BRAIN-BOOSTING SUPPLEMENTS ARE THE NEW MEDICINE CABINET MVP
Nootropics may be a funny-sounding name (it’s Greek for mind change), but these Silicon Valley-born supplements popularized by biohackers are getting serious attention for helping reduce brain fog and stress levels. And they’re about to reach a wider audience hoping to fine-tune their minds and do more than keep up with their inboxes and to-do lists (a huge 21st-century feat). A little dose of Limitless, anyone?
Many of the promising cognitive performance enhancers feature amino acids, like stress-reducing l-theanine (used by companies TruBrain and HVMN) and the stimulant and “happiness-hormone booster” phenylethylamine (Awakened Alchemy). Other ingredients may include “supercharged” brain-protecting omega 3s (featured in HVMN’s Nootrobox set), uber-honey (Beekeeper’s Naturals), and even chewable coffee.
Investors are taking notice, too, betting serious money that the masses will be gobbling up nootropics in 2018. According to Research and Markets, brain health was a $2.3 billion dollar business in 2015, and is projected to be worth $11.6 billion by 2024. Companies Nootrobox, Trubrain, and Neurohacker Collective are just a few that have secured millions in funding to help nourish your mind in a manner that goes way beyond Words With Friends.
So why all this focus on brain health right now? First yoga and meditation were everywhere as a life-optimizing tools that helped us cope with stress, and this is a “natural progression of the wellness movement,” says Columbia University psychiatrist and Well+Good Council member, Drew Ramsey, MD. “The brain runs the show. Mood, focus, creativity, and confidence are all brain phenomena,” he says. The intense, high-tech times we now live in have made these harder to come by.