Description
Dr MB’s Phosphatidylserine
Our Phosphatidylserine is made from Soy Lecithin and is 100% Organic.
What Is Phosphatidylserine?
Have you ever heard of phosphatidylserine? Most people haven’t, but would you believe it’s actually present in every single human cell?
Yes, it’s true. Phosphatidylserine has many vital functions throughout the body’s tissues and organs, but most importantly, it’s a key building block for the billions of cells in your brain.
Phosphatidylserine is produced by the body, but we get most of our intake from food. When food isn’t enough or we have a greater need for this vital molecule, supplements are another option.
It’s used as a natural treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and also age-related cognitive decline, depression, ADHD and improving athletic performance.
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid that contains both amino acids and fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA work synergistically with PS to provide the building blocks for healthy cell membranes.
Phospholipids, which surround all of our cells, are essential molecules that provide cellular structure and protection. As a phospholipid molecule, phosphatidylserine structure is made up of four components:
- fatty acids
- a platform to which the fatty acids are attached
- a phosphate
- an alcohol attached to the phosphate
Phospholipids line up and arrange themselves into two parallel layers known as a phospholipid bilayer. This is the layer that makes up your cell membranes and is critical to each of your cells’ ability to function.
What is the main phosphatidylserine function in the human body? Phosphatidylserine is critical to the maintenance of all cellular activity, especially in the brain.
Research also shows that it’s important to:
- bone matrix formation
- cell repair and removal by the immune system
- heartbeat coordination
- hormone secretion by the adrenal glands
- testicular function
Top 6 Benefits
1. May Improve Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that can rob people of the ability to think clearly, perform everyday tasks and, ultimately, remember who they even are.
Phosphatidylserine nootropic supplements increases levels of brain chemicals involved with memory and improve brain cell communication. Although it’s not a cure, taking phosphatidylserine can improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
In a double-blind, crossover study, people with Alzheimer’s disease who took 300 milligrams of PS per day for eight weeks had greater improvement in overall well-being than those who took a placebo.
PS seems to be most effective in people with less severe symptoms.
2. Aids the Slowdown of Age-Related Cognitive Decline
A study published in the journal Aging evaluated the effect of six months of PS supplementation on 494 elderly patients with cognitive impairment. Researchers found that the PS produced statistically significant improvements in behavioural and cognitive parameters after three months and again after six months.
In addition, the phosphatidylserine was well-tolerated by subjects.
In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, 78 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment took soy-derived phosphatidylserine supplements or a placebo for six months. After six months, subjects with relatively low memory scores at the beginning of the study demonstrated a significant improvement in memory while the scores of the placebo group were unchanged.
3. Combats Depression
Studies show that patients with depression have compromised blood flow to a number of brain regions.
Having an omega-3 deficiency is a health condition that can decrease normal blood flow to the brain. Omega-3 deficiency also causes a 35 percent reduction in brain PS levels.
When someone is depressed, he or she is typically low in omega-3s as well as PS. It makes sense that an increase in PS intake through supplementation can help combat depression.
Phosphatidylserine also affects the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain related to mood, and research has shown it can decrease the severity of depression.
In a study published in 2015, researchers evaluated the effects of PS on 18 elderly subjects with major depression who experienced insufficient improvement from antidepressant therapy for at least six months. The subjects took a supplement containing 100 milligrams of PS, 119 milligrams of DHA and 70 milligrams of EPA three times a day.
After 12 weeks, all of the depressed subjects taking the supplement significantly improved their scores on the 17-item Hamilton depression scale.
Some research also points toward phosphatidylserine decreasing anxiety and stress by dampening the body’s cortisol response.
4. Helps Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative illness of the nervous system that results in loss of intentional movement. Generally, those with Parkinson’s lose the ability to speak properly, have difficulty walking and may also experience tremors.
There is no specific known cause, but people with Parkinson’s experience a die-off of the brain cells that produce dopamine, which is responsible for signalling to areas of the brain that deal with movement. When these brain cells die, the brain starts to lose the ability to tell the body when and how to move, resulting in Parkinson’s symptoms.
Phosphatidylserine is key to proper brain function, and people with Parkinson’s often have low levels of phosphatidylserine. In one study, taking 100 milligrams of PS three times per day improved mood and brain function in people with Parkinson’s.
For some Parkinson’s patients, when taking phosphatidylserine sleep trouble may improve.
5. Improves ADHD Symptoms
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Children with ADHD typically have difficulty focusing and controlling impulsive behaviors, and they are overly active.
ADHD can also affect adults. Scientific research has revealed a link between phosphatidylserine and cortisol regulation that may be especially beneficial for people with ADHD.
For people diagnosed with ADHD, phosphatidylserine has been shown to help by increasing mental focus, promoting memory and cognition, boosting the mood, and relieving stress through a reduction of cortisol levels.
PS has been shown to encourage increased brain activity through the neurotransmitters, thus improving the ability of ADHD sufferers to focus, control impulses better and learn without becoming easily fatigued.
A 2014 study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics wanted to figure out whether or not supplementing with soy-derived phosphatidylserine can improve ADHD symptoms in children. This randomised, double-blind study had 36 children, 4 to 14 years of age, who had not previously received any drug treatment for ADHD take either a placebo or 200 milligrams of PS each day for two months.
The researchers found that supplementing with PS significantly improved ADHD symptoms as well as short-term auditory memory. They conclude that PS might be “a safe and natural nutritional strategy for improving mental performance in young children suffering from ADHD.”
6. Boosts Athletic Performance
Improved athletic performance is another one of the many possible phosphatidylserine benefits. It’s also been shown to decrease muscle damage while improving endocrine response to exercise-induced bodily stress.
A 2007 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition evaluated the effect of oral PS supplementation on golf performance in healthy young golfers. It was concluded that six weeks of PS supplementation improved perceived stress levels in golfers and significantly improved the number of good ball flights during tee-off.
Another study looked at the effects of daily supplementation of 750 milligrams of soybean-derived phosphatidylserine for 10 days on active male cyclers. The main finding of the study was that PS supplementation significantly increased exercise time to exhaustion by 85 percent V̇O2 max.
VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilise during intense exercise. It’s a factor that can determine an athlete’s capacity to perform sustained exercise and is linked to overall aerobic endurance.
This study demonstrates phosphatidylserine’s potential to enhance physical performance.
