84 MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019
HEALTHThe US nootropics industrywas valued at more than $1.3 billion (R18
billion) in 2015, and is projected to reach
$6 billion (more than R80 billion) by
- This growth is due in part to slick
marketing from biohacking “experts” such
as Dave Asprey (founder of Bulletproof )
and Dr Josiah Zayner (CEO of the Odin),
who’ve built big social-media and podcast
followings as well as customer bases. At
the grassroots level, there are meet-ups
across the country like the one in NYC,
plus a vibrant online community. Forums
including reddit.com/r/Nootropics/ have
more than 140 000 subscribers discussing
products with names like Orange
Brainwash and GodMode.
Nootropics are blends of ingredientstouted as a low-risk way to enhance
learning, memory, motivation, and even
serenity. These ingredients range from
herbs such as water hyssop (Bacopa
monnieri) and arctic root to chemicals such
as vinpocetine. And many people swear
by them. Entrepreneur Neal Thakkar, for
example, claims nootropics improved his
life so profoundly that he can’t imagine
living without them. His first breakthrough
came about five years ago, when he tried
a piracetam/choline combination, or
“stack”, and was amazed by his increased
verbal f luency. (Piracetam is a cognitive-
enhancement drug permitted for sale in
the U S as a dietary supplement; choline is a
natural substance.)
“I was in love with a girl. When I took thepiracetam and choline, the anxiety went away
and I said the right things at the right time to
her,” he recalls. The relationship didn’t last,
but Thakkar’s love of nootropics burns on.
Here’s the thing, though: The popularity
of nootropics has bloomed with almost no
quality clinical research to prove that the pills
and potions (or black boxes) work. And the
research that is emerging doesn’t look good.
“Most people assume that because it’s a
supplement, it can’t be bad for you because
it’s natural,” says psychiatrist Dr Louis
Kraus. In 2016, he chaired a committee that
investigated nootropics for the American
Medical Association. After reviewing the
science, the committee found little to no
evidence to support the efficacy or safety of
nootropics.
“The reality is that some of these things
could potentially be lethal, mainly because
we don’t know exactly what’s in them,” says
Kraus. The American Association of Poison
Control Centres says that poisonings linked
to such common nootropics ingredients
as phenibut, piracetam, vinpocetine, and
L-theanine rose each year between 2012 and2017 (from 50 to 356) and led to four deaths.
Actually, there’s nothing new about
nootropics. “Anything sold as a supplement
has been around for a very long time,” says
Dr Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of
medicine at Harvard Medical School. “If
there were a new drug invented, it would
need vetting by the FDA and could not be
sold as a supplement.”
Before spending money on nootropics,
which can cost over R1 000 a bottle,
familiarise yourself with the ingredients,
understand how science – not inf luencers –
says they’ll affect your body, and weigh up
the risks.The Nootropics Effect
So if these smart drugs lack scientific cred,
why are people like Thakkar saying they
work? Because many noo tropics contain
caffeine. Take a stimulant and your pulse
accelerates, your blood pressure rises, and
you feel energised. But stimulants don’t make
you smarter; they make you quicker, says
neuroscientist Dr Kimberly Urban. “They
make you better able to use the cognitive
ability you have.”
There’s another factor at work, says
Cohen. “The placebo effect is powerful. If
you think a pill will improve your thinking,
you’ll feel as if you’re thinking better.”
In a 2016 study, researchers at George
Mason University found that students who
were drawn in by a f lyer touting the IQ-
boosting power of cognitive training saw
improvements equivalent to a five-to-ten-
point boost in their IQ after an hour of such
instruction. A control group that receivedHike your happiness
with exercise!
As little as ten minutes
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In a new study, people who
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One explanation: people
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served a cup.Get more done with
chocolate!
The active ingredient
in dark chocolate,
cocoa flavanols, may
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visual information
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memory performance.
Have a square or two, and
stick with natural cocoa:
“Dutch processing”
reduces flavanol content.Focus better with
meditation!
A 2018 study from the
University of Miami found
that of the people who
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long meditation retreat,
those who continued the
practice regularly and
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age-related decline in
sustained attention seven
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memory with games!
A 30-minute brain-
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cognitivefun.net/test/4.Who needs nootropics?5 WAYS TO BOOST BRAINPOWER NATURALLY
“The reality is that
some of these
things could poten-
tially be lethal,
mainly because we
don’t know exactly
what’s in them,”
says Dr. Kraus.
SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/GETTY IMAGES (BRAIN)