choices are limited.
Who this is for
Adults interested in memory, learning, mental clarity, and maintaining everyday cognitive function over time.
Who should be careful
Review cognitive supplements carefully if you take several medicines, particularly products containing huperzine or vinpocetine. New or progressive changes in memory or everyday function need assessment.
Expected timeline
Look for meaningful changes in everyday activities rather than a single feeling of stimulation. Long-term brain support is an ongoing routine, while individual ingredients have their own patterns of use.
Common mistakes
Choosing too many brain supplements at once can make their effects difficult to separate. Start with a clear priority and keep sleep, movement, and learning part of the plan.
Ingredients
Folate Vitamins
Impact
Highest effect
Typical dose400–800 mcg / day
Folate (Vitamin B9) is a crucial cofactor in the production of key neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. It is also vital for the methylation cycle, which helps keep homocysteine levels in check. Elevated homocysteine is a known risk factor for vascular damage in the brain and cognitive decline, making folate a foundational nutrient for long-term brain health.
Study evidence
90 studiesFolate is important for brain development, and low status is associated with poorer cognition. Supplementation may help selected people with low folate or cognitive impairment, but benefits are inconsistent and extra folate has not been shown to broadly protect already well-nourished adults from cognitive decline.
Magnesium Minerals
Impact
Highest effect
Typical dose200–400 mg / day
Magnesium is a critical cofactor in hundreds of enzymatic reactions in the brain. It regulates neurotransmitter release, gates the NMDA receptor involved in learning and memory, and helps calm the nervous system by balancing cortisol, thereby improving sleep quality which is vital for memory consolidation.
Study evidence
86 studiesMagnesium has benefits in specific neurological treatment settings, but these do not establish broad brain protection from an everyday supplement. The wider research is mixed, and prevention of cognitive decline or dementia through supplementation remains unproven.
Thiamin Vitamins
Impact
Highest effect
Typical dose1.2–100 mg / day
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) is a critical cofactor for enzymes involved in glucose metabolism, the brain's primary fuel source. It is also required for the synthesis of acetylcholine and GABA. Deficiency leads to severe neurological impairment, making adequate levels foundational for basic cognitive processing and neuronal health.
Study evidence
48 studiesThiamin is essential for brain function, and deficiency can cause serious neurological injury. Replacing it is important in deficiency-related illness, but the supplied research does not establish that extra thiamin reliably improves cognition or prevents dementia in people with adequate status.
Vitamin B12 Vitamins
Impact
Highest effect
Typical dose500–2500 mcg / day
Vitamin B12 is essential for the health and integrity of the central nervous system. It plays a direct role in the synthesis of myelin, the fatty substance that insulates nerve fibers and ensures rapid communication between neurons. Deficiency, common in older adults and plant-based diets, can lead to irreversible neurological damage and severe cognitive impairment.
Study evidence
74 studiesVitamin B12 is important for brain function, and treating clear deficiency can improve related neurological problems. However, supplementation has not consistently improved memory or thinking in people without overt deficiency, and it is not established as a way to prevent dementia.
Vitamin B6 Vitamins
Impact
Highest effect
Typical dose10–50 mg / day
Vitamin B6 is required for over 100 enzyme reactions in the body, including the critical final step in synthesizing important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Adequate B6 levels are essential for maintaining proper neurological function, emotional balance, and cognitive processing.
Study evidence
29 studiesVitamin B6 supports normal brain function, and low levels are associated with poorer cognition in some populations. However, the supplied evidence does not establish that B6 supplements alone improve memory or prevent dementia; favorable findings often concern vitamin combinations or changes in nutritional status.
Vitamin D Vitamins
Impact
Highest effect
Typical dose1000–4000 IU / day
Vitamin D receptors are widely distributed throughout the brain, where it helps regulate the synthesis of neurotransmitters and supports nerve growth. Correcting common deficiencies is linked to improved mood and cognitive performance, as well as reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline.
Study evidence
94 studiesLow Vitamin D levels are associated with poorer cognition and greater dementia risk, but supplementation has not reliably improved brain health. Some pooled analyses and trials report cognitive benefits, while substantial controlled research remains negative, including in adults with mild to moderate deficiency.
Studies
Explore published research for this goal.
Sources
Up to five highest-ranked published examples per ingredient. Study counts and charts include all published studies for the connection.
- B vitamins and prevention of cognitive decline and incident dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Folate and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy has long-term effects on the attention system of 8.5-y-old offspring: a randomized controlled trial.
- Folic acid supplementation improves cognitive function in participants with cerebral small vascular disease-related cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial.
- Circulating folate concentrations and the risk of mild cognitive impairment: A prospective study on the older Chinese population without folic acid fortification.
- Normal-But-Low Serum Folate Levels and the Risks for Cognitive Impairment.
- Antenatal magnesium sulfate and neuroprotection.
- No. 376-Magnesium Sulphate for Fetal Neuroprotection.
- Magnesium Sulfate Before Preterm Birth for Neuroprotection: An Updated Cochrane Systematic Review.
