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Home , Choline, Huperzine A

Photos: Nick Waring. and a water-soluble antioxidant. awater-soluble antioxidant. and a fat-soluble both as functions body, the in naturally found is ■ either: antioxidants, for other who aplacebo. took group parable acom- than tests and tion onconcentra- no differently scored years six for than more day every beta-carotene of IU 25,000 and C, ofvitamin mg 500 E, ofvitamin IU who 400 took 70s their people who tooksimilar a placebo. to as likely show as mental decline 10,000 fi After IU). (33,000 they were years, just C (250 mg), and beta-carotene IU), E (600 combination of daily vitamin took or a disease heart to with 80 roughly men and women10,000 aged 40 antioxidants. of at looked cocktails that studies earlier women who aplacebo. took of group asimilar than tests memory and onthinking no better scored years four for day other Eevery ofvitamin IU 600 women who took U.S. older and aged middle- healthy 3,200 roughly December, disappointing.” are for antioxidants results published the far “and he to says, show so that, studies cal clini- It take would cautions. Henderson effects,” harmful ofthe some or reverse slow down will antioxidants taking that cells. brain damage can which radicals, free called molecules ates rogue cre- stress Oxidative Alto,California. Palo in University at Stanford of neurology professor Henderson, Victor brain,” says aging to the deleterious is stress dative oxi- that to think reason good “There’s . Lipoic There’s no convincing evidence evidence no convincing There’s And women in and men U.S. 1,000 one,In Unitedthe from Kingdom, of two results the with consistent That’s last published astudy in For example, mean doesn’t necessarily this “But Antioxidants Lipoic acid, which which acid, Lipoic 1 3 2 took a placebo. and memory peopletests similar than who monthsthree scored higher on learning who took mg of300 bacopa every day for . conducted in werepa, which all of baco- studies well-designed only three company. to the according new information,” to learn ability the and “improves memory herb the because pills Optimizer to Memory its extract bacopa Review Medicine Alternative to the tonic,” according a“brain as cine medi- Indian traditional in used plant ■ who . had patients help HIV-infected didn’t it showed that and acid oflipoic study the fact, In people. ofhealthy brains the tect help pro- can acid lipoic have at looked whether Web to his site. ing brain,” accord- your reach even can they before cals radi- free against to “protect pills Defense Memory his ofit mg 50 in puts Sinatra Stephen cardiologist medicine Alternative supplements. memory in ingredients popular most of the some behind research Here’s works. the stuff the that evidence hard is cases, most in that’sAll missing, out. stand pills brain-boosting their make will that ingredients for shelves warehouse scouring are today, competition companies much so ginkgo. With sell...for pills isn’t $70 as this grandmother’s your much And as amonth. Memory Even Shaklee. Amwayand And Williams. David chiropractor for Ditto doctors. medicine alternative well-known other J Bacopa. In In one, 23 adolescents and young adults the doesn’t That from results jibe with studies But no good ulian Whitaker has one. So do Susan Lark, Stephen Sinatra, Marcus Laux, and and Laux, Marcus Sinatra, Stephen Lark, Susan do So one. has Whitaker ulian y r o m e M r e t t e B r o f s l l i P g n i p p o P and older adults. older and middle-aged of80 minds for the ornothing little did weeks to six for four ofbacopa aday mg 300 was “statistically significant.” lenientusually in defi whatning if the hadn’tresearchers been un- have upbeen chalked to chance H C T A W T N E M E L P P U S And in the other two studies, studies, two other the in And

Bacopa monnieri Bacopa 5 But that fi nding would only

6,7 . Shaklee adds a adds . Shaklee is an Asian Asian an is 4 Prevention THLETTER R E T T E L H LT A E H N O I T C A N O I T I R T U N magazine has its own. its has magazine Memory Support.) Memory in puts Prevention than more times 30 is milligrams, or3,000 grams, ormore.” (Three grams three even with it we see “But didn’t adds. in,” he choline to force it’s possible amounts mous sachusetts. Mas- Belmont, in Hospital at McLean laboratory ogy pharmacol- molecular of the director Cohen, Bruce says brain,” into the blood the from choline to transport ability their to lose seem age, people dle it’s needed. to where gets never choline the because that’s Maybe orthinking. memory boost they ofwhether test every about just pills. Support puts Memory its in ofcholine mg 100 choline,” says acetyl- called substance brain superior a to make body your “helps Choline block. major its building contain that you pills, choline ■ decline. mental off ward you can perhaps and , memory, involved in like are that ters up neurotransmit- to another. cell one from signals relay that sengers mes- chemical are Choline. “Maybe by taking enor- taking by “Maybe mid- in beginning “We’ve that, found have failed supplements But choline T D R A H C S D I V A D Y B Neurotransmitters While you can’t take acetyl- you take can’t While Prevention Prevention can take supplements supplements take magazine, which which magazine, ■ Y 2007 7 0 0 2 AY M > 9 SUPPLEMENT WATCH

