Featuring Natural Stacks Products
This blog focuses on mental health and brain support in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It's well known that stress is hard on overall health, and that stress can strain mental health. Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. While small bursts of stress can be positive, having too much stress has negative effects on the human body, emotions, and mind. According to the American Psychological Association (2019):
- 75% of adults reported stress symptoms
- 49% of adults say stress affected their behavior
- 11% of adults experience cognitive decline
- 33% of adults get insufficient sleep
We are becoming more aware of the mechanisms behind the stress response such as the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, the vagal nerve; neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin; stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. New research is showing how routines and supplements can benefit the stress response. We want to be able to mitigate stress, sleep well, clear brain fog, gain mental clarity, have a balanced mood, and be able to focus on what we want - all of which are compromised when one is over-stressed. Here are a few simple, effective routines that help manage stress and support mental health:
- Intentional deep breathing
- Meditation and mindfulness
- 15-30 minutes of movement or exercise daily
- Targeted supplements (and/or drink mixes)
As more discoveries and connections in Neuroscience are made, new mental health products are being developed. To give you an idea of what kind of products are out there, Natural Stacks Mood and Brain Support products are featured below. Some of the research behind the products is also included. Many of the ingredients in brain and mood support formulas are classified as adaptogens and nootropics. An adaptogen is a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. Nootropics are substances that are believed to boost cognitive function and brain performance. To learn more, read our Nootropic blog.
Let's take a closer look at some specific Natural Stacks supplements.
Magtech
Designed for brain health and relaxation.
Contains Magnesium L-Threonate, Magnesium Glycinate, and Magnesium Taurate.
Magnesium is known to be calming. Magnesium glycinate may support sleep. Magnesium L-threonate crosses the blood-brain barrier for utilization in the brain. Increasing brain magnesium has been shown to enhance cognition, increase memory, and support sleep.
There are also Natural Stacks Magnesium gummies.
NeuroFuel
Designed to combat brain fog, improve memory, and boost motivation and focus.
Contains Vitamin B6, Artichoke Leaf Extract, Acetyl L-Carnitine, L-Phenylaline, Coleus Forskohlii Extract.
Ingredients support dopamine production, boost the “sponginess” of brain cells, and help relieve mental fatigue. Forskolin is derived from Coleus Forskohlii (an herb widely used in Ayurvedic Medicine). Combined with Luteolin from the Artichoke Extract, forskolin is theorized to synergistically increase the duration of cAMP in neurons.
Okay, bear with us here. cAMP serves as an intracelluar second messenger for many, many extracellular signals in the nervous system – that is, cAMP converts signals outside the cell to signals inside the cell. cAMP regulates various cellular functions, including cell growth and differentiation, gene transcription and protein expression. (1) Pretty newfangled, right?
Dopamine Brain Food
Designed for Unstoppable Mental Drive, Laser Focus and Attention, Increased Mental Clarity.
Contains vitamins C, B6, B12 and Folate; Tyrosine, TMG, L-Phenylaline.
Dopamine is associated with confidence, motivation, attention and learning as well as movement and balance. If your dopamine levels are low, you’ll probably feel tired, stressed, and unmotivated. Tyrosine, TMG, and key vitamins feed your brain to maintain dopamine production.
Serotonin Brain Food
Designed to support a positive mood, maintains healthy appetite, promote calmness & sense of well-being, relieve stress & frustration.
Contains Vitamin B3, Magnesium, Zinc, L-Tryptophan, Rhodiola Rosea.
Serotonin is your happiness neurotransmitter. It helps you feel calm, focused, and positive about life. If your serotonin levels are low, you may be more worried, stressed or panicked than usual.
Gaba Brain Food
Designed to help fall asleep, keep calm, and feel in control.
Contains GABA, L-Citrulline, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Grape Seed Extract.
GABA calms brain activity and mental chaos by slowing down signals between neurons. Rosemary helps to extend GABA’s calming effects. Grape Seed Extract supports healthy cellular function. L-Citrulline is an amino acid added to help shuttle GABA into the brain across the blood-brain barrier.
Acetylcholine Brain Food
Designed to help learn more quickly, reduce mental tiredness, and support mental health.
Contains Thiamin (B1), Pantothenic Acid, White Peony Root Extract, Acetyl L-Carnitine HCl, Alpha-Glycerophosphocholine (Alpha-GPC).
Increased choline levels makes it easier to learn and retain more information. Research has shown Acetyl-L-Carnitine may reduce mental and physical fatigue. There is evidence that Alpha-GPC has superior absorption through gut-brain barrier. Once in the brain, Alpha-GPC has to go through one more step to be made into the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. White Peony Extract supports the construction of acetylcholine from its chemical constituents.
Mood Bites
Designed to support a good mood, protect the brain, and stay relaxed to sleep deeper.
Contains Niacin and Saffron.
This product contains a clinically tested saffron extract that has been shown to support a positive mood. Niacin plays a role in the synthesis of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine – all of which regulate mood in the brain. Niacin also improves cerebral blood flow.
Apigenin in Apigenin+ is extracted from grapefruit.
Photo by Łukasz Rawa on Unsplash
Passionflower, an ingredient in Apigenin+.
Photo by Edgar López on Unsplash
The spice saffron is the vivid crimson stigma and styles of the flower Crocus sativus. Saffron extract is featured in Mood Bites.
Photo by Mohammad Amiri on Unsplash
Apigenin+
Designed to help fall asleep effortlessly, switch off before bedtime, and feel rejuvenated in the morning.
Contains Lemon Balm, Passion Flower Extract and Apigenin.
This Apigenin is sourced from grapefruit. Apigenin interacts with GABA by downregulating it to naturally speed up the sleep process. Passionflower and Lemon Balm have also been shown to help individuals fall asleep faster.
Lion’s Mane+
Designed to support neuro-health, support cognitive function, and maintain a positive mood.
Contains Organic Lion’s Mane Extract and Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt (that’s a mouthful!) also known as PQQ.
This Lion’s Mane Extract is sourced from the fruiting body. Lion’s Mane has traditionally been used for centuries as a brain and mood tonic to enhance mental alertness. It’s also known to create a sense of calm and stability in the brain and body. Lion's Mane is now a heavily-researched, clinically-studied supplement that supports brain health directly. One study showed that it promotes the concentrations of BDNF in patients in only 4 weeks. BDNF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor is a protein that’s critical to overall brain health, memory, focus, mood, and more.
PQQ is found in fruits and vegetables and helps the body produce energy at a cellular level.
Sources
Natural Stacks product information from www.naturalstacks.com
1) Yan K, Gao LN, Cui YL, Zhang Y, Zhou X. The cyclic AMP signaling pathway: Exploring targets for successful drug discovery (Review). Mol Med Rep. 2016 May;13(5):3715-23. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5005. Epub 2016 Mar 18. PMID: 27035868; PMCID: PMC4838136.