Can Dietary Supplements Boost Brain Power?
Scan the vitamin aisle in your local supermarket and you’ll find plenty of products promising to improve brain function. With names like “Memory Complex,” “Neuro Optimizer,” “Brain Elevate,” and “Sharp Thought,” they tout the remarkable powers of compounds from phospholipids and omega-3 fatty acids to acetyl-L-carnitine, citicoline, and Gingko biloba. Manufacturers claim these supplements will enhance cognition, improve memory, and delay age-related decline. But they also include an important caveat on their packaging: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.” Supplement production and marketing are largely unregulated, so there’s no way to tell at a glance whether a product really has the power to strengthen your mental faculties. It turns out most of these nutrients are still being studied to determine if and how they affect the adult brain. There is ample evidence to indicate a link between prenatal brain development and sufficient maternal inta
