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If you are thinking about trying the nutritional supplement Inositol, it may surprise you to learn about the many beneficial health effects of this natural compound.
Using Inositol to improve your brain health is quite common and it is known to have a positive effect on depression, anxiety and memory especially when used with Choline.
Reviews say that it will help you optimize your energy levels while having an uplifting effect on mood and Serotonin activity.
This nutrient which occurs naturally within the human body can also improve insulin sensitivity and increase the rate at which fat is broken down in the body. What are the reported Inositol effects on your brain as well as your whole body?
Brain Health
Mood
Weight Loss- Supports brain & liver health
- Involved in mood regulation & nerve signalling
- Improves insulin sensitivity for PCOS, fertility & weight loss
Overview of Inositol Effects
Related Topics
Inositol is a carbohydrate produced from glucose with a sugar-like taste.
You will find it in food sources such as beans, nuts, grains, and fruits. However, only half of the food sources of Inositol are bioavailable.
When it occurs in lecithins (like soy) it can be absorbed into the blood. But when found in beans and grains it is bound to phytates which makes it unavailable to your body.
For this reason, using lecithin supplements or forms of Inositol powder are often necessary to increase your intake of this compound.
Inositol is sometimes called Vitamin B8 and is frequently cited as a memory of the B-complex family of vitamins. But as research has uncovered more about how this nutrient works, we now know that it does not technically meet the qualifications of what it means to be a B vitamin.
That being said, it still plays a critical role in the body and its importance should not be understated. Inositol is involved in the synthesis of biochemical messengers and is known to potentiate the binding of certain neurotransmitters to their receptors in the brain.
It increases Cholinergic as well as GABAergic activity and a secondary neurochemical that is created from Inositol is known to modulate Serotonin receptors. All of these effects of Inositol can influence your mood as well as cognitive function.
Inositol & Depression:
Taking Inositol for depression has become commonplace since it was reported that people with low levels of Inositol in their bodies have a much higher chance of suffering some type of mental illness including bipolar disorder.
User reviews of Inositol powder say that it can alleviate mood swings as well as the fatigue and lack of motivation that comes with depression. It is known to increase mental energy and drive while stabilizing your mood and even producing a more positive outlook.
One of the ways this seems to work is by increasing activity of Serotonin receptors in the brain. This neurotransmitter is intimately connected to mood and feelings of well-being.
Top Inositol Supplements
Inositol & Anxiety:
Another related effect of Inositol is in reducing levels of anxiety and stress in the brain. Using this nootropic is observed to enhance the binding process that occurs at GABAa receptors on your neurons.
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which is used to regulate brain activity and prevent over-excitement of certain neural pathways. This can lead to feelings of fear, dread, stress and an inability to stop focusing on some negative stimulus.
By increasing the efficiency of GABA transmission in the brain, Inositol may be able to prevent the onset of anxiety as well as panic attacks, helping you to maintain a more balanced mood.
Inositol & Metabolism:
Inositol is also a frequent ingredient in weight loss products because it can boost fat metabolism. Studies as far back as 1944 show the lipotropic effects of Inositol, especially in breaking down fats within the liver.
Inositol and choline are commonly paired together to prevent the excessive buildup of fat in the liver and helping to transport lipids away from these danger zones. More recent studies show that supplementation can reduce blood triglyceride levels, particularly in women. Not only that, but it also appears to raise the levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol by up to 22%.
These are all positive markers for heart health, which means that one of the Inositol effects is to lower the risk for heart disease.
Inositol & Insulin:
Another interesting benefit of Inositol is that it serves to increase insulin sensitivity. This can be a huge benefit for diabetics as well as people who are at risk for developing diabetes.
Anyone with a history of high blood sugar can see positive results when taking Inositol. It is even used as a life-extension supplement by individuals concerned with the health risks of glycation.
Body builders and other weight training athletes will also appreciate the insulin-like activity of Inositol. Since insulin is highly anabolic, taking Inositol could have similar effects, leading to increased strength and faster muscle building. It may also increase creatine absorption, which is another highly anabolic nutrient.
