You can read the first four tips (Ciltep, B Vitamins, Choline, and PQQ) in the Tips for improved concentration, memory and creativity part 1. Tips 5 to 8 (Theanine, Magnesium, Iodine, Phenibut) are in the article Tips for improved concentration, memory and creativity part 2. Tips 9 through 12 (Binaural beats, Meditation, Zinc, Phosphatidylserine) are in the article Tips for improved concentration, memory and creativity part 3.
13 Glutathione
Glutathione is often called the most important antioxidant in the human body. It is the antioxidant that regulates all other antioxidants.
An important advantage of Glutathione is that it helps the detoxification process of the human body. Certain toxins, like mold, lead, aluminum, PCB’s from plastics, pollution, and environmental toxins not only negatively influence the body and its health, but also negatively influence brain functioning. For example, toxins might play a major role in the development of Alzheimer, a very prevalent pathology within the human brain [1,2]. These toxins can also cause other diseases within the nervous system. When the brain is free of toxins, this will cause mental performance to improve.
Glutathione lowers oxidative stress within the brain and, therefore, causes cognitive improvements [3]. Oxidative stress lies at the basis of the aging process and might play a contributing role in the development of degenerative diseases.
Glutathione also increases energy production within the brain [4]. Glutathione creates this effect, by keeping the mitochondria, the “energy factories” within the brain healthy. Glutathione has, even more, benefits, as it can increase the quality of life within stressful situations [5]. Secondly, it also has an anti-aging effect on the brain [6].
Scientific research on people with the ages between 60 and 100 shows that the people that have the best mental and physical health have the highest amount of glutathione within their bodies [7]. Just like phosphatidylserine (Tip 12), and PQQ (Tip 4), Glutathione is an all-encompassing supplement that improves many areas of the cognitive performance.
Helfi sells Glutathione Force from Bulletproof. The biggest advantage of Bulletproof’s Glutathione is its delivery method. Absorption rate with Bulletproof’s Glutathione is up to 8 times higher than glutathione products from other brands. The reason for this greater absorption is because Glutathione Force has been dissolved into fatty acids which in turn increases the passage within the stomach. When Glutathione can pass the stomach, it is absorbed to greater extents.
The price of Bulletproof products might be high, but the great results that they offer offset this higher price. It’s only useful to take supplements that work, and supplements that are absorbed in the right way while not having side effects. If you take Glutathione that is not absorbed well, the results will be sub-par, and the product might even be a waste of money. I’m a student and don’t have the income to afford Glutathione at this moment of time. But, if my income would be higher in the future, I might consider buying a Glutathione product to use it long-term. Not only will Glutathione improve the clarity of my thinking, but it is also a great anti-aging product and increases energy during the everyday life.
However, more research is needed about the effects of Glutathione on mental performance. Nonetheless, the reviews of hundreds of Bulletproof customers are very promising, as they mention improved energy levels, more mental clarity and improved well-being as the main benefits of Bulletproof Glutathione Force.
Most important reason for supplementation: Improve energy levels, anti-aging, mental clarity, detoxification.
Recommended Dosage: Use one serving of Bulletproof Glutathione Force, either by placing it on your tongue or a spoon. Swallow the product on an empty stomach. Do not take Bulletproof Glutathione Force with a meal. Higher supplementation is a possibility, especially during stressful times.
14 Activated Charcoal
Supplementing with Activated Charcoal is highly recommended for people that have trouble to use consistently high-quality foods. Activated Charcoal is an important detoxification product that can decrease the negative effects of low-quality meals. It has been used for many centuries in India and China, to detoxify the body.
Activated Charcoal is especially recommended for people that are forced to eat at restaurants most of the time. The benefit of Activated Charcoal is that it absorbs up to 100 times its weight in toxins, and removes these toxins from the body. Activated Charcoal can even help minimalize the negative effects of bad coffee at your job, or lower the toxic load from vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides.
The earlier Iodine tip showed that the human IQ can be influenced to a great extent by the availability of absence of just one substance. In the same way, that the lack of iodine negatively influences IQ, this also holds for toxins in our diets [8]. One can in some sense expect that the same effect holds with toxins as with iodine, by creating the possibility to regain some of the lost IQ points, if the negative influence is treated. For people that have been exposed to toxins for longer periods of time, whether this happened because of a bad lifestyle or environment, I would recommend using an Activated Charcoal supplement.
I use Activated Charcoal myself when I visit a restaurant. When I’m at home, my food intake is spot on and optimal, and I don’t need the Activated Charcoal. I especially recommend using Activated Charcoal when you are visiting “all you can eat” restaurants or other low-quality restaurants, where they routinely use a lot of unhealthy additives. These additives might consist of gluten when you’re eating bread or might consist of MSG at Chinese, fast food, and sushi restaurants.
LiveHelfi sells Highly Activated Charcoal. Nonetheless, more research is needed to investigate the effects of taking activated charcoal with different kinds of foods. Scientific research shows the greatest benefits when you take Activated Charcoal at the same period as the exposure to a toxic substance.
Most important reason for supplementation: Detoxification. By the process of detoxifying, concentration, memory and creativity will remain as optimal as possible when you made sub-par food choices.
Recommended Dosage: Take one to three capsules of Coconut Charcoal with a meal or liquid that contains toxins.
15 Spirulina
Spirulina is freshwater algae, and can be found at different spots in the world where there is an abundance of minerals. Spirulina is almost a miracle foodstuff, and might be one of the only products that can genuinely be considered a “superfood”. Spirulina has an enormous array of effects. Spirulina has a detoxifying effect, just as Glutathione and the Activated Charcoal. Another benefit of spirulina is that it decreases the amounts of nasal congestion, thereby positively influencing respiration [9].
