Evidence-Based Brain Health Supplements

By Suzanne Fenske, MD, FACOG, ABOIM, MSCP

It’s easy to take your memory, cognition, and focus for granted until they start to wane. Estrogen shapes the female brain, and when levels falter in midlife, brain symptoms arise. Brain fog, hot flashes, and mood changes, can make it feel like you’re losing your mind, literally.

While many brain symptoms resolve post-menopause as the brain completes its rewiring, women are still at greater risk for cognitive decline, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders in the post-menopause years. These conditions may be silently developing for decades before a diagnosis. Taking care of your brain now may mean better brain health down the road.

Physical activity, nutrition, stress reduction, human connection, and sleep are all foundational for a healthy brain and deserve much time and attention. Using your brain to learn new things and solve problems should also be a lifelong pursuit. However, even women who have all the foundations dialed in may still experience brain and mental health challenges throughout the lifespan and may benefit from additional support.

With so many brain-boosting supplements on the market, and many specifically marketed towards women, it can be hard to know what’s hype and what’s evidence-based.

Today’s article will walk through some of the most supported and safe brain health supplements for women, and ones we use in practice all the time. We’ll cover:

• Magnesium
• B complex vitamins
• Omega-3s
• Creatine

Magnesium for Brain Health

Magnesium is a key mineral for neurological function. It’s involved in:

• Nerve signal transmission
• Nervous system regulation (GABA receptor agonist and inhibits glutamate receptors)
• BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) that supports learning and memory
• Blood-brain barrier protection

Magnesium deficiency contributes to low-grade inflammation, including neuroinflammation in the brain, which can lead to neurodegeneration, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Magnesium levels may serve as a marker of brain aging.

While we need more clinical data on magnesium supplementation and specific brain health outcomes, the benefits of supplementation appear to be associated with achieving optimal blood and tissue magnesium levels. With low dietary intake and possible increased needs because of stress and other factors, supplementation can help fill the gaps.

The good news is that magnesium supplements are very safe and offer additional benefits, including digestive regularity, bone density, and support for stress and sleep. 

Pro tip: The form of magnesium matters, and there are several to choose from based on your needs. Magnesium l-threonate can cross the blood-brain barrier, supporting cognition, memory, reaction time, and heart rate variability.

B Vitamins for Brain Health

B vitamins, as a group, support cellular metabolism by transforming of fuel (such as glucose or fatty acids) into energy (ATP). They also support methylation, mitochondrial health, and other key body processes. Vitamin B12 is a key nutrient for neurological function.

As supplements, B vitamins are available in multivitamins, B complex formulas, or as individual nutrients. The B vitamins are likely why taking a multivitamin supports brain health.

In a randomized controlled trial, daily multivitamin supplementation, compared with a placebo, improved memory in older adults, supporting cognitive health with age. The benefits may be greatest in those with nutritional deficiencies and early cognitive decline. The risk of nutrient deficiencies, including vitamin B12, increases with age.

A systematic review suggests that supplementation with B vitamins, especially folate (vitamin B9), may help delay and prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

Pro tip: Choose the active forms of B vitamins. For example, when reading a multivitamin label, look for methylfolate instead of folic acid and methyl B12 instead of cyanocobalamin.

Omega-3s for Brain Health

Omega-3 fatty acids comprise cell membranes and the brain itself. Around 50 - 60% of the brain is composed of lipids (fats). DHA, a long-chain omega-3 composes 40% of the total fatty acids in the brain, concentrating in gray matter. We often think of DHA as important for fetal brain development (it is), and it continues to be a critical brain nutrient throughout life, including in perimenopause and menopause.

With so many omega-3s in the brain, it makes sense that supplementation supports brain health, and the research agrees. Omega-3s increase cognitive well-being, learning, memory, and even blood flow to the brain. It may also help to prevent cognitive decline. High-quality supplements are well-tolerated and safe.

Pro tip: Learn more in our article Omega-3s and Women’s Health.

Creatine for Brain Health

Creatine is a natural amino acid-like compound made by the body and obtained in the diet from meat. It works within cells to recycle ATP, ensuring a more consistent supply of energy.

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements for muscle mass, strength, and exercise performance. Newer research also shows brain benefits by supporting cellular energy, enhancing neurotransmitter function, and reducing oxidative stress.

Brain health benefits of creatine supplements include:

• Enhanced speed in cognitive tasks
• Enhanced accuracy in cognitive tasks
• Improved memory
• Improved attention time
• Improved mood

Pro tip: Choose creatine monohydrate supplements without any added ingredients. The dose for muscle benefits is 3 to 5 grams per day; for brain benefits, you may need at least 10 grams per day.

Supplement Quality

By 2030, the brain health supplement industry is projected to grow to over 15.5 billion. In the U.S., the FDA doesn’t review supplements before they go to market. Supplement regulations exist, but they are more closely aligned with food regulations, and the government lacks the resources for meaningful oversight. The supplement companies themselves are largely responsible for their own quality, integrity, and transparency, which opens the door for low-quality and sometimes potentially dangerous products.

While there are quality, evidence-based supplements on the market, it takes a savvy consumer to spot them. You want to look for quality, practitioner-grade (medical-grade) supplements with 3^rd party testing for quality and purity. It’s a red flag if a company says it tests, but the results aren’t accessible. When you buy supplements from Amazon, eBay, or similar retailers, you also risk exposure to expired, counterfeit, or improperly stored products, affecting potency and effectiveness.

At TārāMD, we use Fullscript as a hub for our supplement recommendations and include a fifteen (15%) discount with fast free shipping for orders over $50. They offer quality options from reputable brands, and we trust their storage and shipping procedures. These are also the products we use ourselves and recommend in our personalized integrative protocols with patients.

When it comes to supplements, personalization is key. The brain health supplements (and dosages) that will help you the most depend on your nutrient status, baseline health, family history, symptoms, and other factors.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all protocol for brain health, but most women will benefit from a quality multivitamin, extra magnesium, omega-3s, and creatine. The benefits of these supplements aren’t confined to the brain; they offer long-term support for overall health.

If you start with these supplements and are ready for more – more insight, education, and personalization, we are here for you.

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