Preserve those precious brain cells by boosting one all-important nutrient

When your car runs low on oil, you top it off with a fresh quart and you’re good to go.

And when your brain is low on a key neurotransmitter, you can do the same thing: Simply replenish your supply and your memories are safe for another thousand miles…

This “oil” for your brain is called acetylcholine. It’s the brain’s most abundant neurotransmitter (the chemical messengers that allow your brain cells to communicate), so it’s no wonder that it’s essential for memory, learning, processing speed, and clear thinking.

And acetylcholine is also an essential player in your parasympathetic nervous system (how your body functions when it’s at rest). This system plays a particularly critical role in essential biological functions like blood vessel dilation, which can have a major effect on your cognitive function.

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that you’re running low on acetylcholine since levels of this essential neurotransmitter steadily decline as you age.

Today I’m going to tell you why replenishing your acetylcholine store is so important, and how to re-up your supply.

The “smart pill” that restores your brain power

A vast number of your brain neurons rely on acetylcholine in order to survive.

And when your levels begin to drop, neurons will start to die off — making it harder to concentrate, think clearly, and remember things.

Fortunately, there’s an all-natural “smart pill” that isn’t well known, but certainly deserves to be.

This supplement is called citicoline and is typically found in formulas containing B-complex vitamins. Citicoline is also a nutrient that’s naturally produced in our bodies and is an essential part of cell membranes (especially brain cell membranes). And it just so happens to be a safe, natural, and effective acetylcholine-booster.

In his Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Dr. Fred Pescatore talks about how he’s been prescribing this supplement to his patients for years, as he’s found it to be highly effective in restoring brainpower.

Dr. Pescatore believes that by providing your brain with the proper nutrition it needs, you can most certainly build “a bigger, brighter brain.”

Fortifying a variety of brain benefits

A few years ago, aging-specialists in Turin, Italy enrolled nearly 350 volunteers over the age of 65 for a citicoline trial. Test scores confirmed that each participant had been affected by memory loss.

For nine months, 265 participants took a 500 mg dose of citicoline twice each day. The other 122 volunteers served as a control group.

At the end of the intervention period, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test scores were significantly higher in the citicoline group. In fact, MMSE scores in the control group actually dropped.

Dr. Pescatore cites a number of equally impressive studies, including one where 30 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s were divided into two groups — with one group taking 1,000 mg of citicoline a day, and the other a placebo.

After three months, the citicoline group had improved scores in a standardized mental exam. While this may sound similar to the above study, there were a few more notable benefits reported in this one, including:

  • Increased blood flow to the brain
  • Increased presence of brain waves associated with clearer thinking
  • Reduced levels of an inflammation biomarker

Researchers concluded that citicoline may help preserve brain function by limiting the activity of compounds that kill neurons.

Putting a lid on “killer compounds”

Dr. Pescatore confirms the researchers’ assessment and explains why these trials are so significant: “One of the many reasons for citicoline’s brain-preserving capacity may be that it curbs the activity of some of the compounds involved in killing off neurons in the brain. And that’s critical…

“Unlike cells elsewhere in the body, neurons don’t divide, and for the most part, we don’t get new ones when the old ones die off — once they’re gone, they’re gone. So hanging onto our neurons as we age is key to preserving our memory and other brain functions.”

“Bottom line:” he says, “Citicoline improves both mental performance and mood — and it has few, if any, side effects. I recommend 250 to 1,000 milligrams daily.”

You can learn more about Dr. Pescatore’s proven strategies to enhance memory and revive brain function in his Drug-Free Protocol for Reversing Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Click here to find out much more about this brain-protecting protocol, or to enroll today.

SOURCES

“Effectiveness and safety of citicoline in mild vascular cognitive impairment: the IDEALE study” Clinical Interventions in Aging 2013; 8: 131-137. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S38420