Are brain health supplements any good?
If you’ve had a loved one who has dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, then you have probably come across advertisements for brain health supplements.
And even if you don’t have a loved one with any such condition, chances are you have seen those types of ads on late night television.
Is there any truth to it?
Are these brain supplements any good for you?
Can they prevent or cure conditions like dementia?
In today’s post, we’ll explore these questions.
Are brain health supplements good for you?
It can be reassuring when someone tells you they have the cure for a devastating condition.
However, as of this writing, even though there are medications that can deal with some symptoms of Alzheimer’s, none of those drugs cure the disease.
Researchers have received millions of dollars to study these drugs but so far, one thing we’re sure of is that none of them can cure.
Now let’s talk about brain health supplements.
Most supplements in the United States do not have a lot of research behind them.
This also means that these supplements are not approved for what their manufacturers claim they can cure.
And this is where we have to be careful.
These supplements may very well do what they are marketed to do.
However, because they are not regulated, they could contain chemicals that could be downright dangerous.
So be cautious.
The FDA takes action against companies selling supplements said to cure or treat Alzheimer’s
In February of 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted 12 warning letters and 5 advisory letters that they had written to foreign and local companies.
These companies were illegally selling as many as 58 supplements that claimed to prevent, cure or treat Alzheimer’s Disease.
Again, while some of these could have a benefit, nobody knows their effect either in the short-term or the long-term.
And so the FDA had to put a cap on it before it became a safety problem.
It’s important as a caregiver or consumer that you do your research and are not swept up by the claims of some of these companies who clearly do what they’re doing to make a profit.
So are brain health supplements bad for you?
At this point, nobody can give a definitive answer because nobody knows.
So do your diligence before buying any such supplements.