Nature's Mind Steroid: Enhancing Mental Strength through a Nutraceutical - based Diet Hack

Author: Chris Shugart

Introduction

In the realm of cognitive enhancement, a nutraceutical - based diet hack holds the promise of not only making you mentally stronger but also maintaining that elevated state. Let's delve into the scientific underpinnings of this phenomenon.

Imagine you are a business owner in need of a new hire. To identify the most suitable candidate, you administer a series of cognitive tests - the Stroop, TESEN, and RIST tests. These tests, in combination, assess a person's overall intelligence, memory, and capabilities in areas such as focus, information processing, and rapid decision - making.

Two applicants, Jake and Jenna, take these tests. Jake's performance is lackluster, while Jenna excels. Although cognitive tests are not infallible predictors of a person's competence, based on these results, as an employer, you can surmise the following:

• Jake is more prone to being disorganized, slow in response, or easily confounded, particularly in high - paced environments. Multitasking may not be his forte, and he may struggle with memory recall.

• Jenna, on the other hand, is likely to be quick - thinking, adaptable, and dependable under pressure. She will be a rapid learner, more organized, and better equipped to handle complex tasks.

If these skills are crucial for the position, Jenna will naturally rise to the top of your candidate list. It's important to note that Jake is not lacking in intelligence; his skill set simply diverges. However, Jake could potentially enhance all the cognitive abilities mentioned above by incorporating a single change: consuming a nutraceutical derived from polyphenol - rich fruits and vegetables.

The Nutraceutical Study

Researchers were already aware that polyphenols and flavonoids, such as anthocyanin (natural plant compounds), have a beneficial impact on cognition - the mental processes encompassing the acquisition, processing, and utilization of information, including thinking, memory, attention, and problem - solving. Nevertheless, the majority of studies demonstrating these benefits were conducted on elderly individuals suffering from dementia and those with pre - existing mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. The question remained: Do these plant chemicals enhance mental acuity in younger, healthier individuals?

To answer this, they recruited over 100 healthy participants for a randomized, double - blind, placebo - controlled, crossover clinical trial. For 16 weeks, half of the participants consumed 6 capsules daily of a supplement containing fruit and vegetable extracts, while the other half received a placebo. Subsequently, the groups switched, and the testing was repeated.

Before and after each testing period, all participants underwent the three aforementioned cognitive tests. The researchers made the following discoveries:

• Compared to the placebo group, the nutraceutical group exhibited statistically significant improvements (approximately a 12% increase) in all cognitive test variables.

• After consuming the nutraceutical, participants showed enhanced processing speed, with an 8 - 10% improvement in executive function and attention.

• Significant enhancements were observed in both verbal and non - verbal short - term memory.

The exact mechanisms through which these improvements occur are still under investigation. However, researchers postulate that these compounds regulate cerebral blood flow, induce changes in memory processing, enhance neuronal connectivity and growth in the hippocampus, and influence synaptic plasticity related to fluctuations in nitric oxide (NO) levels.

How to Utilize this Information

An intriguing aspect of this study is that the participants utilized a relatively low dose of fruit, berry, and vegetable extracts. They consumed an encapsulated product containing approximately 600 mg per 6 - capsule serving.

Our related nutraceutical supplement, Biotest Superfood (available for purchase on Amazon), contains 2500 mg - over four times the amount of the beneficial compounds. Recognizing that consumers may not wish to take 25 capsules per serving, we have formulated it as a powder. Simply mix it with water, a shake, or foods like oatmeal. If taken daily, each container of Superfood will last for two months.

While it's not possible to claim, without further research, that consuming four times as many polyphenolic compounds will make you four times as cognitively sharp or enhance your processing speed four - fold, based on the above - mentioned research, we can affirm that Superfood provides comprehensive support for cognitive function.

Reference

• Carrillo, Juan Ángel, et al. "Effects of Fruit and Vegetable - Based Nutraceutical on Cognitive Function in a Healthy Population: Placebo - Controlled, Double - Blind, and Randomized Clinical Trial." Antioxidants, vol. 10, no. 1, 15 Jan. 2021, p. 116, doi:10.3390/antiox10010116.