Brain Health

Women’s health, cognition, GLP-1 support, longevity, and clean-label functional foods are among the key categories influencing demand for clinically substantiated nutraceutical ingredients, notes Asha Ramesh, Sabinsa’s CEO – Americas, from the Expo West floor.

From stress and cognitive support to formulation challenges and regulatory considerations, this FAQ explores the science and market forces shaping ashwagandha’s role in modern nutraceuticals.

The randomized placebo-controlled trial showed Samriddh’s Bacopa monnieri extract significantly improved perceived stress, sleep quality, and cortisol levels in adults with non-chronic stress.

Algae-based ingredients are moving into mainstream acceptance, driven by advances in cultivation, clinical research, formulation science, and sustainability-focused supply chains.

As memory and focus benefits expands beyond aging consumers to include younger demographics seeking focus and performance, formulators are leveraging targeted ingredients, clinical validation, and innovative delivery formats to meet demand.

Creatine continues to see double digit growth as more consumers discover and take creatine. Predominantly used in pre-workout for sports nutrition, creatine is also seeing new life as an ingredient that supports cognitive health, further contributing to its growth.

In this interview, Aleix Sala-Vila, PhD, shares more on his recent project involving data from global cohorts on links between omega-3 biomarkers and incident dementia.

Ashwagandha is finding its way into more products as research grows on the ingredient's health benefits, and formulators push the boundaries of alternative dosage formats.

Nutritional Outlook interviews Scott Dicker, senior director of market insights at SPINS to discuss the 2026 Ingredients to Watch. Dicker unpacks sales trends in the nutraceutical space and what they mean for product formulators and marketers. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation in which Dicker discusses what is driving sales growth of creatine and protein.

In this interview, Aleix Sala-Vila, PhD, explains research on the effects of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

Andrea Fuso, PhD, explains how B vitamins support brain energy metabolism, while SAMe drives neurotransmitter synthesis and methylation.

Thomas Druke, senior marketing and business development manager at Balchem, explains why cognition is a crucial factor in sports performance, the opportunity this presents to dietary supplement manufacturers, and why choline is an ideal ingredient for supporting brain health in athletes.

In this interview, Aleix Sala-Vila, PhD, explains results from a recently published longitudinal study linking omega-3 levels and risk of early-onset dementia.

A large prospective UK Biobank study finds that higher blood omega-3 levels are associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia before age 65.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial shows Magtein magnesium L-threonate from ThreoTech supports cognition, brain age, and sleep-related measures in adults.

The ingredient from NutriScience showed support for improving self-reported feelings of anxiety and mood, particularly with men and younger adults.

A curated, year-end roundup of our published articles on the vitamins and minerals, research, and trends surrounding brain health.

Analysis of 258,012 participants in the UK Biobank showed an inverse association between levels of omega-3s and risks for self-harm.

An integrative approach to long-term cognitive health from neurologist Alexander Zubkov.

PLT Health Solutions and Nektium Pharma announced that a recent clinical study showed potential cognitive health benefits for the ingredient, Zynamite S.

HARKE Pharma announced that the company had recently acquired the patented Memory Complex.

Aquanova will highlight clinical validation for its NovaSOL Curcumin ingredient for mobility, and NovaSOL Q10 for energy as well as introducing its NovaSOL White Label initiative, offering a portfolio of ready-to-market dietary supplements incorporating the company’s micelle technology and clinically validated ingredients such as curcumin, astaxanthin, CoQ10, and Boswellia, in both softgel and liquid capsule formats.

Stratum Nutrition expands globally, opening a Netherlands hub to meet European demand.

Dietary fatty acids are highlighted as a potential intervention for the neurological disease.

The reviews examined the mechanisms of action of vitamin E tocotrienol in brain health support and a comparison of tocotrienol and tocopherol.