At present, consumers of different ages have incentives to buy and use brain health products. According to data from market research firm IRI, in 2019, sales of special supplements for brain health increased by 24%, while sales of supplements for sleep and mood increased by 16%. Of course, the reasons for buying brain health products also vary with age.
For example, the elderly may be more interested in supporting memory function and mitochondrial health;
Young people may be more interested in energy, attention and stress reduction.
In fact, when listing the reasons for taking supplements, 22% of the respondents mentioned emotional health and 16% mentioned maintaining and/or improving energy levels, both of which have a significant upward trend among millennials . With the continuous innovation of the industry, raw materials for this specific health field are also constantly being developed.
Energy + Attention = Productivity
Theanine
A very popular ingredient, often found in formulas of puzzle products, used to promote cohesion and concentration. Theanine is an active ingredient in tea and can be used as a natural substitute for caffeine, which is also present in tea.
Although caffeine is commonly used as a functional energy component in beverages, recent research has shown that the simultaneous use of caffeine and theanine in functional beverages may have an impact on consumers.
A study found that subjects taking these two ingredients had a significant improvement in the accuracy of rapid visual information processing (RVIP), a decrease in mental fatigue ratings, and a faster simple reaction time and faster numbers Working memory reaction time, and improve sentence verification accuracy.
In addition, theanine can help people alleviate the tension that sometimes occurs, especially if they consume a lot of caffeine. The theanine component L-Tea Active produced by Blue California has the effect of reducing caffeine on the blood pressure of subjects in clinical studies.
Mango extract
Some ingredients act like caffeine, but do not contain stimulants.
For example, a patent-pending mango extract Zynamite (distributed by PLT Health Solutions) showed in an animal study that it has a caffeine-like effect on the central nervous system. Zynamite and caffeine act in a similar way to brain electrical activity, which is a continuous enhancement of synapses based on recent activity patterns and is related to space- and time-dependent memories.
In the process of fitness exercise, the marketing purpose of these ingredients is to support mental energy and endurance, and its benefits for cognition and body can be translated into many applications, from pre-workout to improving energy and concentration.
Tongkat Ali
LJ100 (HP Ingredients) is also a raw material used in the field of sports and endurance. Recent studies have found that it supports the quality of life, mood and stress.
In this study, subjects between the ages of 25 and 65 were given a combination of branded Tongkat Ali and a multivitamin or placebo for 24 weeks. 12 short-term health questionnaires (SF-12) were used to measure quality of life and emotional state profiles (POMS) to measure mood, followed by multi-mode stress questionnaire (MMSQ) to measure stress.
The results show that people taking these two combination products have significantly improved quality of life, mood and stress. These subjects have improved in vitality, mental acuity and cognitive ability, and emotional well-being.
Appropriate decompression helps to increase concentration
Decompression is an important part of concentration. Healthy stress can help motivate a person. When the stress is too great, the stress will make the individual dysfunction and paralyze, affecting their ability to concentrate.
For example, theanine can promote a state of calm and relaxation while maintaining a unique attribute. When a person is calm and alert, they can better concentrate on any task at hand.
In a study of 34 healthy subjects between the ages of 18 and 40, the researchers found that adding Blue California theanine component L-Tea Active to the functional drink reduced the test after one hour The subjective pressure of the author in coping with multi-task cognitive stressors. The analysis of saliva cortisol also showed that saliva cortisol decreased significantly after taking it for three hours.
The study also used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure brain activity. The results showed that subjects who supplemented with theanine showed higher alpha wave activity, which is usually related to a more relaxed mental state. The researchers claim that this behavior is particularly evident in subjects with a high degree of trait anxiety.
A recently published study conducted a 30-week study on 30 healthy subjects and found that theanine not only supports stress, but may also support cognitive function. In this study, the results showed that 4 weeks of supplementation can significantly reduce the following scores: Self Depression Scale, Trait Anxiety Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). In the measurement of cognitive function, theanine supplementation can improve the score of the short assessment (BACS) of cognitive ability of schizophrenia.
Given these potential benefits, it is not surprising that theanine has entered the market mainstream.
ESports players become a healthy new crowd
The game category is a market opportunity that many vendors are actively grasping. Companies such as Jianming and Nutrition 21 are all promoting related e-sports materials. For example, Jianming's Neumentix green mint extract has been shown in clinical studies to support cognitive and physical performance even under stress.
Neumentix Green Mint Extract
A study found that compared to placebo, the counter-strike volunteers who were deprived of sleep had significantly improved executive function under stress. It is mainly for participants to assess whether they are shooting or not shooting according to their recognition ability after experiencing cognitive and physical stress.
Prior to supplementation, all members of the placebo group shot to the correct target, while 4/5 volunteers designated to take green mint extract shot to the correct target. However, after supplementation and high-risk operations, volunteers taking green mint extract all shot to the correct target, while only 3/5 of the subjects in the placebo group shot to the correct target.
In another study on Neumentix, researchers observed the effect of green mint extract by measuring the physical performance of Makoto Arena. This is a 360-degree, multi-plane, game-like environment, very similar to the sports environment, and it is designed to assess the relationship between cognitive function and physical performance. The results of the study showed that the subjects taking the extract had a statistically significant improvement in response time compared to the placebo. These results translate well into virtual reality games, which are growing in the consumer and competitive fields, not to mention traditional sports such as martial arts.
nooLVL's proprietary brain health ingredients
Nutrition 21 launches another proprietary brain-boosting material called nooLVL, which specifically conducts research on gamers. In this double-blind, placebo, controlled study, 60 healthy subjects who played games for more than 5 hours a week took nooLVL or placebo for 7 consecutive days. Before taking and 15 minutes after taking, the subjects received cognitive assessment and emotional questionnaire survey respectively, and then played 60 minutes of video games. Repeat the cognitive test immediately after the game. The results showed that compared with the placebo group, the nooLVL group increased perception energy, reduced anger and fatigue, and reduced errors in cognitive tests by 66%.
