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| Idebenone |
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Review
Summary |
Memory is only one aspect of cognitive function, but it has a wide ranging role in our day to day life. Researchers have found that that our memories are the ultimate kind of time travel; that’s right, when we remember we actually go back in time to relive a certain moment, whether we are remembering a fact, a person or an event. When you think about that it’s kind of cool, but there are times when our ability to move back in time becomes impaired for a variety of reasons, including diet, stress, lack of sleep and age related issues. When we start to see changes in our cognitive health, most individuals start looking for ways to augment their memory, learning, reasoning and focusing skills.
There are many ways to go when looking to increase cognitive performance, ranging from brain games to holistic supplements. The fact is that the holistic market is teeming with products that are designed to help us boost our cognitive health, and they use a wide range of holistic and natural compounds, some of which, like Alpha GPC, are highly successful. But there are new extracts and elements emerging every day, such as Idebenone, and many of us have no idea what they can do to increase our brain health. Where as in the past we would have just give elements, like Idebenone, a try, these days most of us are more money conscious and want to know what type of results come with the products we buy. Let’s take a deeper look at what Idebenone is, and what affect it may have on brain health.
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| Ingredient At A Glance |
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Idebenone is a naturally occurring element that is part of the quinone family. Many developers promote it as being a synthetic analog of Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, an element that is a potent antioxidant and an anti aging vitamin.
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| Ingredient in Focus |
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Idebenone is heavily promoted as being a heavy weight antioxidant that may act as an anti aging agent and neuro protector. Some developers who use this extract in their formulas draw similarities between it and CoQ10 when it comes to highlighting its antioxidant properties. While most Americans are not familiar with Idebenone, many Europeans are, because it is often used address some vascular and degenerative central nervous system diseases.
While it has been used a lot in Europe, it has not been studied in human trials, so there is no evidence that proves its ability to address these diseases in humans, or that it’s an antioxidant that is on par with CoQ10. In fact, many experts suggest going with other alternatives instead, until more information is available about Idebenone and its affect on human health and cognition.
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| Lifestyle |
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Some consumers want to use high octane antioxidants to protect their brains from free radical damage, which is actually a vital part of augmenting brain health, and this is why many of the high performing products often include Green Tea, a superfood, in their formulas. But there are also other aspects of brain health that need to be addressed as well. Idebenone is actually not the extract of choice in this arena these days.
But even if it is shown to be a potent antioxidant, it does not address other aspects of cognitive health that often need to be addressed and augmented to get cognitive health up to speed. We have found that the most successful brain fitness products tend to use elements, like Alpha GPC, which increases the brain’s bioavailability of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that makes all the difference in terms of memory, focus, reasoning and learning. They also often increase nutritional support by using Phosphatidylserine, an element that helps the brain make better use of nutrients; and Vinpocetine, which increases circulation so that the nutrients get there faster and more effectively. Each of these extracts is research proven to be effective, unlike Idebenone.
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| Positives |
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• May be readily available
• Moderately priced
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| Negatives |
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• Not research proven to be effective
• No shown to be on par with Coenzyme Q10
• Does not appear to address multiple aspects of brain health
• Idebenone may not be the best available option at this time for cognitive health
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| Final Thoughts |
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While Americans are not familiar with Idebenone, they are familiar coenzyme Q10, which is sometimes enough to get them to give it a try. However, on consumer rating sites and blogs they often report being disappointed with the results they achieve by solely using this extract. This is not a surprise given the lack of research studies on Idebenone, and this is probably why many experts suggest looking for products that contain research proven cognitive enhancers or smart drugs, like Alpha GPC, Phosphatidylserine and Vinpocetine.
In fact, there are some really potent cognitive enhancers out there that are able to increase everything from memory and alertness to reasoning and focus. It’s just a matter of looking for products that offer a focused multi spectrum approach in which they use the best extracts and elements available.
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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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