There are many chemical substances found in nature that can increase the level of brain function in a matter of a few minutes. Caffeine is one of these kinds of chemicals widely known to improve mental alertness. There are also a wide variety of supplements that you can buy over-the-counter that supposedly improve brain function. Then there are those supplements that require a prescription from a doctor to get your hands on.
Although improving brain function is extremely desirable, it pays to be careful what you put in your body. This is especially true when it’s intended to affect the most valuable organ in your body. Brain chemistry is highly sensitive and is easily manipulated into an imbalanced state, which can adversely affect our moods and way of thinking. The more natural a brain-boosting supplement is, the better it probably is for you.
Natural Brain Boosters
It’s important to remember that there is a real lack of actual and factual evidence to prove that most products sold as brain boosters actually work. When there is any evidence unearthed, it’s most probably a result of research or clinical trials involving people with brain illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. After all, the best way to tell if a chemical improves brain function is by trying it out on those with brain disorders and monitoring improvement levels, if there are any.
An example of this is the ginko Biloba plant. The Ginko plant has been the subject of numerous trials designed to establish the effects of it on the human brain. Studies have found that it actually does increase blood flow to the brain, but results were mixed. It has also been used to treat patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia to some significant success, although it can’t prevent these illnesses. The fact remains that, once again, results were mixed.
Potential Risks of Brain Supplements
In order to understand the language on the packaging of any kind of supposed brain-boosting supplement you buy, you have to understand how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors and regulates health supplements. Dietary supplements can only be regulated by the FDA to some extent. They do not have to pass the stringent laws concerning purity and safety the way food products do, although they are ingested just the same.
The FDA cannot forcefully recall a health supplement unless it has reached store shelves, and only if it can prove that the packaging is misleading or the ingredients are dangerous. That leaves manufacturers of supplements plenty of room to make false claims and use ingredients that are questionable. Additionally, the FDA doesn’t conduct any research on products to verify if they do what they say or not.
This is why it says, “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration” next to an asterisk on almost all health supplements claiming to provide some kind of health benefit. Brain supplements are not different, but that’s not to say that they are not effective.
If you truly want to improve your brain function, a healthy diet will definitely work. This is one form of nutrition that works for sure without the need for the FDA to place its stamp of approval on. Once you have established healthy eating habits along with regular exercise, then you can begin to look for brain supplements that might actually work.