■ DMAE. If the choline you Drugs called cholinester- “ is a highly potent com- take doesn’t make it into your ase inhibitors— and pound,” cautions The Natural Pharmacist, brain, something that your Aricept—delay the breakdown a series of reviews of body converts into choline of acetylcholine. They’ve been research. (You can access it through Web probably won’t do you any approved by the Food and Drug sites like iherb.com.) “We recommend us- good either. That hasn’t Administration for treatment of ing it only under a doctor’s supervision.” stopped some supplement Alzheimer’s disease, though their ■ (PS). PS is a makers from adding DMAE effects are modest. fat-like substance in brain cell membranes (dimethylaminoethanol) to But Tacrine and Aricept are that helps the cells transmit and receive their memory formulations. available only by prescription. electrical signals. Cardiologist Stephen “Your body uses DMAE to Not so huperzine A, a cholines- Sinatra puts 100 mg of PS in his Memory create choline,” says alternative women’s terase inhibitor that’s derived from the Defense pills because it “keeps your cell health physician Susan Lark on her Web Chinese herb Huperzia serrata. membranes fl uid and fl exible and helps site. Lark includes DMAE in her Memory For example, naturopathic physician to maintain healthy memory-related Answer pills. “While research on DMAE Marcus Laux puts 50 micrograms (mcg) pathways.” is in its infancy,” she notes, “I feel very of huperzine A in his BioAdapt Memory Two decades ago, a few studies showed strongly that women need a high amount Formula. It’s “good for your brain,” he that PS might help some people with de- of it.” says on his Web site. mentia or with serious memory “Infancy” is giving DMAE far too much Maybe. Maybe not. Huper- problems. In that pre-mad-cow- credit. We couldn’t fi nd a single study that zine A pills have never been disease world, PS was extracted looked at DMAE’s impact on memory or tested on memory or other brain from cow brains. Today, soy- powers of concentration in healthy adults. functions in healthy adults. beans provide PS. And DMAE has failed nearly every test of “There have been no controlled But the only good study of its usefulness in neurological diseases like clinical trials outside China as- soy PS, published six years ago, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s chorea. sessing its toxicity and effi cacy,” came up empty. Researchers in says Dana Belongia of George- ■ Huperzine A. If you can’t boost levels the Netherlands gave 300 mg or town University in Washington, of acetylcholine in your brain, how about 600 mg a day to 120 men and D.C. (The Chinese studies were trying to keep more of it around for women aged 58 and older who almost exclusively in people with longer? were suffering from a greater Alzheimer’s or other .) than typical memory decline for their age. After 12 weeks, the volunteers didn’t perform any better on memory tests than similar people who took a placebo.8 Three to Forget In 2004, the FDA concluded that there is “little scientifi c evidence” that PS can Which of today’s “brain-booster” pills will in his infomercials turned out to be Smith’s reduce “the risk of cognitive dysfunction join these three supplements, which we attorney, employees of the public relations in the elderly.” described in September 2001 (“Memory fi rm he hired to promote Focus Factor, and Pills—Mostly Forgettable”)? distributors of the supplement.) B Focus Factor is now sold by a Portland, “High levels of in the ■ Cognita. It “represents...the best avail- Maine, company that advertises it simply blood have been linked in some studies able science,” General Centers as support for “healthy brain function”—a to poor cognition,” says Stanford Uni- said when it introduced Cognita in 2001. claim that requires no evidence. versity’s Victor Henderson. Three B vi- But that science failed to materialize. GNC tamins—B-6, B-12, and folic acid—can never published the study that it told us ■ Senior Moment. Manufacturer lower homocysteine levels. Could they it was conducting in 2001. Instead, the Nutramax never had any proof for what also improve memory and other brain company quietly stopped selling Cognita it called “the next generation in memory function? in 2003. enhancement.” Marcus Laux thinks so. He adds B-12 In 2002, the Council of Better Business (200 mcg) and folic acid (400 mcg) to his ■ Focus Factor. “Dramatically improve Bureaus’ National Advertising Division BioAdapt Memory Formula because “more and more research is emerging linking your focus, concentration and memory, recommended that Senior Moment’s ad- homocysteine levels and brain health,” as and eliminate mental fatigue in one month vertising claims “be substantially modifi ed his Web site claims. or less,” promised Texas chiropractor Kyl or discontinued.” And in 2004, the Federal “That’s the kind of intervention that Trade Commission prohibited Nutramax Smith. But Smith never published the clini- makes good sense,” says Henderson. “But from claiming that Senior Moment could cal trial that he said would back up his ads. not everything that makes good sense In 2004, the U.S. Federal Trade Commis- “prevent or reverse the effects of memory actually turns out to work.” sion fi ned Smith $60,000 for making “false loss.” Through the end of 2006, 18 trials had or misleading” advertising claims. (The Nutramax no longer sells Senior Mo- tested vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, folic “consumers” who endorsed Focus Factor ment. acid, or a combination of the three on memory and learning in people who took them for up to two years.