- Supports brain and liver health
- Involved in mood regulation and nerve signalling
- Used for PCOS, fertility and weight loss
How to Take Inositol
Depending on the specific Inositol affects you are looking to benefit from, there are different ways of taking this nutrient.
As a supplement, Inositol responds very well to the principle of stacking. In other words, by combining two or more different compounds at the same time, you can gain synergies with both.
Essentially, two supplements become even more effective when taken together. It is like the expression that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
In the case of Inositol, there are a number of interesting and effective potential stacks. The first supplement to add would be Choline. Using Choline Bitartrate with Inositol is thought to help potentiate the ability to break down fats in the liver. Together, they produce a new compound known as lecithin, which is primarily responsible for this effect.
You might also want to consider adding Biotin, another B-type of vitamin. If you are primarily taking Inositol powder to help you lose weight, you may want to stack it with caffeine and L-Carnitine.
If you are interested in taking Inositol to improve symptoms of depression or anxiety while generally supporting mental energy and mood, a good stack would be Inositol, Choline, Aniracetam and Sulbutiamine.
All of these compounds are observed to have a positive influence on mood while helping to limit the experience of depression, stress and anxiousness. A suitable dosage for this stack would be between 500 mg to 2,000 mg per day. You will want to experiment with different dosages to determine which one works best for your needs.
Inositol is also regarded as a very safe and well-tolerated supplement. This is likely due to the fact that Inositol occurs naturally in the human body and your physiology is already used to the effects of this compound.
The main side effects which have been noted in the clinical literature are limited to diarrhea and other stomach issues. Just make sure not to take an excessive amount and Inositol side effects should be virtually non-existent.
- Carlomagno G, Unfer V. Inositol safety: clinical evidences. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2011
- Larner J, Brautigan DL, Thorner MO. D-chiro-inositol glycans in insulin signaling and insulin resistance. Mol Med. 2010
- Williamson JR, Cooper RH, Joseph SK, Thomas AP. Inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol as intracellular second messengers in liver. Am J Physiol. 1985
- Parys JB, De Smedt H. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and its receptors. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2012
- Downes CP, Macphee CH. myo-inositol metabolites as cellular signals. Eur J Biochem. 1990
- Benjamin J, Agam G, Levine J, Bersudsky Y, Kofman O, Belmaker RH. Inositol treatment in psychiatry. Psychopharmacol Bull. 1995
5 Comments
Would taking these for depression have any adverse side affects with Zoloft? My 14 almost 15 year old daughter has been on zoloft for 7 months now. (75 mg /day) We recently started her on methylated b, omega 3, d4, also.
Any help would be much appreciated,
Thank you,
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comment. Inositol is considered to be very well tolerated with few side effects. There have been limited studies that have looked at the use of Inositol with SSRIs (of which Zoloft is one) and no additional side effects were reported. However, before combining supplements with drugs – especially in children – it is important to speak to your doctor.
You can check out this article for more info: “Biological Psychiatry”; Combination of inositol and Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in the Treatment of Depression; J. Levine et al.; February 1999
I suffer from severe ocd and anxiety which dominates my life and has gradually gotten worse over several years. I have been on citalopram for nearly 10 years but the benefits of it has slowly ceased to work and my ocd has worsened, resulting in more depression and anxiety. It also distracts my concentration especially when it comes to focusing at University and when doing work at home. I am now on escitalopram and have been for nearly five months and hasn’t been any benefits from it whatsoever. I have been some research into other natural alternatives and came across inositol by chance, and I read it about its benefits and how it can benefit ocd and anxiety, is it ok to take this combined with escitalopram along with choline in order to help improve all my symptoms, also is it ok take as I have colitis and will my colitis benefit from inositol?
Thanks Julian
Also forgot to mention, what form is best take, powder or in tablet form?
Hi there! Inositol gives me an awful tiredness. If that,s any way I can take some natural remedies for my energy level (along with inositol?) Thank you!