New Supplement Provides Energy Shot to the Brain

 

Friday, October 12, 2012 1:03 PM

By Donna Scaglione

It sounds almost too good to be true: a dietary supplement that makes people feel more energetic and alert, boosts memory and mood, and has almost no side effects.

Those are the reports from scientists about citicoline, a naturally occurring compound in the body that scientists believe enhances the brain’s ability to make brain cell membranes and the neurotransmitters involving attention, memory, alertness, and sense of well-being. Citicoline is a new ingredient in supplement drinks and is being sold in capsules.

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“In the studies that my colleagues and I have done over a number of years, people feel better, they feel more alert, they feel that it helps their work performance, they feel they have more energy, more focus,” Dr. Perry Renshaw, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine who has studied citicoline for 10 years, tells Newsmax Health. “And I think as far as its role in the United States, where citicoline is an approved, over-the-counter, nutritional supplement, there are all kinds of populations – healthy populations – that would benefit from its use.” The only side effect found so far has been mild stomach upset in some users.

In one study, healthy, middle-aged women showed greater cognition, including improved attention, after taking it for 28 days. The study was presented at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Unlike the shorter-acting effects of caffeine, citicoline kicks in after sustained use and without the same highs and lows, says Dr. Renshaw, who says he takes the supplement himself.

Not everyone is convinced of citicoline’s effects. Catherine Ulbricht, co-founder of the Natural Standard Research Collaboration, a scientist-owned organization that evaluates natural remedies, tells “The Wall Street Journal” that “the jury is still out” regarding citicoline’s ability to boost the brain. Two major studies are now under way that should shed more light on the supplement.

In Europe, citicoline is sold as a drug to help the brain repair itself after stroke, but the Food and Drug Administration has not yet allowed similar use in the U.S.

As an over-the-counter supplement, citicoline is widely available at health food stores and over the Internet in capsule form and in a health drink called Nawgan.

Because citicoline is present in all of our cells, it’s difficult to enhance the body’s supply of it simply through diet. What’s more, few foods offer it, although cow’s liver is one source.

And while Dr. Renshaw is an unabashed believer in the power of citicoline, eating a healthy diet full of fresh whole foods and getting plenty of exercise is critical for brain health, he notes.

“No one should try and tell you that a supplement will take the place of a healthy lifestyle,” he says.

© 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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