A Guide To Nootropics, Anti-Aging, & Brain Health

Every second of every day, your brain is aging.

Toxins like lipofuscin are building up in your brain cells, your neurons are becoming less responsive and losing their fluidity, and environmental factors like alcohol and oxidative stress lead to premature cell death.

While the signs of aging are easy to detect on our bodies, it is harder to see the evidence that our brains become older and less effective over time.

This also means that we as humans are less likely to take steps to slow down or even reverse brain aging until it is too late.

However, brain supplements to slow down aging and improve mental performance are becoming more and more popular. These supplements are called nootropics and they can not only support improved brain health, they also contribute to better memory and cognitive performance.

In fact, many of these nootropics are currently being investigated as cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other disorders affecting intellectual capacity. So what are the best nootropic for anti-aging and brain health?

FREE TRIAL

Optimind

32 Capsules

Read Description

FREE SAMPLE PACK

71 Ratings | Source: Shopper Approved

• Focus longer, clear brain fog & feel more motivated
• Boost energy, alertnes & memory
• Contains 12 safe and natural nootropic ingredients

Nootropics and Anti-Aging

Consider the following: while only 10 percent of those over the age of 65 are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, almost half of all Americans over the age of 85 are.

We all know someone who has suffered memory loss or one of the many other symptoms of degenerative cognitive decline with aging such as dementia, amnesia or senile psychosis.

Much of the workings of the brain are still a mystery, despite researchers and scientists working around the clock to come up with treatments for these and other common ailments.

The unfortunate fact is that unless we take action, we are likely to suffer from some form of cognitive issue as we age.

But you can prevent or even reverse damage to your neurons by taking supplements that optimize brain functions. Those who use the proper combination of Nootropic supplements can experience great improvements in cognitive health and at the very least delay the onset of age related issues.

Some nootropics can actually cause more neurons and synapses to be formed, leading to improved mental performance and intellect over time. Of course, in order to understand how to choose the right supplements, it will help to examine what happens to our brain as we age.

The Brain Loses Plasticity:

Plasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt and change in response to new learning, different environmental settings and stress. Your brain is constantly rewiring itself as it gains new information and experiences.

In technical terms this is how the brain is able to form, strengthen, weaken, and even destroy neuronal connections. Memories are thought to be represented by new connections between neurons, but the brain has scarce resources and will prune away those connections that are not being used anymore.

Furthermore, as we age our ability to form these new connections is diminished which is why it is harder to learn new things when you are older.

The ability of the brain to perform cognitive processes is thought to be directly related to its level of plasticity. This includes memory formation and storage as well as the ability to learn. As we age, the plasticity level of our brain declines due to cells becoming worn out and accumulating waste materials.

The same is also true for our neurites which are the components that actually carry and conduct the chemical messages sent within the brain. As we age, these are lost which is another reason for overall cognitive decline.

But it is not all bad news; while previously neuroscientists believed that no new neurons could be formed after a certain age, we now know that with proper exercise and supplementation our brains can in fact develop new neurons and connections later in life. There have been reports of people suffering terrible brain injuries or strokes and surviving despite having up to half of their brain removed.

Due to synaptic plasticity, our brains can compensate for the loss and make a tremendous amount of new connections within the remaining part of the organ. You can increase neuroplasticity by taking supplements like Noopept and the Racetams (Piracetam, Pramiracetam, Aniracetam, Oxiracetam) which all increase acetylcholine activity.

Noopept in particular is known to increase levels of Nerve Growth Factor which regulates new neuron and neurite growth.

SHOP NOW

Brain Booster Pack

Adrafinil, Sulbutiamine, Alpha GPC and Noopept

Read Description

$99.99

• Most powerful and popular cognitive enhancers
• Supports memory, attentiveness, mood and improved mental performance
• Boost focus, motivation and energy

Free Radicals Increase:

Free radicals are electrons that have become uncoupled from their original elements or compounds.

Higher levels of free radicals are associated with greater cell damage and even certain forms of cancer.

Most often this is due to oxidative stress, which seems to increase in the brain as we age. In fact, free radicals are produced all the time as cells create ATP which is the main energy currency of our brain.

If left unchecked, free radicals will slowly cause cognitive decline by interfering with normal cell activity of your neurons.

