What Are Nootropics? We Asked Some Experts

As far as supplements and “body hacking” go, we live in some strange times. One could even call them “unprecedented,” but I think we have all heard that word enough for one lifetime (thanks, 2020). So in terms of supplements, why is today any different from 50 years ago? Well for one thing, we have modern perks like bougie coffee shops, cooling memory foam pillows, and Beyoncé, but the biggest thing is, of course, toe socks. Nah, I’m just joshin’ ya, it’s the internet. People these days can look up literally anything and find info about it. The catch? We have very little capacity to discern what information is fact and what is, as they call it in the biz, a load of hooey.

This brings us to nootropics, which are, according to the internet (NIH.gov, specifically), “a diverse group of medicinal substances whose action improves human thinking, learning, and memory, especially in cases where these functions are impaired.” But they aren’t just drugs. A lot of things considered to be nootropics can (allegedly) be found in common foods, and an increasing number of packaged food products and so-called functional beverages are advertising that they contain nootropics. To find out more we talked to professor of nutrition Angela Zivkovic, Ph.D., and food science professor Ameer Taha, Ph.D., both of UC Davis, to find out whether we’ve been sleepin’ on these cognition enhancing compounds that could make our brains exceedingly brainier.

What are nootropics? Do nootropics work? Are nootropics safe? How many times are you going to say nootropics in this heading, Jessica?

Now, here’s the thing. Both professors I interviewed told me right off the bat that they had to look up what “nootropics” were. That doesn’t necessarily bode well for there being any solid science behind these buzzy substances considering one of the professors I interviewed is a leading researcher in how food affects cognitive health and the other is a well-respected nutritionist and knows a ton about what effects specific foods can have on our bodies. That said, both professors told me there could be some merit to some of the specific things the internet has classified as “nootropics.” Which things are those? Let’s get into it.

Professor Zivkovic noted that while nootropics fall under a number of categories, “all of them are essentially trying to amplify either precursors or the actual components that are involved in neurotransmission.” Confused? Neurotransmitter precursors are substances the body converts into neurotransmitters. For instance, serotonin is a neurotransmitter, and the amino acid tryptophan (which is in all sorts of foods) is the precursor. Basically, she said nootropics generally set out to boost the amount of the precursor of the helpful brain chemical, actually provide the chemical itself, or provide something that can influence the pathways those chemicals take, all with the goal of (potentially) increasing cognitive activity. Nootropics, she said, is “a pretty broad term.”

So do nootropics work? Professor Zivkovic said that a lot of nootropics are used to deal with people’s existing conditions and diseases, like specific deficiencies or traumatic brain injuries. So in these cases the nootropics (theoretically) would be used to “amplify or supplement deficient activity,” like a person taking iron supplements because they are iron deficient. Does that mean nootropics could help someone who is generally trying to do better at school, in life, or at the daily New York Times Connections puzzle (some of us could use a little extra push)? Dr. Zivkovic noted that they haven’t really been tested in healthy people. Most existing studies cover specific conditions and applications, not whether consuming a canned drink that says it contains nootropics could make me better at math.

As for whether Nootropics are safe, professor Zivkovic said, “The first thing to recognize is that we don’t really know what the potential long-term effects are of using many of these agents in normal healthy people, because they’ve just never really been tested in that way.” So if you are someone who likes to see conclusive double-blind clinical trials before changing up your routine, maybe wait this one out until nootropics have become oldtropics/run-of-the-milltropics and we know all there is to know.

What are examples of nootropics that DO work? Nootropics implies the existence of “nooarctics” as well…so do we have those? (Just kidding.)

When I asked both professors if there are any nootropics that science thinks might have a positive effect, the common thread was omega-3 fatty acids. These can be found in fish, fish oil supplements, and some nuts and seeds, among other sources. According to Professor Zivkovic, having omega-3 in the membrane of your synapses (the part of the brain cell that communicates with other brain cells) “promotes the proper functioning, interactions, and signaling of neurons.” Basically, they help your brain better communicate with itself.

Part of the reason we have research on omega-3s is because they may help treat diseases. A reason we don’t have a lot of info on “nootropics” is that people are using them to try and increase their brain function to above normal when most medical research (which is what would be needed to prove these things) gets funded when it is solving a problem/helping cure something. Controlled, double-blind medical studies are very expensive and as professor Zivkovic said, when there is a potential cure on the line, it’s easier to justify an expensive study. Dr. Zivkovic also said there is some new evidence that creatine may help with cognitive function. “There is some suggestion that caffeine may be protective against dementia,” Dr. Taha added. But generally speaking, more study is needed on most of these compounds.

As for nootropic mushrooms, the evidence of their efficacy isn’t really there yet, though as professor Zivkovic pointed out, it depends what kind of proof you are looking for. Some people are comfortable if something has been tested in a petri dish. Others want to see an animal study in which mice do better with the treatment, even if the results haven’t been reproduced in humans. Others want a full-on clinical trial. And while it’s really up to us to determine what we are comfortable with, it’s worth noting that the FDA approves a lot of these supplements as safe to eat without necessarily confirming that they functionally do what they claim to do.

In Conclusion…

There are certainly things out there that help with your cognitive function, or at least help to slow cognitive decline. That said, there is not a huge amount of evidence that there are any miracle foods that will make you the next Jimmy Neutron. While that might be disappointing, there are things you can do to help your brain function. I’m sure this comes as a surprise to no one, but professor Zivkovic put it best when she said, “I think that the crux of this is that these things might be helpful, but the most helpful thing is probably going to be eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping.”