1 0 NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ M AY 2 0 0 7 Test Yourself Only one of the 18 found any benefi t. And that was a small study of 16 cogni- How do researchers measure whether California Verbal Learning Test tively impaired people in Italy who took a a person’s memory or capacity to absorb Someone reads you a list of 16 nouns that megadose of 15,000 mcg of folic acid every new information is declining as they age? are drawn from four different categories— 9 day for two months. (The recommended They administer tests that measure how , tools, clothing, and spices, for exam- daily intake of folic acid is 400 mcg.) well and how quickly the person can ma- ple. You try to immediately recall as many of In a 2007 study, 400 Dutch men and nipulate and retain information. Then they the 16 as possible. The test is repeated four women aged 50 to 70 who took 800 mcg wait—six months, a year, or more—and give more times. The entire test (all fi ve attempts) of folic acid every day for three years the same person the same tests. typically takes 15 to 30 minutes. scored better on tests of memory and Here are two examples of the kinds of information processing than 400 similar Example: Have someone read you this list tests that were used in a recent study of people who took a placebo.10 (don’t peek at it fi rst): drill, plums, vest, hormone replacement therapy and brain “But the study isn’t relevant to people parsley, , paprika, sweater, wrench, aging in women aged 65 and older.1 in the ,” says Martha Morris chives, , chisel, jacket, nutmeg, of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Verbal Fluency apricots, pliers, slacks. Chicago. “The Dutch researchers targeted vol- You have one minute to say aloud the How’d you do? If you could remember all unteers who were lacking in when names of as many animals as you can, and 16 words fi ve successive times, you’d have they entered the study,” she notes. “But one more minute to say aloud all the words a perfect score of 80 (16 x 5). Here’s the in the United States, the supply is you can think of that begin with the letters average score of a group of 210 well- fortifi ed with folic acid and folate insuf- F, S, and A. educated people living in the Midwest. fi ciency is rare.” (In the Netherlands, fl our How’d you do? See how you compare to and cereals aren’t fortifi ed with folic acid.) Score these results from 1,300 healthy Canadian “So it is very misleading to make a Age Men Women volunteers. broad statement about how this study 59 45 52 shows that folic acid can help your brain.” Number of Number of 62 45 51 Age F/S/A Words Animal Words 65 43 50 Blood Boosters 16-19 39 22 68 43 49 If you can increase the fl ow of blood 20-29 41 20 71 41 47 through your brain, will it make you 30-39 43 22 74 41 47 smarter or less forgetful? 40-49 44 21 77 40 46 “I don’t think that’s been demon- 50-59 42 20 80 38 44 strated,” says Victor Henderson. “In fact, 60-69 39 18 86 37 43 in healthy people, brain tissue that’s being 70-79 35 16 Source: J. Clin. Exp. Neuropsychology 19: 220, 1997. used effi ciently in the performance of a 80-89 29 14 cognitive task actually requires less blood. 90-95 28 13 1 Clinical Trials 1: 440, 2004. So something that increases blood fl ow Source: Arch. Clin. Neuropsychology 14: 167, 1999. without showing at the same time a cogni- tive benefi t doesn’t mean very much.” That hasn’t stopped supplement makers from adding blood-fl ow-boosting ingredi- women aged 55 to 79 either 120 mg of of can help ents to their memory pills: ginkgo or a placebo every day for three healthy adults’ brains keep ■ Ginkgo biloba. Naturopathic physi- months.11 The ginkgo takers scored better humming along normally. cian Marcus Laux recommends ginkgo on one of 14 tests of brain function, a Maybe Whitaker was “to enhance circulation, which is critical result the researchers said “may not be thinking of the handful when it comes to your brain getting the reliable.” (When only one out of many of preliminary studies, oxygen and it needs.” tests yields promising results, researchers conducted more than Chiropractor David Williams adds suspect that it may be due to chance.) 15 years ago, in which ginkgo to his Brain Advantage pills vinpocetine seemed to ■ Vinpocetine. Vinpocetine is sold in because it “improves a variety of brain help some patients suffering from stroke Europe as a drug for treating dementia, functions, including memory, attention, or Alzheimer’s disease. but it’s available as a supplement in the recognition tasks, reaction time, United States. and short-term memory.” 1 Arch. Intern. Med. 166: 2462, 2006. Alternative medicine physician 2 Yet “studies of ginkgo in healthy Lancet 360: 7, 2002. Julian Whitaker adds vinpo- 3 Neurology 63: 1705, 2004. people haven’t been that encour- 4 cetine to his Memory Essentials Neurology 50: 645, 1998. aging,” says Henderson. In six of 5 pills “for healthy oxygen fl ow, Psychopharmacology 156: 481, 2001. the seven trials that tested ginkgo 6 Neuropsychopharmacology 27: 279, 2002. supply, and energy pro- 7 in healthy middle-aged and older Hum. Psychopharmacol. 19: 91, 2004. duction in the brain,” according 8 adults over the past fi ve years, the Nutr. Neurosci. 4: 121, 2001. to his Web site. 9 Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 26: 1, 1997. herb did little or nothing. 10 Yet no published studies have Lancet 369: 208, 2007. The most recent: Australian 11 looked at whether a daily dose Hum. Psychopharmacol. 21: 27, 2006. researchers gave 80 men and

NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ MAY 2007 1 1