The best way to reduce free radicals is through anti-oxidants. Basically, free radicals begin to attack other cells, stealing electrons and turning the attacked cells into free radicals themselves. This ends up in causing cell death if we do not stop the reaction in time.

The brain is actually the largest area where free radicals are found in the body since this organ produces massive amounts of energy for your entire body. This is one of the reasons that it is critical to take anti-oxidants as we age.

Some of the more common Nootropic agents that also function as anti-oxidants include Green Tea (L-Theanine), Ginkgo Biloba, Melatonin, Pterostilbene, Ginseng, Piperine, Ashwagandha, and a number of the Racetam family members.

FREE SAMPLE

Alpha Brain Instant

30 Day Supply

Read Description

FREE SAMPLE PACK

12 Ratings | Source: Onnit

• Support enhanced mental performance & speed
• Naturally boost memory and focus
• Increases energy and alertness without stimulants

Toxins Accumulate:

Another area for concern has to do with the many toxins and impurities present within our brain cells. While the body is constantly working to clean out this waste from our cells, over time it can begin to accumulate.

One of the forms of waste that is particularly problematic is called lipofuscin and this pigment is detectable in elderly individuals as “age spots” or “liver spots” on their skin. It might surprise you to know that your brain develops age spots as well due to build-up of lipofuscin.

If this chemical is not properly removed from cells, it can actually interfere with the basic maintenance processes for the cell resulting in premature death of the neuron.

However, an incredible nootropic called Centrophenoxine has actually been shown to remove these lipofuscin deposits and can restore your neurons back to almost full health. Some people take Centrophenoxine just to help diminish the visibility of age spots on their skin, but it actually works for your brain cells simultaneously.

Chemical Changes:

One of the more critical elements that change within the brain as we age is that gray matter declines. This is a vital component of the central nervous system which includes neurons that are involved in muscle control, memory, speech, sight, emotions, etc.

Gray matter is thought to play a major role in our information processing ability including being able to perform mathematical operations, thinking through problems or even reasoning about basic situations we encounter every day.

The reduction in gray matter also leads to changes in the chemical composition within the brain. For example, our cell membranes become less permeable and the electrical conductivity of our brains lessens which makes all of our processes less rapid.

Another change that occurs is a decline in the levels of certain neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers for our neurons, used to send signals and perform basically all of our thought processes and memory functions.

One neurotransmitter known to become less abundant as we age is Dopoamine which is responsible for everything from mood to movement. It is thought to be involved in a number of cognitive flexibility functions like the ability to react quickly to different situations, working memory, attention, inhibition, problem solving, verbal reasoning, multi-tasking, and even planning.

Both Serotonin and Glutamate levels also decline with age.

Serotonin helps in the regulation of appetite, mood, sleep, memory, and learning.

Glutamate plays a key role in helping to prevent against neurological diseases. It also helps to maintain and even increase synaptic plasticity and communication between neurons.

Finally, one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain called acetylcholine also declines. This neurotransmitter is intimately connected with memory formation, consolidation, encoding and recall. In fact, low levels of acetylcholine is thought to be one of the major causes of Alzheimer’s and most medication for memory loss works on these acetylcholine receptors.

There are a number of Nootropics which can be used to help fight back against lower neurotransmitter levels related to the aging process. A good Choline source such as CDP Choline, Alpha GPC, or Centrophenoxine is recommended to help maintain a number of neurotransmitter levels including acetylcholine and dopamine.

The Racetams like Piracetam or Aniracetam are also excellent for the same purpose and for boosting memory and learning capacity. There are a number of other natural nootropics you can take as well like Huperzine A and Vinpocetine to keep your brain health at the highest level possible.

One great option for an anti-aging Nootropic stack would be to combine Centrophenoxine with Piracetam and then use a supplement like Alpha Brain from Onnit Lab’s to provide you with several different vitamins and nutrients essential for cognitive health.

This combination will reduce signs of aging from free radicals, toxins and chemical changes while also maintaining healthy brain cells and grey matter.

Finally, this combination can actually increase the plasticity of the brain which will keep your memory function high and enable you to continue learning even in your later years.

RANKING

FOCUS

MEMORY

MOOD

COST / DOSE

FREE SHIPPING OVER $75

#1

$0.79

#2

$0.19

#3

$0.51

#4

$0.27

#5

$0.22

#6

$0.34

#7

$0.19

#8

$0.37

#9

$0.13

#10

$1.06