As a human being, it is recommended to use nasal respiration, as opposed to breathing through your mouth, in the same way, that animals also use their nasal respiration. Watch for example a lion, that just sprinted for a distance. The lion still breathes through his nose to regain his breath and increase oxygen levels within the body, while also trying to decrease CO2 levels, that might be even more important. Having good respiratory capacity is not just important during exercise but is also important for cognitive performance when you are not exerting yourself physically. Without good nasal respiration, relaxation and, therefore, mental performance will not function optimally. Nasal respiration lowers stress, increases relaxation and improves mental clarity [10]. Hence, nasal respiration improves mental performance.
Spirulina has the greatest effects for people that have allergies [11] while having physical discomfort like nasal congestion, or when there are toxins in the body [12]. Spirulina not only improves nasal respiration but decreases the amount and intensity of allergic reactions. Hence, Spirulina can remove a lot of obstacles that prevent optimal mental performance. LiveHelfi does not yet sell spirulina. You can buy it in many online web shops and even local organic shops in your neighborhood.
Besides spirulina, this series contains two more tips that contribute to improving respiration, and thereby indirectly improving mental performance. These are meditation (tip 10 from the article Tips for improved concentration, memory and creativity part 3) and one tip from the upcoming article. When you combine these tips, the effects will strengthen each other!
I take a few grams of Spirulina every day. As mixing Spirulina can be difficult because it sticks and coagulates, I usually mix a few grams of Spirulina through my spinach. As I eat spinach very often, and Spirulina mixes wonderfully with it, this is the best way for me to take it. The most important reason for me to take Spirulina is that it optimizes nasal breathing, even during fall and wintertime. As a lot of people get ill during fall and wintertime, I don’t even get as much as a stuffed nose. And as stated before, optimal nasal respiration will, in turn, increase mental performance.
Most important reason for supplementation: Detoxification, decreasing allergies, improved nasal respiration.
Recommended Dosage: Use 2 grams of spirulina a day, either on an empty stomach or with a meal.
16 ALCAR
ALCAR is an abbreviation for Acetyl-L-Carnitine. ALCAR is a special form of the frequently used carnitine supplement. ALCAR is an ingredient of CILTEP (tip 1), but it is also possible to supplement with ALCAR alone.
ALCAR uses different mechanisms to increase cognitive performance. It creates new mitochondria in the body, just like PQQ did, as described in tip number four [13]. Therefore, with long-term supplementation, ALCAR can massively increase energy levels within our daily lives. These new mitochondria will not only be created within muscle tissue but also in the brain itself. The human brain and heart contain the most mitochondria anywhere in the human body. New mitochondria within the brain will improve thinking abilities and mental clarity and mental energy.
Another benefit of ALCAR is that it has anti-aging benefits within the brain because it slows the brain’s aging process [14]. ACLAR protects both the brain itself, but also other tissues within the nervous system [15]. Carnitine is mainly found in beef and, in small amounts, in pork. When you do not consume so much beef, I recommend supplementing with ALCAR to increase mental performance. There is no substitute for ALCAR, as other forms of carnitine are not absorbing well within the brain.
Most important reason for supplementation: Anti-aging, increase energy levels, more mental clarity, more mental energy.
Recommended Dosage: Use one gram of ALCAR in the morning, on an empty stomach. It is possible to use a smaller second dosage during the latter part of the day. It is not advised to use ALCAR during the evening, as it has a minor stimulating effect. The stimulating effect might decrease sleep quality.
References
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[5] Smyth JF, Bowman A, Perren T, Wilkinson P, Prescott RJ, Quinn KJ, Tedeschi M. Glutathione reduces the toxicity and improves quality of life of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer treated with cisplatin: results of a double-blind, randomised trial. Ann Oncol. 1997 Jun;8(6):569-73.
[6] Cascinu S, Catalano V, Cordella L, Labianca R, Giordani P, Baldelli AM, Beretta GD, Ubiali E, Catalano G. Neuroprotective effect of reduced glutathione on oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Oncol. 2002 Aug 15;20(16):3478-83.
[7] Lang CA, Mills BJ, Lang HL, Liu MC, Usui WM, Richie J Jr, Mastropaolo W, Murrell SA. High blood glutathione levels accompany excellent physical and mental health in women ages 60 to 103 years. J Lab Clin Med. 2002 Dec;140(6):413-7.
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[9] Cingi C, Conk-Dalay M, Cakli H, Bal C. The effects of spirulina on allergic rhinitis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2008 Oct;265(10):1219-23. doi: 10.1007/s00405-008-0642-8. Epub 2008 Mar 15.
[10] Shannahoff-Khalsa DS, Boyle MR, Buebel ME. The effects of unilateral forced nostril breathing on cognition. Int J Neurosci. 1991 Apr;57(3-4):239-49.
[11] Karkos PD, Leong SC, Karkos CD, Sivaji N, Assimakopoulos DA. Spirulina in clinical practice: evidence-based human applications. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:531053. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nen058. Epub 2010 Oct 19.
[12] Misbahuddin M, Islam AZ, Khandker S, Ifthaker-Al-Mahmud, Islam N, Anjumanara. Efficacy of spirulina extract plus zinc in patients of chronic arsenic poisoning: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2006;44(2):135-41.
[13] Pesce V, Nicassio L, Fracasso F, Musicco C, Cantatore P, Gadaleta MN. Acetyl-L-carnitine activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivators PGC-1α/PGC-1β-dependent signaling cascade of mitochondrial biogenesis and decreases the oxidized peroxiredoxins content in old rat liver. Rejuvenation Res. 2012 Apr;15(2):136-9. doi: 10.1089/rej.2011.1255.
[14] Carta A, Calvani M. Acetyl-L-carnitine: a drug able to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1991;640:228-32.
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