Brain health has morphed from ingredients and products focused primarily on preventing cognitive decline in aging boomers to solutions for consumers of all ages and demographics. Products in this niche promise to improve focus, concentration, mental sharpness, and memory in addition to attenuating cognitive decline. Along with old mainstays including B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, L-theanine, and caffeine, newcomers are picking up steam in this growing market space.

The nootropic brain supplement market is set to reach $8.2 million by 2032 with a 9.5% CAGR, according to Acumen Research and Consulting’s report “Nootropics Brain Supplements Market Forecast, 2023 – 2032.” Overall market growth has been fueled by the increase in neurological disorders, adoption of memory enhancement supplements by individuals of all ages, particularly students, and growing emphasis on brain health optimization and performance as well as products that decrease age-related decline in brain functioning.

According to Ryan Wories, director of marketing, FutureCeuticals, the demographic expansion will lead to future growth and innovation in the brain health category. “These consumers are keenly aware that their busy, high-stress lifestyles can negatively impact their daily mental performance. They are looking for supplements and other natural means to sustain their cognitive acuity and energy,” he said.

Ingredients for Esports and Gaming

Participating in esports and gaming requires long periods of sustained attention. Therefore, many people reach for caffeine given its research-backed benefits including improved focus and alertness, particularly in those who are sleep deprived.

However, there are a few downsides to caffeine and variability in how people respond. Some people notice they get a little jittery, particularly if they consume a high dose. This is not especially beneficial when you’re trying to zone in with steady hands while gaming, golfing, studying, or doing a multitude of other tasks involving cognitive performance.

AmaTea Max organic guayusa extract from Applied Food Sciences contains naturally occurring caffeine and antioxidants from guayusa, an Amazonian tea, and is standardized for chlorogenic acids and caffeine. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, though not statistically significant, there was a trend toward lower subjective jittery feelings in gamers consuming AmaTea Max, containing 270 mg caffeine in 3 capsules, compared to when the gamers consumed an equivalent dose of anhydrous caffeine.¹

AmaTea Max was associated with greater vigor and lower fatigue as compared to placebo though also not statistically significant. In another study, those consuming AmaTea experienced a significantly lower increase in epinephrine compared to synthetic caffeine.²

Nutrition21 LLC’s non-stimulant nooLVL, a long-lasting form of arginine combined with inositol, enhances nitric oxide production for greater delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Inositol is found at high levels in the brain and is needed for the functioning of various neurotransmitters involved in learning and memory.

According to Katie Emerson, manager of scientific affairs at Nutrition21, the results of two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in healthy adults found nooLVL works in less than 15 minutes to enhance processing speed and energy while improving cognitive function, even under high mental and cognitive demands.

In one of these studies, nooLVL improved executive functioning before and after video-game playing. Enhancements were seen in processing speed, task switching, and selective attention in esports gamers taking the product. “Moreover, the product studied increased perceived vigor (energy) levels in e-gamers after a single dose, and decreased anger,” Emerson said.

While nooLVL appears to benefit esports gamers while playing games, a mentally exhausting task, its use has crossed over into the general population as well. With a neutral taste profile, nooLVL is ideal for powders and stick packs and can be formulated into foods and beverages.

Nootropics for Everyone

According to Wories, consumers are taking a more holistic, long-term approach to managing their health goals. As a result, “they will be looking for ways to maintain their focus, stamina, accuracy, and processing speed to help support their daily cognitive performance. Brain health/cognition supplements can help these consumers meet their goals,” he offered.

CognatiQ is a patented extract from sustainably sourced coffee fruit that increases the body’s production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neuroprotein vital to overall brain health and cognitive function. Wories pointed to four published human clinical trials demonstrating a single 100-mg dose taken daily boosts BDNF while increasing activity in areas of the brain associated with attention, focus, and working memory and improving measures of cognitive performance associated with alertness, processing speed, accuracy, and mental stamina.

