Power Drops — Clarity

Made for the part of the day that asks for deep work rather than speed.

1. 01

   Uridine

   Richard Wurtman's precursor model at MIT is the reason we looked at uridine at all. His group proposed that circulating uridine, choline and DHA jointly supply substrates for neuronal membrane phospholipid synthesis.

   What this does not establish

   The synaptic effects were shown in gerbils and rodents. Human data extend only to plasma uridine levels rising after oral CDP-choline. No trial has shown that uridine supplementation builds synapses in a healthy adult.

   No authorised health claim exists for this compound, so none is made.

   In our library: Nutritional Precursors and Synaptic Membrane Formation

2. 02

   CDP-choline (citicoline)

   Same precursor model, and the compound with by far the most human clinical literature of anything in this formula.

   What this does not establish

   The largest trial, COBRIT in JAMA, was negative in traumatic brain injury. Most other trials were run in clinical populations — stroke, vascular cognitive impairment — not in healthy adults doing knowledge work.

   No authorised health claim exists for this compound, so none is made.

   In our library: Nutritional Precursors and Synaptic Membrane Formation

3. 03

   L-theanine

   The tea literature on theanine, and specifically the work pairing it with caffeine, is why the compound is in our formulations at all.

   What this does not establish

   Trials are small and short. Effects vary with dose, task and population, and theanine alone is far less studied than the theanine–caffeine pairing.

   No authorised health claim exists for this compound, so none is made.

   Evidence assessment · MH-EVD-0013 claims graded separately. Lowest grade: MHES X.
4. 04

   Acetyl-L-carnitine

   A meta-analysis of double-blind trials reported an effect in mild cognitive impairment, which is what put the compound on our list.

   What this does not establish

   That evidence comes from clinical populations at doses higher than ours. It does not transfer to healthy adults.

   No authorised health claim exists for this compound, so none is made.

5. 05

   Magnesium (as chloride)

   The one compound here where the evidence is strong enough to be authorised, and the reason the formula has a legal foundation at all.

   What this does not establish

   The cognitive research most often cited for magnesium used L-threonate, a different chemical form. We use chloride, and that result does not carry across.

   What may be stated: Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. (authorised health claim, Reg. (EU) 432/2012) The dose in this formulation is not fixed yet. Until it supplies at least 15% of the nutrient reference value per portion, this wording is not available to us and we do not use it.

6. 06

   Vitamin C

   Included both for formulation reasons and because it carries an authorised claim relevant to the use occasion.

   What this does not establish

   Nothing beyond the authorised wording. Vitamin C is not a nootropic.

   What may be stated: Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. (authorised health claim, Reg. (EU) 432/2012) The dose in this formulation is not fixed yet. Until it supplies at least 15% of the nutrient reference value per portion, this wording is not available to us and we do not use it.