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3 Alpha GPC benefits for work & study success
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Key points
- Alpha GPC boosts memory & learning chemical acetylcholine within 1-2 hours
- Alpha GPC delivers 41% choline to the brain, over 2x more than citicoline
- Choline-containing compounds are suggested to reinforce brain structure
How important is supercharging your memory and learning? If your answer is “very important,” then increasing your brain’s key learning chemical, acetylcholine, should be on your radar. The good news? A powerful nutrient called choline can help you do exactly that. It’s called choline and is found in foods like beef liver, eggs, almonds, and baked beans[1 Trusted Source 2018 - Nutrients Research evaluation Dietary Choline Intake: Current State of Knowledge Across the Life Cycle ] or in supplements like Alpha GPC to ensure that your brain always has a steady supply. Let’s take a look at the best choline supplement.
Can acetylcholine be supplemented?
Your memory and learning chemical, acetylcholine, is built from a nutrient called choline. This makes its regular adequate intake highly important. Supplements are a safe and efficient way to top up your choline levels if your dietary intake fluctuates, and increase the production of acetylcholine. There are multiple choline supplements found on the market. The best for brain health should enter the brain easily and provide high amounts of choline to raise levels quickly.
What is the most absorbed form of choline?
The current science shows that Alpha GPC checks all the boxes:
- Alpha GPC can freely cross into the brain’s guarded entrance, called the blood-brain barrier. When entering a high-security building, you go through many checks before you are allowed to enter. Similarly, your brain has secure entry gates which allow only important compounds to pass through. While Alpha GPC is allowed an easy entrance, the entry of another choline supplement, choline bitartrate, is restricted.
- Alpha GPC is one of the highest choline sources available, 41% by weight. This is more than double the choline available from another popular form called citicoline (CDP choline), which is 18% choline by weight.
- Alpha GPC benefits over citicoline as it effectively increases acetylcholine levels more than citicoline[2 Trusted Source 1992 - International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Therapy, and Toxicology Human study A comparative study of free plasma choline levels following intramuscular administration of L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine and citicoline in normal volunteers ] . When picking a delivery service, you would prefer one that can deliver parcels all over the country with quick delivery times. Alpha GPC quickly increases choline levels 1-2 hours after intake[2 Trusted Source 1992 - International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Therapy, and Toxicology Human study A comparative study of free plasma choline levels following intramuscular administration of L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine and citicoline in normal volunteers ] . After providing you with the benefits, Alpha GPC supplies choline to many brain areas and is incorporated into the brain cells within 24 hours[3 Trusted Source 2007 - Journal of the Neurological Sciences Research evaluation Cholinergic precursors in the treatment of cognitive impairment of vascular origin: Ineffective approaches or need for re-evaluation? ] .
Read more about the best choline supplement for brain health.
Due to its ease of entry, sufficiency and efficiency, Alpha GPC-produced choline benefits you at work and while studying in 3 evidenced ways.
1. Alpha GPC & your memory and learning chemical
The brain chemical responsible for your memory and learning is acetylcholine. So, how to increase acetylcholine? As the name suggests, it is produced from choline. Alpha GPC is one of the best acetylcholine supplements because it increases choline levels within 1-2 hours[4 Trusted Source 2012 - Nutrition Human study Glycerophosphocholine enhances growth hormone secretion and fat oxidation in young adults ] , in three areas of the brain, including the area for learning and memory[5 Trusted Source 2013 - Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Research evaluation Choline-containing phospholipids: Relevance to brain functional pathways ] . Increased acetylcholine production means you can learn faster and retain the learned information better. Over 1000 people who studied for 7 years, highlighted the association between higher acetylcholine levels and better memory[6 Trusted Source 2011 - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Human study The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort ] . Increasing acetylcholine levels was associated with better reaction time in cognitive tests[7 Trusted Source 2011 - Behavioural Brain Research Research evaluation Acetylcholine and attention ] .
How do you increase acetylcholine levels naturally? Opting for protein and choline-rich food sources can help you increase your choline intake. For a more potent support, you can opt for brain feed’s world’s 1st capsule containing 99% Alpha GPC (the purest form), providing 500 mg of Alpha GPC.
2. Alpha GPC & the blood-brain barrier
The blood-brain barrier, your brain’s vigilant entrance, is a protective mechanism. It is well designed and composed of different kinds of cells, just like a security system is made of different locks and passwords. These different locks and passwords, or brain cells, must be well-maintained and lubricated to work effectively. Choline sources like Alpha GPC help to maintain its integrity by protecting the brain cells’ coating[8 Trusted Source 2022 - Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience Research evaluation Effects of choline containing phospholipids on the neurovascular unit: A review ] . An animal study found that supplementation with Alpha GPC increased the balance of the blood-brain barrier during injury and improved brain cell growth, while another form of choline called citicoline had the opposite effect[9 Trusted Source 2018 - Current neuropharmacology Animal study Unexpected Effects of Acetylcholine Precursors on Pilocarpine Seizure- Induced Neuronal Death ] .