“CognatiQ has been clinically shown to induce measurable improvements in concentration, alertness, reaction time, and accuracy within 60 minutes post-ingestion and sustain those benefits over 28 days with daily use,” said Wories.

Combination ingredients are also becoming more popular. NutraShure’s Betaprime, which consists of jujube seed extract, L-theanine, and Celastrus paniculatus seed extract, enhances mood, supports stress, and acts as a nootropic for cognitive health benefits, according to the company.

Memory enhancement still makes up a large part of the brain health category accounting for over 30% share in 2022, according to Acumen Research and Consulting’s report.

Kyowa Hakko’s Cognizin citicoline is a long-standing ingredient in this category. Cognizin citicoline helps support everyday attention, mental focus, and brain energy. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in adults ages 50 to 85 found 500 mg of Cognizin citicoline taken daily for 12 weeks improved memory performance.³

In a randomized study in adolescent males, 28 days of Cognizin citicoline led to improvements in attention and psychomotor speed and reduced impulsivity compared to placebo.⁴ “College students, working parents, busy professionals, active adults with a mentally demanding lifestyle—all these groups may benefit from Cognizin,” stated Maria Stanieich, marketing manager, Kyowa Hakko USA.

The company Samriddh, a relative newcomer to the cognitive health market, highlighted its branded Bacopa, B-Lit Bacopa. According to Elyse Lovett, MS, MBA, founder of Lovett Marketing and Advertising, “the company’s advanced technology makes the Bacopa more bioavailable in the body by making it water dispersible, enhancing its absorption profile, and providing a sustained release.”

Bacopa has potential for improving free memory recall, cognition, and speed of attention while decreasing reaction time.^5-6

Carotenoid compounds are primarily known for their role in eye health, however, newer research is uncovering how these compounds affect the brain to eye connection and several aspects of brain health.

In a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial, supplementation with 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin for a year led to improved visual memory, spatial memory, reasoning ability and complex attention compared to a placebo.⁷ Lutein and zeaxanthin have also been found to improve visual processing speed, the ability to interpret and process information seen through the eyes.⁸

These compounds also seem to benefit older individuals interested in brain functioning. A 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found lutein and zeaxanthin consumed daily for 6 months improved visual memory and learning in 40 to 75-year-olds.⁹


Consumers looking for all of the perks of caffeine without the side effects may want to consider paraxanthine, a metabolite of caffeine, which provides stimulant benefits but without the side effects. According to Shawn Wells, cofounder of Ingenious Ingredients, the company that developed the paraxanthine ingredient enfinity, paraxanthine is safer and less toxic than caffeine.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, a 200-mg dose of enfinity helped study participants sustain attention and improved some measures of short-term memory, reasoning, and response time to cognitive challenges in young adults compared to a placebo.¹⁰ Enfinity appears to peak within 3 to 5 hours.

Wells said enfinity is recommended for anyone interested in sports performance, esports, or nootropics looking for more “zen” vs. caffeine-frazzled stimulation. A dose between 100 to 300 mg is recommended and enfinity can be incorporated into a number of formats including gummies, powders, coffee, tea, and RTDs. Wells cautioned people not to have paraxanthine along with caffeine as doing so increases the methylxanthine load.

PLT Health Solutions’ Nutricog Cognitive Performance Complex contains haritaki (Terminalia chebula, an extract of the haritaki fruit) and boswellia (Boswellia serrata)—standardized to gallic acid, ellagic acid, and amyrins. Although the research results are not yet published, according to the company, when taken continuously over the course of several months, Nutricog helps improve focus, overall learning, immediate and delayed recall.

Brain Health and Athletic Performance

Creatine is widely known for its ability to enhance strength, muscular endurance, and recovery. It is by far one of the most popular ergogenic aids. More recent research also shows creatine may benefit the brain as well.

