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| Focus Smart |
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Review
Summary |
Some people look for holistic cognitive enhancers because they are starting to forget simple things like names, numbers and dates, but others may seek out these products to give them an edge at work or school, regardless of their age. The fact is we can experience reduced cognitive function for many reasons, including stress, sleeplessness, nutritional deficits, circulation problems and reduced levels of Choline.
Regardless of why we want to improve our brain health, in the past there was little we could do about it, but with recent advancements in the holistic arena, there are definitely things we can do to get our brain health back on track and even increase it. Focus Smart is one of many supplements currently available through a variety of online retailers. Focus Smart was created by Your Life. While a company’s history in creating nutritional supplements is important, even more important is a product’s formula, so let’s take a look at Focus Smart to see what it has to offer.
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| Ingredients At A Glance |
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Focus Smart contains the following ingredients: DMAE Bitartrate, L Glutamine, Bacopa Monniere Extract, Phosphatidylserine, Docosahexaenoic Acid Concentrate, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, N Acetyl L Tyrosine, Bilberry Extract, GABA, Grape Skin Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Vinpocetine, Electrolyte Mineral complex, Huperzine A, Boron as Boron Citrate, Vanadium and a number of other ingredients that are posted online for review.
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| Ingredients in Focus |
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Focus Smart contains Huperzine A, Bacopa, Vinpocetine and Phosphatidylserine, all of which are used to directly increase and support concentration and memory. However, according to our research, Vinpocetine and Phosphatidylserine have the most proven track record of success in this arena. Vinpocetine has been shown to be able to assist the body with delivering blood, nutrients and oxygen more swiftly to the brain, which has a direct affect on brain function, while Phosphatidylserine aids the brain with receiving and sending messages more effectively. Both these elements have shown outstanding results in clinical studies.
This formula also contains antioxidants, like Vitamin C and E, Selenium, Zinc and Grape Seed, which, as most people know, can aid in fending off damage brought about by free radicals. We were also pleased to see that they included several B Vitamins, which have been linked to increased brain function and fending off dementia related conditions. For instance, Folic Acid, along with Vitamins B6 and B12, have all been linked to being able to regulate homocysteine levels, which is important because high amounts of homocysteine have been linked to memory loss in older adults, and conversely balancing these levels may keep these issues at bay.
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| Website |
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We were glad to see that some retailer websites posted the formula for Focus Smart, because this allows consumers to see exactly what is used in this product, and if it contains the elements many people look for in memory enhancers. However, there are no customer reviews posted at this time of retailer sites. Most retailers make it really easy to post reviews, so it is a red flag for us when there aren’t any posted.
We actually went in search of some consumer reviews on independent websites, and we found that Focus Smart didn’t always score high on these sites, even through it contains elements like Vinpocetine and Phosphatidylserine. This may well be due to the fact that this formula also contains a few low performing extracts and elements that have no real ability to promote memory enhancement, as their presence may decrease the potency of the higher performing extracts.
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| Positives |
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• Contains Vinpocetine and Phosphatidylserine
• Contains antioxidants, Folic Acid, Vitamins B6 and B12
• Does not contain preservatives or added color
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| Negatives |
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• Contains a few low or no performing extracts
• Customer testimonials are not posted on retailer sites at this time
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| Final Thoughts |
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In many ways, Focus Smart appears to be a multivitamin rather than a focused memory and cognitive enhancer. While it does contain Vinpocetine and Phosphatidylserine, two potent memory enhancers, as well as several B Vitamins, they may not be enough to carry a whole formula. Furthermore, they are used along side so many low performers that their abilities may actually be diluted. We also thought that it was rather odd that this developer left out some of the very extracts and elements that we feel would have made this formula far more effective. For instance, elements like Alpha GPC has been shown to boost Choline levels and directly augment both short and long term memory.
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| Our
Editors Choice:
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Week
of: Tue Mar 09th, 2010 |
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Neurostin® -
Neurostin™ is a blend of non-prescription ingredients that were carefully formulated to reverse and prevent the depletion of the nutrients your brain needs to perform optimally. This is a very well received product that customers speak highly of. The unique formula of Neurostin™ provides your body with all the necessary building blocks to make choline which is the most vital component needed by the cells that comprise both short and long term memory. The formula has also been proven to produce both oxygen and blood flow to the brain which decrease and reverse the effects of deterioration. Neurostin is one of the few formulas that regulates the levels of homocysteine which is key in preventing both long term memory loss and Alzheimer’s. This is an awesome overall formula that enhances overall brain function, sharpness and clarity Click Here to read our full review. |
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