Have you ever heard of nootropics? These are special “smart drugs” or supplements and substances that are targeted towards brain function. Proponents of nootropics praise them as the keys towards unlocking the brain. In doing so, they may improve memory, creativity, “alertness”, mood, and cognition. [1] A common nootropic that everyone should be familiar with is caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, and dark chocolate. [2] There’s a variety of nootropics out there, especially in the supplement world. For today, I wanted to focus in on phosphatidylserine, an exceptional compound that’s become the subject of several studies.

Origins and Longevity
Phosphatidylserine is a molecule that’s actually abundant throughout the body. In fact, every cell contains it. Our body naturally makes it, but we can also obtain it from foods. (Which include fatty fish, chicken, turkey, beef, liver, and white beans). [3] Where it truly shines is in our brain by playing an essential role in its function and longevity. Research has even shown that supplementing with phosphatidylserine helps with an aging brain by improving cognition, memory (both long and short term), problem solving, communication, and even reactions and reflexes. [4] Phosphatidylserine may also help to improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, at least in the short term and in patients with less severe cases. [5]

(Anti) Depression
A more present concern that phosphatidylserine may help to alleviate is depression. Further research has shown that since phosphatidylserine naturally affects feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain, increasing it by way of supplementing may further help to lower the effects of depression. One study even shows that a month of taking a phosphatidylserine supplement was able to lower the severity of depression in elderly women. [6] OK, that sounds fine when it comes to the elderly, but what about younger people? As it turns out, there’s yet another study that shows the benefits of phosphatidylserine on younger subjects. In it, young, healthy adults reported improvements in their moods and stress after taking a phosphatidylserine supplement for 30 days. [7]

Brain Function
Another benefit of phosphatidylserine has to do with its ability to enhance cognition. This specifically has to do with how we learn things, and make mental calculations. Moreover, phosphatidylserine has been shown to not only increase the efficacy of cognition but also accuracy, meaning how well one gets information correctly. [8] This makes it quite advantageous for people in occupations that require retaining a lot of information, from students to teachers to scientists. Consider it a mental “booster” for those times you have to study up!

Athletic Performance
A final benefit of phosphatidylserine goes towards its effects on athletic performance. At first, it may seem odd- how can a nootropic support exercise or sport? Physical activity of any sort is a form of stress to the body. For instance, whenever you’re resistance training, you’re tearing down muscle fibers and growing newer, stronger ones in their place. This process is a stressor to the body, albeit a necessary one. To improve our body’s response to stress and optimize recovery (when muscle can truly be repaired and grown), a stress-relieving compound like phosphatidylserine comes in handy. According to a study from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, golfers that took phosphatidylserine for 6 weeks were able to improve their exercise-induced response to stress as well as the number of successful ball slights during tee-off. [9] Lastly, phosphatidylserine also increases VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be used during intense exercise (like in one of my ZGYM workouts!). VO2 max is a huge factor in determining how well you can maintain exercise, especially when it’s related to endurance. One study on cyclists shows that by supplementing with phosphatidylserine, the participants were able to extend their total exercise time to exhaustion (or VO2 max) by a whopping 85%! [10]

So, if you’re looking to enhance overall brain function, improve moods and stress, and boost exercise performance, consider looking into phosphatidylserine. It’s an incredibly useful supplement to use, especially for specific situations such as prolonged lengths of studying and intense exercise. Those who do not consume plenty of fatty fish and animal foods will not be getting enough naturally through their diet, and may also want to consider looking into supplementing. But as always, check with your doctor first!

Sources
[1] Frati P, Kyriakou C, Del Rio A, Marinelli E, Vergallo GM, Zaami S, Busardò FP (January 2015). “Smart drugs and synthetic androgens for cognitive and physical enhancement: revolving doors of cosmetic neurology”. Curr Neuropharmacol. 13 (1): 5–11. doi:10.2174/1570159X13666141210221750. PMC 4462043. PMID 26074739.
[2] https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/healthier-ways-to-get-your-caffeine
[3] https://draxe.com/phosphatidylserine/
[4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25933483
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8038871
[6] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1693032
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11842886
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22017963
[9] http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-23
[10] https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2006&issue=01000&article=00011&type=abstract