According to a review of randomized controlled trials, creatine may improve short-term memory and reasoning in healthy individuals. Creatine may be most beneficial for older adults or those who are experiencing metabolic stress such as sleep deprivation.¹¹ Creatine also seems promising for protecting the brain if taken prior to or after a mild traumatic brain injury such as a concussion.¹²

ATP, the energy currency of our cells, holds benefit for our brains as well. In a double-blind, counter-balanced, crossover design, subjects who took 400 mg adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) supplemented via TSI Group’s PeakATP daily for 14 days attenuated some of the declines in cognitive performance following exhaustive exercise compared to a placebo.¹³

In addition to the typical pre-workout supplements and visual-performance products, “we are seeing more recovery-type products including cognitive-type ingredients for better sleep and enhanced recovery,” noted Lovett.

Gut-Brain Axis

Emerging research suggests manipulation of the gut microbiota could alter cognitive performance. Prebiotics, probiotics (also known as psychobiotics if they affect the brain), and polyphenols, front runners for improving gut health, are also promising ingredients for cognitive function.

Interest in the gut microbiota stems from the bidirectional pathway known as the gut-brain axis.¹⁴ Through the gut-brain axis, intestinal microbiota act locally within the intestines and enteric nervous system and also indirectly with the central nervous system.¹⁵ There is communication from brain to gut-microbiota as well. In addition, human clinical trials are starting to unveil how changes in the gut microbiota alter cognitive performance.¹⁶

Everyone’s gut has their own unique makeup of microorganisms. As a result, there is no “one size fits all” approach to supporting health from the gut. However, gut microbiota diversity continues to come up as the frontrunner we should be aiming for. Research to date shows a significant relationship between gut microbiota diversity and executive functioning as well as cognitive flexibility.¹⁷

Executive functioning includes working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Cognitive flexibility, which is sometimes referred to as task switching, also includes the ability to think about multiple concepts at the same time. Promising ingredients include the prebiotic fibers B-GOS, trehalose, arabinogalactan, and the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium breve.

In addition, a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found Lactobacillus plantarum P8 reduced stress and anxiety and enhanced memory and cognitive traits, including social-emotional cognition and verbal learning and memory, in stressed adults compared to a placebo.¹⁸

Polyphenols are multifunctional compounds associated with an array of positive benefits including cognitive health. Polyphenols enhance the circulation of pro-cognitive neurotrophic factors. Short-term intake of at least 250-300 mg polyphenols improved mental fatigue, serial subtraction, and simple reaction time, though a much larger dose was needed to alter BDNF.¹⁹

Decreased levels of BDNF are associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. If taken chronically, larger doses of polyphenols (500 mg/day) or higher bioavailability of phenolic contents (≥30%) are needed to have a significant effect on neuro-protection and cognitive functions. The gut microbiota influence polyphenol absorption and polyphenols appear to influence the gut microbiota as well.^20-21

“There are benefits for everyone when it comes to focus, attention, memory, energy, mood, and stress,” said Lovett.

“Any adult looking to proactively address their brain health and performance can benefit from brain health/cognition supplements,” Worries added.

Cognitive health supplements are being gobbled up by college students, active nutrition users, gamers and esports enthusiasts, working parents, aging adults, first responders, elite athletes, and more.

This market segment shows no signs of slowing down, so what does the future hold?

Acumen Research and Consulting’s report suggested innovations and trends include functional foods and beverages for a subtle cognitive boost as well as solutions tailored via personalized nutrition and nutrigenomics.

Lovett sees women’s health products including brain-boosting ingredients for “mom brain” and lack of focus and attention during periods of menopause. “I think the next big category is going to be the cross-over between stress, mood, and cognition—those products that keep you relaxed but also keep you productive throughout the day. It’s coming and it’s coming big,” Lovett added.

Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain: there is a demand for innovative solutions that boost cognitive performance and delay age-related cognitive decline.

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About the Author: Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD, is a sports dietitian, spokesperson, and author. She is lead author of Nutrition for Sport, Exercise and Health (Human Kinetics, 2017). For more information visit: ww.mariespano.com.

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