Fight Brain Fog with Omega-3, the Ultimate Nootropic
Rich in essential fatty acids, omega-3 supports brain health, improves cognitive function, and enhances memory, making it an indispensable ally in the battle against mental fatigue and lack of focus. Learn how omega-3 can unlock your brain’s full potential, and why this supplement is the ultimate nootropic.
Those suffering from brain fog may feel like their mind has gone dull like the edges of a well-worn blade. With brain fog, you may find yourself having difficulty thinking clearly or multitasking effectively, affecting your general mindfulness and overall productivity. But despite its increasing prevalence, brain fog is still very much a neologistic catch-all for a vast number of symptoms. As Andrew E. Budson of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System notes, “Brain fog is not a medical or scientific term; it is used by individuals to describe how they feel when their thinking is sluggish, fuzzy, and not sharp.”
Nootropics, or “smart drugs,” are one of the many proposed solutions for brain fog, from products tapping into the cognitive-enhancing properties of plants and mushrooms to the enzyme-boosting abilities of B vitamins. A well-studied natural option includes omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s can help virtually all your body’s cells function at maximum potential – especially in the brain. But your body does not endogenously produce omega-3s to meet your needs and instead are classified as “essential fats,” meaning you must get them through dietary supplementation. But before you consider which, among legions, of omega-3 supplements to take to boost your brain power, you’ll find a breakdown of the manifold benefits of omega-3 below. So keep reading to learn more about how you utilize omega-3s in the battle against brain fog.
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Fight Brain Fog with Omega-3, the Ultimate Nootropic is an original (LimitlessMindNews) article.
Omega 3 vs. brain fog:
Enhancing blood flow to the brain
Omega-3s play an essential role in cellular function. Harvard Health notes that “they provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls and inflammation. They also bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function.” This is largely facilitated through its molecular forms.
One such form is the phospholipid molecular form. When your body breaks down an omega-3, phospholipids help process the omega-3 through cell membranes, allowing your cells to absorb its nutrients and consequently transport them throughout the body. In fact, research has shown that omega-3s in the phospholipid molecular structure are more efficiently and effectively absorbed into the cell membrane and transported to red blood cells.
This process is important for your brain power. Red blood cells have an important job carrying oxygen to your tissues and creating the energy you need to function. Your brain is one of the most important and busiest organs in your body, using “about a fifth of your body’s total oxygen supply.”
So as it pertains to your brain, omega-3 consumption may help augment your cells’ nutritional absorption process, which in turn, may help augment your red blood cells’ ability to transport nutrients to your brain and convert them into much-needed energy. Indeed, a 2022 review found that “the use of omega-3 leads to higher hemoglobin oxygen saturation and total hemoglobin concentrations, suggesting an improvement in blood circulation in the brain.” The potential benefits of this may “improve mental performance” across age groups.
Omega 3 vs. brain fog:
Improving brain cell communication
In your brain, neurons are constantly firing electrical and chemical signals to each other to process and communicate information and carry out bodily functions. Omega-3s play a crucial role here by developing and maintaining brain cells. A 2020 study noted that reduced omega-3 levels “reduces the concentration of omega-3s in cellular membranes,” which in turn “reduces the Na-K-ATPase in nerve terminals, which consumes around half the energy of the brain allowing for nerve transmission and communication.” Significant here, is that omega-3s help power the cell to supply Na-K-ATPase, an all-important protein that helps regulate electrochemical activity in neurons.
Think of it in a segmented process: omega-3s help your body absorb and break down nutrients; they then help transport them to red blood cells which send out oxygen and energy; In your brain, this energy helps your cells interact with and send information to each other. Indeed, researchers have noted that “brain cells with a high level of omega 3 PUFA [polyunsaturated fatty acids] are better for communication with other cells,” and that “cellular pathways, cell signaling, and structure of membrane” are all influenced by omega-3s.
Omega 3 vs. brain fog:
Neurotransmitter regulation
Neurotransmitters are another important part of your brain’s signaling process and are also bolstered by omega-3 intake. They are your body’s chemical messengers, carrying signals from one neuron to another, allowing your body to respond to information. Of their many vital functions, neurotransmitters notably control your thoughts, memory, and feelings. Omega-3s, as we have seen, help facilitate nutritional absorption through the cellular membrane; this process, by which membranes increase in fluidity and elasticity, allows neurons to more readily pass neurotransmitters to the receiving cell.
The aforementioned 2020 study found this to be quite promising with the polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA, with the latter especially noted for being “important for cellular membrane fluidity, function and neurotransmitter release.” More significantly, DHA helps promote the outgrowth of dendrites and axons from neurons in addition to influencing the formation of synapses, which specifically “depends on DHA accumulation in the brain.” This all helps your neurons pass important messaging through neurotransmitters.
Omega 3 vs brain fog:
Kori Krill Oil’s Mind & Body Omega-3 is a premier cognitive nootropic
If you’re looking to tap into the exciting benefits omega-3s may have on brain health, Kori Krill Oil’s Mind & Body Omega-3 is a top choice. Kori Krill Oil’s Mind & Body Omega-3 uses the phospholipid molecular form, which functions as the building block for effective (and even augmented) cerebral functioning. Moreover, it also includes a “powerhouse combination of nutrients for memory & attention.” This includes the additional “complementary brain nourishing nutrients” of plant antioxidants, vitamin B12, and turmeric curcumin.
Krill oil generally has a large concentration of antioxidants, which help counteract oxidative stress and neuronal decay. Research indicates that plant-based antioxidants are especially effective in scavenging free radicals and thus protecting cellular integrity and preventing decay. A 2016 comparative study found that Vitamin B12 helps “modulate mental health and cognition.”
Finally, turmeric, a major source of the compound curcumin, may also help manage oxidative stress. A recent 2022 study concludes that this might extend to “preserving neurons against stress-induced damage” and even “modulating various molecular pathways in brain cells.” So with Kori Krill’s Mind & Body Omega-3, you’re getting the best of omega-3s and then some. It represents the brand’s raison d’être for its users – what CEO Nancy Chan notes is “to start their protective investment in their health with an omega; because an omega works just so hard for you.”
Omega 3 vs. brain fog:
In search of clear skies in the horizon of the mind
Brain fog is still not very well understood and is, scientifically speaking, more of a “phenomenon” than a disease. Because of this – and the very nature of occluded thinking – those suffering from the deleterious effects of brain fog may feel that the fight to clear their mind is Sisyphean. When looking then to try to reverse what may feel like the eternal sunshine of a brain-fogged mind, it’s important to focus on the natural processes that support your cognition. Improving blood flow to the brain, which can then improve cellular connections and communication, may help get your mind back on track. Omega-3 fatty acids, then, may hold the key to helping you recover, improve, and maintain your mental faculties.
Further Reading for Additional Reference:
New York Times: Nutrition: Brainpower Tied to Omega-3 Levels
Harvard Health Publishing: Foods linked to better brainpower
Medical News Today: Brain fog: Causes and tips
Columbia University Irving Medical Center: Omega-3s May Hold Key to Unlocking Blood-Brain Barrier
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements Or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