- Magnesium sulphate for fetal neuroprotection at imminent risk for preterm delivery: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.
- Magnesium sulfate and fetal neuroprotection: overview of clinical evidence.
- Can thiamine substitution restore cognitive function in alcohol use disorder?
- EFNS guidelines for diagnosis, therapy and prevention of Wernicke encephalopathy.
- Diagnosis and treatment of Wernicke's encephalopathy: A systematic literature review.
- Vitamin Supplementation and Dementia: A Systematic Review.
- Association between dietary vitamin B1 intake and cognitive function among older adults: a cross-sectional study.
- Relationship between vitamin B12 levels and motor development: A systematic review.
- Vitamin B12 supplementation improves cognitive function in middle aged and elderly patients with cognitive impairment.
- Structural and Functional Brain Changes Associated with Vitamin B12 Deficiency using Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
- Maternal vitamin B12, vitamin D, and folic acid status during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment: a systematic review.
- Higher vitamin B12 from mid- to late life is related to slower rates of cognitive decline.
- Vitamin B12, B6, or Folate and Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Relationship between serum pyridoxal 5'-phosphate concentration and cognitive function in older Japanese.
- A randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of pyridoxine and ascorbic acid on cognitive function and quality of life in post-menopausal women.
- Lower Plasma Vitamin B-6 is Associated with 2-Year Cognitive Decline in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study.
- Are Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals Effective for Musculoskeletal Health and Cognitive Function? A Scoping Review.
- Vitamin D and brain health: an observational and Mendelian randomization study.
- The association between vitamin D and cognition: a systematic review.
- Vitamin D Status and Rates of Cognitive Decline in a Multiethnic Cohort of Older Adults.
- Vitamin D insufficiency and cognitive impairment in Asians: a multi-ethnic population-based study and meta-analysis.
- Vitamin D status predicts new brain magnetic resonance imaging activity in multiple sclerosis.
- Activity of Choline Alphoscerate on Adult-Onset Cognitive Dysfunctions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Comparative study of choline alfoscerate as a combination therapy with donepezil: A mixed double-blind randomized controlled and open-label observation trial.
- Effects of choline alfoscerate on cognitive function and quality of life in type 2 diabetes: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
- Acute Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Supplementation Enhances Cognitive Performance in Healthy Men.
- Cognitive improvement in mild to moderate Alzheimer's dementia after treatment with the acetylcholine precursor choline alfoscerate: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
- Acute and Repeated Ashwagandha Supplementation Improves Markers of Cognitive Function and Mood.
- Effect of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract with Sominone (Somin-On™) to improve memory in adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Efficacy of Withania somnifera supplementation on adult's cognition and mood.
- A clinical assessment of the therapeutic effects of Ashwagandha root extract on cognitive performance, sleep, and fatigue in children aged 6-12 years.
- Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha Root Extract on Cognitive Functions in Healthy, Stressed Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.
- Comparative effects of Bacopa monnieri and Ginkgo biloba on cognitive functions: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
- Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract.
- Comparative efficacy of Medhya Rasayana,Bacopa monnieri, and Centella asiatica in enhancing memory and IQ of 8-10 year-old healthy boys: A prakriti-based double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
- Plant-derived nootropics and human cognition: A systematic review.
- The effect of plant active substances on cognitive function in healthy older adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.
- Creatine in Huntington disease is safe, tolerable, bioavailable in brain and reduces serum 8OH2'dG.
- Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance in elderly individuals.
- Effects of high-load, velocity-intentional variable resistance training combined with creatine supplementation on neuroplasticity, oxidative stress, inflammation, physical function, cognitive performance and quality of life in older adults: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
- Single-Dose Creatine Reduces Sleep Deprivation-Induced Deterioration in Cognitive Performance.
- Huperzine a in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: a meta-analysis.
- [Clinical efficacy and safety of huperzine Alpha in treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer disease, a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial].
- Huperzine A associated with improved early postoperative cognitive function after neurosurgery under general anesthesia: a randomized clinical trial.
- Treatment with Huperzine A improves cognition in vascular dementia patients.
- Huperzine-A response to cognitive impairment and task switching deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
- Acetyl-L-carnitine treatment in minimal hepatic encephalopathy.
- Long-term acetyl-L-carnitine treatment in Alzheimer's disease.
- Pharmaco-electroencephalographic and clinical effects of the cholinergic substance--acetyl-L-carnitine--in patients with organic brain syndrome.
- Acetyl-L-carnitine improves cognitive functions in severe hepatic encephalopathy: a randomized and controlled clinical trial.
- Acetyl-L-carnitine in the treatment of mildly demented elderly patients.
- A preliminary, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of L-carnosine to improve cognition in schizophrenia.
- Carnosine treatment for gulf war illness: a randomized controlled trial.
- Carnosine supplementation improves cognitive outcomes in younger participants of the NEAT trial.
- Anserine and carnosine supplementation in the elderly: Effects on cognitive functioning and physical capacity.
