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Your ultimate guide to Alpha GPC : benefits towards a healthier brain
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You’re either doing mentally strenuous tasks at work or studying for an exam; you want your memory and learning capacities to be at their best. While methods to help you ‘work smarter’ are amazing tools, your body first needs a nutrient that boosts your ability to retain information. Discover what Alpha GPC benefits are and how to take it.
What is choline?
Choline is an important nutrient vital for the proper functioning of the brain[1]. Choline can be obtained from the diet as it is naturally present in some foods like eggs, soy and fish. Choline helps the brain function by transforming into acetylcholine, an essential brain messenger which plays a role in memory and learning. Enough choline produces the right amount of acetylcholine, meaning this brain messenger can get released during mentally strenuous tasks like studying for example.
Watch this video to learn choline's benefits towards a healthier brain:
The best: Alpha GPC supplement
There are different forms of choline[2]. Choline gained from food and other forms of choline such as choline bitartrate and choline citrate has a harder time getting from the blood to the brain. A very potent form of choline called Alpha GPC, however, can cross the blood-brain barrier, directly supporting acetylcholine production[3,4]. Alpha GPC is considered one of the most used sources of choline due to its high, 40% choline content by weight and its ability to cross from the blood to the brain[2]. Most Alpha GPC products use a 50% Alpha GPC which consists of half bulking agent and half Alpha GPC. They only contain 20% choline. In contrast, another form of choline known as CDP choline or citicoline has low 18.5% choline content.
The benefits of Alpha GPC
So, what does Alpha GPC do exactly? Alpha GPC boosts acetylcholine production, which can then get released, contributing to improved memory retention, learning and focus[5,6]. Alpha GPC has also been shown to help the ageing brain[2]. For example, a review from 2023 examined 8 high-quality studies conducted from 1993 to 2022 in Italy, Russia, and Mexico that evaluated the effects of Alpha GPC treatment on people with mild cognitive impairment[7]. The review showed Alpha GPC can boost your mood and improve language, orientation, and memory.
Safe, natural and beneficial
Wondering how safe is Alpha GPC? Side effects can appear after exceeding the recommended dose: a small number of people may experience headaches or dizziness. Alpha GPC is extensively used as a food supplement and a study showed that taking 1200mg of Alpha GPC for 180 days straight is safe[3].
You can buy Alpha GPC from brain feed to get the world’s 1st 99% 500mg capsules providing the purest and high-quality Alpha GPC in a single dose.
How to take Alpha GPC?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified choline as an essential nutrient back in 1998. The National Academy of Medicine of the USA and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) both specified adequate intake values for choline. In 2016, EFSA set 400 mg/day for all healthy adults and similarly, 480 mg/day and 520 mg/day for pregnant and lactating women[2]. So, what's the Alpha GPC dose? If you’re taking Alpha GPC supplementation such as brain feed’s Alpha GPC 99% which is made of 40% Choline by weight, 500mg of Alpha GPC supplies you with the right amount of choline. You’re probably also wondering when to take the supplements. Taking Alpha GPC with food in the morning, at lunch or just before you start work will have the most ideal effects.
References
[1] Wallace, T. C., Blusztajn, J. K., Caudill, M. A., Klatt, K. C., Natker, E., Zeisel, S. H., & Zelman, K. M. (2018). Choline: The Underconsumed and Underappreciated Essential Nutrient. Nutrition Today, 53(6), 240–253.
[2] Kansakar, U., Trimarco, V., Mone, P., Varzideh, F., Lombardi, A., & Santulli, G. (2023). Choline supplements: An update. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1148166.
[3] De Jesus Moreno Moreno, M. (2003). Cognitive improvement in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia after treatment with the acetylcholine precursor choline alfoscerate: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Clinical Therapeutics, 25(1), 178–193.
[4] Perri, R. D., Coppola, G., Ambrosio, L. A., Grasso, A., Puca, F. M., & Rizzo, M. (1991). A Multicentre Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Tolerability of α-Glycerylphosphorylcholine versus Cytosine Diphosphocholine in Patients with Vascular Dementia. Journal of International Medical Research, 19(4), 330–341.
[5] Schettini, G., Ventra, C., Florio, T., Grimaldi, M., Meucci, O., Scorziello, A., Postiglione, A., & Marino, A. (1992). Molecular mechanisms mediating the effects of l-α-glycerylphosphorylcholine, a new cognition-enhancing drug, on behavioral and biochemical parameters in young and aged rats. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 43(1), 139–151.
[6] Lopez, C. M., Govoni, S., Battaini, F., Bergamaschi, S., Longoni, A., Giaroni, C., & Trabucchi, M. (1991). Effect of a new cognition enhancer, alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, on scopolamine-induced amnesia and brain acetylcholine. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 39(4), 835–840.
[7] Sagaro, G. G., Traini, E., & Amenta, F. (2023). Activity of Choline Alphoscerate on Adult-Onset Cognitive Dysfunctions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 92(1), 59–70.
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