3. Alpha GPC in brain cells
Choline-containing compounds were also hypothesised to be part of brain structure. For your house to stand strong for decades, it must have a well-built foundation and pillars. Choline is suggested to help your brain’s pillars stay put. Because your brain needs choline in different areas, brain cells that need choline to function will break down the brain’s pillars to fulfil their need for choline[9 Trusted Source 2018 - Current neuropharmacology Animal study Unexpected Effects of Acetylcholine Precursors on Pilocarpine Seizure- Induced Neuronal Death ] . Like your house needs to be protected against weather conditions and damage, your brain needs the same protection to keep brain cells healthy and brain processes balanced. 4 weeks of Alpha GPC supplementation in an animal study was suggested to decrease the production of inflammatory cells, which signifies preservation of brain cells[10 Trusted Source 2023 - Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry Animal study Long-term intake of α-glycerophosphocholine (GPC) suppresses microglial inflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and promotes neurogenesis in senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8) ] . It also decreased the deposition of harmful compounds that lead to inflammation[5 Trusted Source 2013 - Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Research evaluation Choline-containing phospholipids: Relevance to brain functional pathways ] . Furthermore, animal studies on Alpha GPC supplementation during 7 days of stress suggested Alpha GPC helped reduce stress-induced memory loss and was protective towards new brain cells and promoted their growth[11 Trusted Source 2022 - Brain research Animal study The effect of choline alphoscerate on non spatial memory and neuronal differentiation in a rat model of dual stress ] . Even though these animal studies showed some promising evidence, there’s a need for additional research before any conclusions are made.
Ensuring adequate provision of choline to your brain with Alpha GPC maintains your acetylcholine levels healthy, supporting your blood-brain barrier and brain cells.
References
[1] Wiedeman, A. M., Barr, S. I., Green, T. J., Xu, Z., Innis, S. M., & Kitts, D. D. (2018). Dietary Choline Intake: Current State of Knowledge Across the Life Cycle. Nutrients, 10(10), 1513. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/10/1513
[2] Gatti, G., Barzaghi, N., Acuto, G., Abbiati, G., Fossati, T., & Perucca, E. (1992). A comparative study of free plasma choline levels following intramuscular administration of L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine and citicoline in normal volunteers. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Therapy, and Toxicology, 30(9), 331–335. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900712000895
[3] Parnetti, L., Mignini, F., Tomassoni, D., Traini, E., & Amenta, F. (2007). Cholinergic precursors in the treatment of cognitive impairment of vascular origin: Ineffective approaches or need for re-evaluation? Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 257(1–2), 264–269. https://www.jns-journal.com/article/S0022-510X(07)00059-7/abstract
[4] Kawamura, T., Okubo, T., Sato, K., Fujita, S., Goto, K., Hamaoka, T., & Iemitsu, M. (2012). Glycerophosphocholine enhances growth hormone secretion and fat oxidation in young adults. Nutrition, 28(11), 1122–1126. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900712000895
[5] Tayebati, S. K., & Amenta, F. (2013). Choline-containing phospholipids: Relevance to brain functional pathways. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, 51(3), 513–521. https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/cclm-2012-0559/html
[6] Poly, C., Massaro, J. M., Seshadri, S., Wolf, P. A., Cho, E., Krall, E., Jacques, P. F., & Au, R. (2011). The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 94(6), 1584–1591. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523025042
[7] Klinkenberg, I., Sambeth, A., & Blokland, A. (2011). Acetylcholine and attention. Behavioural Brain Research, 221(2), 430–442. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432810007588
[8] Roy, P., Tomassoni, D., Nittari, G., Traini, E., & Amenta, F. (2022). Effects of choline containing phospholipids on the neurovascular unit: A review. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 16, 988759. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fncel.2022.988759/full
[9] Lee, M., Choi, B. Y., & Suh, S. W. (2018). Unexpected Effects of Acetylcholine Precursors on Pilocarpine Seizure- Induced Neuronal Death. Current neuropharmacology, 16(1), 51–58. https://www.eurekaselect.com/article/83546
[10] Umino, M., Okuda, M., Ohkubo, T., Fujii, T., & Matsubara, K. (2023). Long-term intake of α-glycerophosphocholine (GPC) suppresses microglial inflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and promotes neurogenesis in senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8). Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry, 87(12), 1537–1542. https://academic.oup.com/bbb/article/87/12/1537/7276596
[11] Jeong Yu, H., Lin Kim, Y., Jung Kim, M., Mee Park, J., Young Park, S., Nae Park, S., & Won Yang, D. (2022). The effect of choline alphoscerate on non spatial memory and neuronal differentiation in a rat model of dual stress. Brain research, 1786, 147900. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000689932200124X
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