Alpha Brain is one of the wider known nootropics from the team at Onnit, and has been endorsed by several athletes.
But does it work?
With claims to support:
- Memory
- Focus
- Processing Speed
We took a closer look at the science behind Onnit to see if it really was up to the standard people have claimed it to be.
What we found was quite surprising:
About the company
Onnit is a supplements company that has made a real impact on the industry. With a wide range of supplements, foods and personal care products they have their hand in various areas of the fitness and well-being market.
The company have a range of big names supporting the brand such as comedian Joe Rogan, fighter TJ Dillashaw and various other athletes.
Anybody can pay an athlete for a sponsorship, the real question is does Alpha Brain actually work?
Here’s what we found:
The Ingredients and how they work
The nutrients used in Alpha Brain are on the whole, pretty good. There’s just one problem with them; proprietary blends.
These are when supplement companies group together a range of ingredients and pass them off under one solitary value. The result of which being a combination of ingredients that we don’t know the value of.
This is bad news, as it makes it difficult to analyze ingredients on an individual basis to determine whether they’re effective or not.
And worse still, from out estimation, there may even be some under-dosing going on. Take a look:
L-Theanine
This is one of the better amino acids for Nootropics. L-Theanine doesn’t help with over all cognition, but it has some good abilities for supporting relaxation.
Phosphatidylserine
Another amino acid known for it’s positive impact on the brain. Phosphatidylserine has been seen on numerous occasions to help lower coristol and improve overall memory capability with daily supplementation in subjects.
Alpha-GPC
This is a great nootropic and a cholinergic compound that supports both the body and the mind. Studies have shown that it may help against cognitive decline, with others showing it increases overall power output in athletes.
However, we should point out that this nutrient is massively under-dosed in Alpha Brain, with studies only showing physical improvements around the 300 – 600mg serving size, with prevention against cognitive decline around 1,200mg.
Seeing as the entire proprietary blend is only 240mg, it’s clear that’s the Alpha-GPC in this product is heavily under-dosed.
Bacopa Monniera
When it coomes to boosting memory, Bacopa Monnieri is one of the best natural sources to use. Plus it can also help lower anxiety.
When supplementing 300mg of Bacopa, studies have shown that verbal learning and memory acquisition increases. However, again it falls under the same blend as the Alpha GPC, and looks to be very under-dosed.
Huperzia
One of the better nootropic herbs out there, Huperzia helps mainly with memory but it does have some benefits that helps with cognitive function.
Studies suggest 100mcg of Huperzine-A over a 4 week period increases learning ability and cognitive function.
AC-11 (Uncaria Tomentosa)
Also known as Cat’s Claw, unfortunately there has been little evidence of this Amazonian supporting cognition. It may work as an anti-inflammatory aid with some minor effect on energy levels. But it doesn’t look hopeful.
Honorable Mentions
- Vinpocetine – May enhance blood flow and improve memory
- L-Tyrosine – Linked to lowering stress in high doses (unfortunately under-dosed here)
- Pterostilbene – May help lower anxiety levels
Overall there are some good ingredients in Alpha Brain, the problem seems to happen when looking at the actual dosages. Many of the nutrients seem to be under-dosed as they form parts of proprietary blends that are smaller than the recommended dosages.
Want to know more about the best ingredients in Nootropics? Be sure to check out our Top 5 Nootropic Ingredients page to see the highest rated brain nutrients on the market at the moment, and which nootropics contain them.
– Top 5 Nootropics Ingredients –
Side Effects
There have been no side effects reported with this nootropic.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Promotes memory function
- Contains 2 out of 5 of our recommended Nootropic ingredients
- Capsules suitable for vegetarians
Cons
- Contains some ineffective ingredients for cognition (AC-11)
- Proprietary Blends
- Many of the ingredients used are under-dosed
Alpha Brain Review Conclusion
Overall there are both good and bad points when looking at Alpha Brain as a nootropic, and it can definitely make you think twice about buying it.
It contains two of the five best ingredients out there for nootropics, both Huperzia (Huperzine-A) and Bacopa Monniera, but there are some drawbacks.
For starters the ingredients that make up Alpha Brain are all parts of proprietary blends. This means we don’t know how much of each ingredient is being used, or how effective it will be.
Although we don’t know the exact dosages, it appears that many of the ingredients in Alpha Brain are under-dosed, with the majority of the blends having a lesser value than the recommended dosages of the individual nutrients that are in it.
But that doesn’t mean you won’t get any benefit. Just not as much as Alpha Brain marketing initially implies.
If you want to see what we’re ranking as the best nootropic at the moment, click this link and check out our Top 3 Nootropics which tells you why they work, and what you should know about them: