Originally published February 2023. Updated August 2026 with current research and citations.
Brain health should be at the top of everyone's list of concerns today, especially due to the recent rise in so many disorders and diseases related to the brain. The conventional medical approach to brain health does not typically include much emphasis on nutrition, including dietary supplementation. A well-chosen brain supplement deserves a place in how you care for your brain. While it may seem like it goes without saying, without a healthy brain, then we are not ourselves. If we have problems with our memory and focus, two key aspects of cognitive function, then we will likely deal with not just intellectual, psychological, and emotional deficits, but physical ones as well. Thus, including a daily supplement to support brain function helps us maintain our faculties and abilities. Perhaps no better stated than by the great French philosopher and scientist, René Descartes, who coined the very famous phrase, "I think, therefore I am."
The Rise in Brain Diseases and Disorders
Part of the recent increasing interest in brain supplements has been due to the rising prevalence of dementia and other forms of memory loss (Wu et al., 2017), and the large number of people living with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and developmental disabilities in children (Gardner & Yaffe, 2015; Goodwin et al., 2020; Monroe & Harkness, 2022; Oakley et al., 2021; Zablotsky & Black, 2020). Across life's spectrum, people of all ages are doing their best to support a family member, or themselves. That awareness has produced a great deal of interest in brain health, and in what nutrition can reasonably contribute to it.
What the Research on Brain Supplements Shows
Many different brain supplements have been tested over the last thirty years, and the results are mixed in ways worth being honest about.
For example, vitamins D and E have both been studied for effects on memory, focus, and other aspects of cognitive function. My colleagues and I reviewed the human research on both. The studies we reviewed did not show significant or consistent support for their use in improving cognitive function (Lewis et al., 2021).
That finding does not undermine the overall value of those vitamins to your health. It does mean that calling them brain vitamins is difficult to defend on the cognitive evidence alone.
In the same review we examined other nutrients, including Ginkgo biloba, N-acetyl cysteine, omega-3 fatty acids, and aloe polysaccharides. More favorable findings appeared for N-acetyl cysteine (Rapado-Castro et al., 2017) and for aloe polysaccharides in combination with other key nutrients (Lewis et al., 2021).
I report the unfavorable findings alongside the favorable ones because that is what the review found. A company that only tells you what worked is not telling you what the evidence says.
How I Developed Daily Brain Care
Our research on aloe polysaccharides combined with other key nutrients led to the creation of Daily Brain Care. The formula behind it has been the subject of published clinical research, where my colleagues and I measured cognitive outcomes and blood markers directly (Lewis et al., 2013).
I am careful about how I describe that work. It was a small, open-label trial in older adults, and it does not show that any dietary supplement treats, cures, or prevents disease.
What it does show is that the formula was studied seriously, in people, with outcomes measured rather than assumed. Few products in this category have published human research of any kind behind them.
Daily Brain Care is a powder that mixes into water, juice, a smoothie, tea, apple sauce, or any other food or liquid that is not boiling or at extremely high heat. It can be taken with food or on an empty stomach. As with any dietary supplement, talk with your physician before beginning, particularly if you take prescription medication.
Conclusion
Your brain is you. Taking care of your brain's health belongs at the very top of your daily priority list. A whole-food formula with published research behind it, such as Daily Brain Care, complements the rest of a sound routine: a whole-food, plant-based diet, regular exercise, good sleep, and managed stress. You can read more about the research on my About page.
References
Gardner RC, Yaffe K. Epidemiology of mild traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2015 May;66(Pt B):75-80. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2015.03.001. PMID: 25748121.
Goodwin RD, Weinberger AH, Kim JH, Wu M, Galea S. Trends in anxiety among adults in the United States, 2008-2018: Rapid increases among young adults. J Psychiatr Res. 2020 Nov;130:441-446. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.08.014. PMID: 32905958.
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.
Monroe SM, Harkness KL. Major depression and its recurrences: Life course matters. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2022 May 9;18:329-357. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072220-021440. PMID: 35216520.
Oakley LD, Kuo WC, Kowalkowski JA, Park W. Meta-analysis of cultural influences in trauma exposure and PTSD prevalence rates. J Transcult Nurs. 2021 Jul;32(4):412-424. doi: 10.1177/1043659621993909. PMID: 33593236.
Rapado-Castro M, Dodd S, Bush AI, Malhi GS, Skvarc DR, On ZX, Berk M, Dean OM. Cognitive effects of adjunctive N-acetyl cysteine in psychosis. Psychol Med. 2017 Apr;47(5):866-876. doi: 10.1017/S0033291716002932. PMID: 27894373.
Wu YT, Beiser AS, Breteler MMB, et al. The changing prevalence and incidence of dementia over time: Current evidence. Nat Rev Neurol. 2017 Jun;13(6):327-339. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.63. PMID: 28497805.
Zablotsky B, Black LI. Prevalence of children aged 3-17 years with developmental disabilities, by urbanicity: United States, 2015-2018. Natl Health Stat Report. 2020 Feb;(139):1-7. PMID: 32510313.