- Histidine-containing dipeptide supplementation improves delayed recall: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- [Curcumin in children with autism spectrum disorder: systemic inflammation, sensory regulation, and gut-brain interaction disorders. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (CURATEA)].
- Short-term curcumin supplementation enhances serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in adult men and women: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Curcumin-Rich Curry Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline and Incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: An Asian Population-Based Study.
- Curcumin-Rich Curry Consumption and Neurocognitive Function from 4.5-Year Follow-Up of Community-Dwelling Older Adults (Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study).
- The effects of oral administration of curcumin-galactomannan complex on brain waves are consistent with brain penetration: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study.
- Acute Effects of Naturally Occurring Guayusa Tea and Nordic Lion's Mane Extracts on Cognitive Performance.
- Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus.
- Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
- A review of the effects of mushrooms on mood and neurocognitive health across the lifespan.
- Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study.
- Dose-Response Effects of Short-Term Rhodiola rosea (Golden Root Extract) Supplementation on Anaerobic Exercise Performance and Cognitive Function in Resistance-Trained Athletes: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study.
- A combination of green tea, rhodiola, magnesium and B vitamins modulates brain activity and protects against the effects of induced social stress in healthy volunteers.
- Rosenroot (Rhodiola rosea): traditional use, chemical composition, pharmacology and clinical efficacy.
- Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue--a double blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty.
- Effects of a Rhodiola rosea extract on mental resource allocation and attention: An event-related potential dual task study.
- Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
- A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study to Investigate the Efficacy of a Single Dose of AlphaWave® L-Theanine on Stress in a Healthy Adult Population.
- Effects of Tea (Camellia sinensis) or its Bioactive Compounds l-Theanine or l-Theanine plus Caffeine on Cognition, Sleep, and Mood in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
- Assessing the effects of caffeine and theanine on the maintenance of vigilance during a sustained attention task.
- Effects of l-Theanine on Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Subjects: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study.
- Efficacy and adverse effects of ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Efficacy of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in dementia with behavioural and psychological symptoms: A systematic review.
- Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 is safe and effective in the treatment of mild dementia - a meta-analysis of patient subgroups in randomised controlled trials.
- Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® improves cognition and overall condition after ischemic stroke: Results from a pilot randomized trial.
- Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in dementia with neuropsychiatric features: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial to confirm the efficacy and safety of a daily dose of 240 mg.
- [Cross-sectional association between the amino acid intake and episodic memory in middle- and old-aged community dwellers].
- The effect of histidine on mental fatigue and cognitive performance in subjects with high fatigue and sleep disruption scores.
- Comparative Efficacy, Tolerability, and Acceptability of Donanemab, Lecanemab, Aducanumab, Melatonin, and Aerobic Exercise for a Short Time on Cognitive Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
- Melatonin for sleep and cognitive outcomes in older adults with cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
- Add-on prolonged-release melatonin for cognitive function and sleep in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a 6-month, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial.
- Early Oral Melatonin Supplementation Supports White Matter Maturation in Preterm Infants: Neuroprotective Insights of an Antioxidant Molecule.
- Efficacy and Safety of Melatonin in Migraine Prophylaxis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
- The Association between Dietary Amino Acid Intake and Cognitive Decline 8 Years Later in Japanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
- Magnetic resonance imaging in phenylketonuria: reversal of cerebral white matter change.
- Improved dietary control results in improvements in indices of white matter structure in adults with phenylketonuria: the ReDAPT study.
- [Brain white matter lesions of children with phenylketonuria before and after treatment].
- Combined L-carnosine and L-tyrosine supplementation as an ergogenic strategy for physical and cognitive performance under fatigue in professional football players.
- Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands--A review.
- Influence of nutritional tyrosine on cognition and functional connectivity in healthy old humans.
- Dietary Tyrosine Intake (FFQ) Is Associated with Locus Coeruleus, Attention and Grey Matter Maintenance: An MRI Structural Study on 398 Healthy Individuals of the Berlin Aging Study-II.
- Baseline-dependent effect of dopamine's precursor L-tyrosine on working memory gating but not updating.
- Combination of Vinpocetine and Dexamethasone Alleviates Cognitive Impairment in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients following Radiation Injury.
- Effects of vinpocetine on the redistribution of cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in chronic ischemic stroke patients: a PET study.
- Role of sodium channel inhibition in neuroprotection: effect of vinpocetine.
- Effect of vinpocetine (cognitol™) on cognitive performances of a nigerian population.
- [Study of the effects of vinpocetin on cognitive functions].
- Efficacy of Zinc Supplement in Minimal hepatic Encephalopathy: A prospective, Randomized Controlled Study (Zinc-MHE Trial).
- A preliminary report: effects of zinc and micronutrient repletion on growth and neuropsychological function of urban Chinese children.
- Association between zinc deficiency and cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults.
- Zinc status, psychological and nutritional assessment in old people recruited in five European countries: Zincage study.
- Zinc alleviates stroke development through autophagy-mediated modulation of immune microenvironment.