This Is How to Boost Your Attention and Energy with Choline Supplements

brainmd
2025-02-03T21:00:00-08:00

Do you feel like you don’t have enough energy to get through the day? Is it difficult for you to finish things once you’ve started them? Do you find it hard to concentrate?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you might be low in choline and could benefit from choline supplements.

What is Choline?

Though not traditionally regarded as a vitamin, choline was recently reclassified as an essential nutrient. Choline is fundamental to all our cell, tissue, and organ functions, and is crucial for brain function. Choline also is very important for a healthy pregnancy.

The U.S. Govt. has made recommendations for adequate dietary intake of choline. Surveys indicate that as many as 9 of 10 Americans, including most pregnant and lactating women,¹ have intakes well below the recommended Adequate Intake for choline.

Choline and the Brain

Choline is an essential molecular building block for acetylcholine, our most abundant and versatile nerve transmitter. As its name suggests, acetylcholine has choline as part of its molecular structure.

Brain circuits that use this transmitter are called cholinergic, and cholinergic neurotransmission is crucial for memory, learning,² mental clarity, focus, and concentration. Choline also plays an important role in maintaining cell membranes, the thin molecular sheets that define most of the structure and functioning of all our cells. Choline is part of the structure of phosphatidylcholine, a key membrane building block.

Choline and Methyl Groups

Choline is fundamental to all life as a source of methyl groups, each a deceptively simple combination of one carbon atom with three hydrogen atoms. Choline is a major dietary source of methyl groups, which the brain needs for making the neurotransmitter epinephrine, the sleep hormone melatonin, and the myelin insulation of its nerve cells. The brain and other organs routinely have a high demand for methyl, and choline’s methyl groups back up the methyls we obtain from dietary methylfolate and methyl vitamin B12.

As a methyl backup, choline also helps ensure healthy gene function. Our neurons and all our other cells require methyl to make and maintain their DNA, to turn their genes on and off (epigenetic controls), for growth and maintenance, to regulate homocysteine which is a potentially toxic metabolic byproduct, and for numerous other life functions.

The liver is the body’s main methyl coordinator and needs choline to make bile for healthy digestive function; choline deficiency is associated with liver fat buildup (“fatty liver”) and risk for ongoing liver damage. Liver problems also can drain the energy of the entire body.

Choline-rich Foods

Our bodies normally can make a small amount of choline, but some people have gene mutations that impair their capacity to make it. Though all of us rely on food sources for some of our daily intake, a large percentage of women, children, and older men are not receiving adequate choline in their diets. Choline deficiency can increase the risk of poor concentration, poor memory, and other cognitive impairments, especially as we age.

Choline can be found in many foods, including liver, beef, salmon, cod, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts. Many refer to eggs as a “brain food,” since the yolks are rich in choline. Choline is especially present in animal products, so vegetarians and vegans are more prone to experiencing a deficiency in choline. Although eating a varied diet increases the likelihood that you are consuming enough choline, you may consider trying a supplement that contains choline – especially if you find yourself struggling with memory, focus, attention, or learning.

BrainMD recognizes choline’s importance by including it in our premier multiple, NeuroVite Plus Multivitamin. Choline is also featured in two of our specialized brain supplements.

2 Powerful Choline Supplements to Boost Your Attention and Energy

Focus & Energy

It’s not uncommon for people to have periods where they feel tired or unfocused. BrainMD’s Focus & Energy was designed to promote sharpness, improve mental and physical productivity, and prevent fatigue without lowering blood sugar.* Unlike many other dietary supplements, Focus & Energy provides nutritional and medicinal plant concentrates that are traditionally used as adaptogens and are clinically researched for these benefits.*

Focus & Energy is formulated specifically to reinforce the brain and body’s ability to fight fatigue and adapt to stress.* Its 55 milligrams of choline makes a substantial contribution to the recommended intakes.* It contains a potent green tea extract, high in EGCG and other polyphenol antioxidants, chosen specifically to intensify blood flow that enables oxygen and nutrient delivery to the brain.*

Focus & Energy also contains three highly concentrated plant adaptogens, renowned for helping brain and body cope with mental or physical stress:

Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic medicinal revered over thousands of years for its mental sharpening benefits.* Modern clinical research reveals it is also superb for coping with stress³ and occasional anxiety.*

Rhodiola thrives in the most extreme Siberian climates and is a favorite in the East. This concentrate is doubly standardized and has shown strong anti-stress benefits in clinical trials.*

Asian (Panax) ginseng leads all other ginsengs for its almost immediate mental focus benefits.* This concentrate is loaded with 15% brain-active ginsenosides and has been subjected to intensive research, with excellent results.*

If you’re looking for a safe, effective, and natural way to support your mental focus while conserving your mental and physical energy, Focus & Energy is an excellent choice.* And unlike the energy rush, you can get from your stimulant of choice (coffee, diet soda, caffeine pills), there’s no dramatic drop in mood and energy with this dietary supplement.* Focus & Energy is safe, natural, and non-habit forming.*

Attention Support

Attention Support can increase your attention span while helping you stay relaxed and calm.* Increase your (or your child’s) potential with Attention Support’s natural focus boosters.* Its ingredients were picked for their clinically proven benefits for attention, concentration, calm, and overall self-control.* It also promotes healthy memory and learning in both children and adults.*

This formula includes:

Choline – a vitamin-like nutrient that supports the brain’s production of acetylcholine, which is also the nerve transmitter that triggers our muscles to contract.*

Magnesium – magnesium is fundamental to the brain’s ability to generate energy, maintain its nerve cell connections, and conduct the electrical activity that underlies all its functions.*

PhosphatidylSerine (PS) – as a cell membrane building block, PS is highly concentrated in the brain and is clinically proven to support healthy attention, learning, and memory.*

Pycnogenol® – a uniquely powerful antioxidant concentrate that promotes the delivery of blood to the brain, Pycnogenol® is the most extensively researched of all the herbal antioxidants.*

Vitamin B6 – an essential cofactor for a number of enzymes involved in the production of several neurotransmitters linked to attention and a healthy mood.*

Zinc – an essential mineral, required by at least 100 enzymes and crucial for antioxidant protection of the brain, is often found deficient in people with mood problems.*

Attention Support gives your brain the nutrients it needs, so its self-regulating processes can keep on top of challenges and allow you to stay focused and productive.*

To be successful in today’s world, you need a clear mind and sharp focus. Focus & Energy and Attention Support are two of the best ways to help you achieve your goals.*

At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest purity nutrients to help give you the attention, focus, and energy you need to do the things you love. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for medical or healthcare advice from a physician, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before beginning a new health regimen.

References:

1. Brunst, K. J., Wright, R. O., DiGioia, K., Enlow, M. B., Fernandez, H., Wright, R. J., & Kannan, S. (2014). Racial/ethnic and sociodemographic factors associated with micronutrient intakes and inadequacies among pregnant women in an urban US population. Public Health Nutrition, 17(9), 1960–1970. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980013003224

2. Huang, Q., Liao, C., Ge, F., Ao, J., & Liu, T. (2022). Acetylcholine bidirectionally regulates learning and memory. Journal of Neurorestoratology, 10(2), 100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnrt.2022.100002

3. Baker, C., Kirby, J. B., O'Connor, J., Lindsay, K. G., Hutchins, A., & Harris, M. (2022). The perceived impact of Ashwagandha on stress, sleep quality, energy, and mental clarity for college students: Qualitative analysis of a double-blind randomized control trial. Journal of Medicinal Food, 25(12), 1095–1101. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2022.0042