Citicoline
Citicoline is also a raw material for gamers. A study published in the "Attention Disorder" magazine evaluated the attention and psychomotor function of a proprietary acetylcholine component Cognizin (produced by Kyowa Hakko) on healthy male adolescents. 3. The impact of impulsiveness. The study results showed that subjects taking citicoline had significant improvements in attention, psychomotor speed, and impulsivity compared with placebo. Considering that games are popular among teenagers, this study proves its effectiveness for an important target audience.
Baby boomer brain health
In contrast, older people's concerns about cognitive health are more obvious.
With increasing age, cognitive health functions continue to decline, which has an important impact on people's quality of life, such as memory. The baby boomers have become the main consumer group of cognitive products. They want to maintain a high-quality life for as long as possible. Memory and cognitive performance are crucial for people of this age.
For a long time, people have been studying the effect of Cognizin citicoline on the memory of the elderly. For example, a 1996 study found that in subjects between 50 and 85 years of age, citicoline supplementation improved their nonverbal memory. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design clinical study found that compared to placebo, for patients with relatively low memory, supplemental drugs can only improve delayed memory related to logical memory. These subjects were subsequently recruited for cross-over studies, where higher doses of citicoline were significantly associated with immediate and delayed improvement of logical memory.
Grape and blueberry compound extract
More and more evidence supports the effect of polyphenol extracts from grapes and blueberries on cognitive health, together with their fruit sources, can be used for food and beverage and consumer recognition.
In a study published in the journal Biological Sciences, 215 healthy subjects between the ages of 60 and 70 were randomly assigned to take a combination of grape and blueberry extract (Diana Cerebelle) or placebo 6 Months. At baseline and 24 weeks, 14 subjects underwent CANTAB paired associative learning test, visual spatial learning and situational memory test, as well as speech recognition memory and spatial span working memory test. The results showed that the performance of the experimental group was significantly better Placebo group.
Another study on grape and blueberry polyphenol extracts for brain health is Memophenol products (manufactured by Activ'Inside). In this study, 30 healthy students were randomly divided into two groups, one group taking 600 mg of Memophenol, another group took placebo. After 90 minutes, a 1-hour cognitive assessment was performed. These assessments include a series of three subtraction tasks, rapid visual information processing tasks, and subjective scoring using visual analog scales.
The results of the study showed that compared with placebo, the intake of Memophenol was associated with a 2.5-fold increase in the STS net variation score. The STS task requires participants to start from any number between 800 and 999 displayed on the screen and count down three times quickly and accurately. This task aims to assess the working memory and attention level of the subjects.
New concept of healthy aging
"Healthy aging" means taking a more comprehensive approach to coping with age-related decline, in which cognitive health is an important factor. This is also a market opportunity for manufacturers.
Patented sustained-release β-alanine ingredient CarnoSyn
For example, Natural Alternatives International recently launched a patented slow-release β-alanine component CarnoSyn, also known as SRCarnoSyn. This slow-release raw material is mainly aimed at the healthy aging market, not in the field of sports nutrition.
The amino acid-alanine can promote the synthesis of muscle carnosine in the body, and can be used as a buffer of lactic acid to delay the production of muscle fatigue. Carnosine content will decrease as people age, so vitamin supplementation can reduce the risk of sarcopenia. As an antioxidant, β-alanine also helps fight glycosylation, which can lead to the accumulation of advanced glycosylation end points and damage brain cells and functions.
Pyrroloquinoline quinone raw material BioPQQ
Mitochondrial health is also an important part of evaluating healthy aging. Shoji Matsukawa, vice president of Mitsubishi Gas Chemistry, said that by regulating healthy mitochondria and removing dysfunctional mitochondria, brain memory and learning activities may be improved. Importantly, mitochondrial health not only affects brain function, but also affects many other functions, especially those related to aging, so it is necessary to make consumers aware of the importance of mitochondrial health.
BioPQQ, the brand-name pyrroquinoline quinone raw material produced by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, has been shown to activate mitochondrial bioproduction, which is the process of mitochondrial group division and reproduction, which is essential for healthy cell activity. As we age, mitochondrial function begins to decline, causing the health of the brain, heart, and other important organs to deteriorate. But by reactivating mitochondria, it can stimulate cell activity and provide more efficient energy production.
MitoCarn
Alfasigma USA’s MitoCarn products are also aimed at mitochondrial health, which in turn promotes cognitive health. This ingredient is L-carnitine in the form of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC). As the nerve growth factor in the brain decreases, the levels of acetyl-L-carnitine and acetylcholine will also decrease. Therefore, mitochondria often lose efficiency, and this loss of efficiency leads to the appearance of aging-related symptoms, including the loss of memory, learning ability, and cognitive ability.
In addition, MitoCarn can penetrate the blood/brain barrier and transport nutrients directly into the brain. These molecules may help increase healthy blood flow and support a wide range of functions that contribute to healthy cognition, including helping to manage oxidative damage, supporting mitochondrial function, and maintaining healthy neurotransmitter activity. MitoCarn may also help reduce cellular waste during the ATP process, and antioxidants are crucial in helping to reduce the damage caused by free radicals or reactive oxygen species and other toxic residues.
