According to the World Health Organization (WHO), brain health is “the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, socio-emotional, behavioural and motor domains, allowing a person to realise their full potential over the life course.”1
Maintaining good brain health throughout your whole life is crucial for several reasons:
- reduces risk of cognitive decline, which is a growing concern; although there’s no guaranteed prevention, a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the risks
- improves mental well-being: a healthy brain is better equipped to manage stress, regulate emotions and maintain a positive outlook
- boosts productivity and creativity: when your brain is functioning optimally, you’re able to think clearly, focus better and come up with innovative solutions
- enhances overall quality of life: good brain health contributes to a fulfilling and independent life, allowing you to enjoy hobbies, relationships and daily activities to the fullest.
Lifestyle choices for a healthier brain
Luckily, by adhering to certain evidence-based strategies that target cognitive functions, people can take control of their brain health:
- stay physically active: regular exercise benefits not just your body but also your brain
- nourish your brain with a balanced diet: focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats, limiting processed foods, sugary drinks and saturated and trans fats
- challenge your mind: keep your brain active by engaging in mentally stimulating activities such as puzzles, reading, learning a new language or playing a musical instrument
- prioritise sleep: aim for 7–8 hours of quality sleep each night; it’s crucial for memory consolidation and brain detoxification
- manage stress effectively: chronic stress can have detrimental effects on the brain; find healthy ways to cope, such as exercise, meditation or spending time in nature
- stay socially connected: strong social connections are vital for brain health; try to maintain relationships with friends and family and engage in social activities
- protect your head: head injuries can have serious consequences for brain health; wear a helmet when engaging in activities that put you at risk.
Taking care of brain is a lifelong endeavour. By adopting these healthy habits, you can support cognitive function, enhance mental well-being and enjoy a fulfilling life for years to come.
How can nature boost your brain and mental health?
Stress, personal worries, anxiety, adverse global events, diet, physical discomforts, social jetlag and the use of artificial light and/or electronic devices: these are all sources of unhealthy mental and emotional conditions.
The main outcomes may be lack of sleep, poor focus, memory loss, low impulse control and an inability to respond well to stressors.
Moreover, it is proven that similar conditions are often linked to microcirculation issues. Microcirculation relates to the blood flow through prearterioles, arterioles and capillaries that facilitate the exchange of gases, nutrients, hormones and other molecules.
Based on this concept, Indena has developed several high quality next-generation extracts.
Virtiva™ Plus is a proprietary synergistic formulation of a standardised alcoholic extract (approx. 25%) of Ginkgo biloba L and sunflower-derived lecithin (approx. 75%) — comprising 20% phosphatidylserine.
It’s standardised to contain by HPLC: ≥5% ginkgo flavonglycosides, ≥0.5% ginkgo terpenes and ≥12% phosphatidylserine. Gingko biloba is a plant that’s been used in traditional China medicine for centuries to improve mental functions and its bioactives are known to deliver vascular health benefits.
Clinical evidence shows that a single dose of Virtiva Plus (480 mg) has a significant effect on mental and memory performance in young subjects, particularly regarding the consolidation of working memory and processing speed.
No such benefits have been recorded for either standardised extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves (GBE) or in combination with phosphatidylcholine, thus confirming the synergistic interaction between GBE and phosphatidylserine.2
As a result, Virtiva Plus effectively supports memory, learning, vocabulary skills and concentration, and can play an important — natural — role when the brain needs a boost of energy.
Mirtoselect® is an innovative standardised bilberry extract comprising more than 36% anthocyanins. It’s characterised by a very specific and consistent HPLC profile that represents the “fingerprint” of the extract and retains the anthocyanin pattern of natural bilberry fruit.
The proven benefits of these ingredients on microcirculation, vascular and eye health led to in-progress research that aims to show the effects of these extracts on memory, concentration and visual acuity.3 Mirtoselect works to maintain brain health in the medium and long-term.
Enovita® is the result of Indena’s 40 years of experience in grape seed extract production. It’s an OPC-rich extract made exclusively with grape seeds from white wine production that also boasts exploiting environmentally friendly production.
Enovita contains a low amount (5.0–15.0%) of flavane monomers (catechin and epicatechin) and a high concentration of oligomeric proanthocyanidins: it’s standardised to contain >95% proanthocyanidins (spectrophotometry) and 5–15% catechin/epicatechin (HPLC).
Indena’s grape seed extract offers cardiovascular and mental health benefits thanks to a proven double effect on endothelial function and mood: recent clinical evidence suggests that Enovita effectively reduces perceived stress.4
Talking about brain health also means considering our emotional well-being. That’s why Indena’s portfolio of brain health products also includes Relissa™.
This health food ingredient, based on a formulation of Melissa officinalis with phospholipids (Melissa Indena Phytosome™), optimises both dispersion in gastrointestinal fluids and biological performance.
Melissa leaves are a traditional sleep aid but their biological activity is mostly derived from hydroxycinnamic/rosmarinic acids and their derivatives.
In a market populated with lemon balm extracts that lack standardisation or proof of efficacy, have unclear dosages and/are of poor quality, Indena’s researchers have achieved the perfect formulation.
Relissa is a standardised, reliable, effective and melatonin-free supplement that supports deep, long-lasting sleep and counteracts daily stress. Recent clinical evidence shows that this product offers clear support for sleep, mood, emotional balance, mental health and quality of life.5,6
Moreover, the ingredient recently won the NutraIngredients Award in the Cognitive Function category at Vitafoods 2024.7
The award celebrates the finest achievements in the nutrition and dietary supplements industry and Relissa was recognised as an innovative product amongst stiff competition that’s backed by the right data to provide consumers with confidence.
Indena knows how important it is to tackle one of the most common concerns for people of all ages: brain health.
The young need to maintain focus and concentration in an age of distractions; the adult population must deal with the hectic rhythms of a performance-oriented life and seniors want to prevent age-related cognitive decline.
What’s the answer? The fabulous four: Virtiva Plus, Mirtoselect, Enovita and Relissa . All from Indena, all with quality, safety and efficacy based on science.
References
- www.who.int/health-topics/brain-health#tab=tab_1.
- D.O. Kennedy, et al., Hum. Psychopharmacol. Clin. Exp. 22, 199–210 (2007).
- P. Morazzoni, et al., Fitoterapia 67, 3–29 (1996).
- C. Schön, et al., Nutrients 13(2), 654 (2021).
- A. Bano, et al., Front. Pharmacol. 14, 1250560 (2023).
- M. Rondanelli, et al., J. Food Sci. Nutr. Res. 7, 125–130 (2024).
- https://nutraingredients-awards.com/live/en/page/2024-winners-and-finalists.