Introduction
Our memory serves as the gateway to all of our past experiences in life. If our memory does not function properly, then we have lost the essence of ourselves and who we are. Unfortunately, memory disorders and related mental health problems are on the rise today. You may be wondering what you can do to help keep your memory intact and maintain who you are. I would argue that an effective memory supplement can be just as effective as any other tool at your disposal to help you keep your cognition intact, particularly your memory and focus. Like anything else, you should do your homework before you purchase any product that is promoted as a memory enhancer.
Five Reasons To Take A Memory Supplement
If you have known someone with a memory disorder, then you know firsthand how tragic it is for a person to lose his/her ability to recall people, places, and events. Thus, the most obvious first reason to take products referred to as memory pills or memory vitamins would be for the goal of maintaining, if not improving, memory. Second, taking a brain supplement or memory supplement will not just benefit your memory and focus, but any nutrient or phytonutrient is going to have other positive effects throughout your body, not just the brain. For example, we have shown in our research that the aloe polysaccharides and other key nutrients in Daily Brain Care are not just beneficial for the brain, memory, and focus, but are also good for the immune system as well (Lewis et al., 2013). Third, effective memory supplements will help you not only maintain your cognition and mental function, but these aspects of our health are related to our physical function as well. In other words, mental and physical function are interrelated and reliant on each other to work in unison to maintain health and prevent complications (Ströhle, 2009). Fourth, maintaining memory with some type of memory supplement allows you to avoid other mental deficiencies, particularly depression and anxiety, which are typically found in people who have memory dysfunction (Yoon et al., 2019). Fifth, by keeping your memory functioning as it should, you maintain your independence and freedom to continue enjoying your life as much as can without being institutionalized because you can no longer care for yourself. All of these reasons for taking a memory supplement are critically important and vital to maintaining independence and a high quality of life.
Which Memory Supplement Should You Take?
A memory supplement should ideally be tested with thoughtful and well-executed research before it is sold to consumers. Unfortunately, for many memory vitamins, more often than not the marketing claims do not match the science behind them. Thus, it is important for you to consider the reputation of the company selling the product and the claims related to memory and focus that are made about their memory pills or products. While much research on dietary supplements over the years has been focused on common issues like heart health and weight loss, the emphasis on memory is now starting to catch up to those, and it has in the last several years. For example, you may be familiar with some of the research on memory and nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin (an extract of turmeric). We reviewed many articles focusing on several of these nutrients and their effects on memory, and as it turns out the combination of aloe polysaccharides plus a few other key compounds, such as stabilized rice bran, flax seed, and tart cherry, resulted in arguably the most profound effects on cognition, memory, and focus, compared to anything else (Lewis et al., 2021). Thus, our research led us to conclude that the formula that we tested, known as Daily Brain Care, is the most effective brain supplement and memory enhancer compared to all others.
Conclusion
If you are not already taking an effective memory supplement, then in my opinion you are missing an opportunity to enhance the quality of your life. Our memory is the key to our mental wellbeing, and it is important for our physical function and independence. It is up to you to take care of your memory, just like you would any other part of your being, and you owe it to yourself to consider utilizing a memory supplement to help you accomplish that. I cannot encourage you enough to include a memory supplement as part of your regular, daily routine.
References
Lewis JE, McDaniel HR, Agronin ME, Loewenstein DA, Riveros J, Mestre R, Martinez M, Colina N, Abreu D, Konefal J, Woolger JM, Ali KH. The effect of an aloe polymannose multinutrient complex on cognitive and immune functioning in Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;33(2):393-406. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-121381. PMID: 22976077.
Lewis JE, Poles J, Shaw DP, Karhu E, Khan SA, Lyons AE, Sacco SB, McDaniel HR. The effects of twenty-one nutrients and phytonutrients on cognitive function: A narrative review. J Clin Transl Res. 2021 Aug 4;7(4):575-620. PMID: 34541370.
Ströhle A. Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2009 Jun;116(6):777-84. doi: 10.1007/s00702-008-0092-x. PMID: 18726137.
Yoon JS, Charness N, Boot WR, Czaja SJ, Rogers WA. Depressive Symptoms as a Predictor of Memory Complaints in the PRISM Sample. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019 Jan 10;74(2):254-263. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx070. PMID: 28575476.
