Wow, the things that nutrients can do for us…
I was interested in brain health way before I ever became a doctor. I was always curious about how nutrients affected the brain.
I remember seeing the natural health pioneer Durk Pearson on The Merv Griffin Show talking about the role of three things I had never heard of and could barely pronounce at the time.
He talked about phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine and how they come together in brain chemistry to increase the memory neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
I thought, “Wow, this guy is really on to something.” So I went and did some research and started mixing things together and I swear I think it had an immediate effect on my memory.
It convinced me then that these things like vitamins and nutrients are real, and you can feel their effect. I was 15 at the time.
In my practice today, I have found one nutrient that gives me and my patients more of a boost in brain power that anything else I ever used. And most doctors today don’t even know about. It’s called acetyl L-carnitine (ALC).
It’s an exceptional brain supplement and I’ve seen how it has restored razor sharp thinking to my patients who take it. Studies show that when you have a deficiency in mitochondria – the engines that supply your energy – and reverse that through supplying the brain with
ALC, it rebuilds the brain.1 ALC also:
- Gives you more stamina and improves mood and memory.
- Enhances the release of dopamine from neurons and increases other beneficial brain chemicals like GABA and acetylcholine.2
- Keeps brain cells young – older animals given ALC start acting much younger because it repairs the aging hippocampus in their brains.3
When researchers started looking deeper into how ALC worked, they found it stimulates your brain to grow more neurites – the branches that are extensions of your brain cells. These let brain cells communicate with each other. And ALC does this at the same rate as your body’s own nerve growth stimulant called “nerve growth factor” (NGF).
Today, we’ve discovered why… because ALC stimulates NGF itself. It also helps keep the receptors for NGF healthy and vital.
In fact, they now use ALC as a treatment for different types of nerve injury because it completely protects neurons, the brain cells that help you retain information.4 ALC is the main form, but there’s also acetyl carnitine arginate. One study found that ALC arginate protected neurons from the effects of the beta-amyloid plaque found in patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s.5
Some formulas mix both of these, which is an excellent way to get ALC. However, look for a formula that that has only l-carnitine and not D,L-carnitine. D-carnitine is synthetic, and it interferes with the action of natural l-carnitine.
If you’re interested in boosting your mental focus, I recommend 250 mg of ALC every day.
You can get some of the same effect by taking liquid l-carnitine, and combining it with a cofactor that will give your brain more energy and help your body create acetyl l-carnitine on its own. I like vitamin B12 for this purpose. You don’t need much; only 500mcg to 1mg. And, B12 is also available in liquid form so you can take them together.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1.Kidd PM. "Neurodegeneration from mitochondrial insufficiency: nutrients, stem cells, growth factors, and prospects for brain rebuilding using integrative management." Altern Med Rev. Dec 2005; 10(4):268-93.
2.Westlund KN, Lu Y, Werrbach-Perez K, Hulsebosch CE, Morgan B, et al. “Effects of nerve growth factor and acetyl-L-carnitine arginyl amide on the human neuronal line HCN-1A.” Int J Dev Neurosci. Oct 1992; 10(5):361-73.
3.Taglialatela G, Angelucci L, et. al. "Acetyl-L-carnitine enhances the response of PC12 cells to nerve growth factor." Brain Res Dev Brain Res. Apr 1991; 59(2):221-30.
4.Terenghi G, Hart A, Wiberg M. "The nerve injury and the dying neurons: diagnosis and prevention." J Hand Surg Eu. Nov 2011; Vol 36(9):730-4.
5.Scorziello A, Meucci O, Calvani M, Schettini G. “Acetyl-L-carnitine arginine amide prevents beta 25-35-induced neurotoxicity in cerebellar granule cells.” Neurochem Res. Mar 1997; 22(3);257-65.