“While previous research has indicated potential for A-GPC to acutely improve cognition in clinical populations, extending these outcomes to healthy individuals can be potentially meaningful for a wide variety of populations such as athletes, race car drivers, military operators and other non-athletic populations who desire and have a need to improve their mental performance,” wrote Chad Kerksick, PhD, director of the Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory at Lindenwood University, who conducted the study.
Published in the journal Nutrients, the research evaluated the effects of the GeniusPure-branded A-GPC on a series of both cognitive and physical performance measures. The ingredient is manufactured by NNB Nutrition, which provided funding for the study through a restricted grand to Applied Health Sciences.
A precursor to neurotransmission
A natural choline compound found in the brain, A-GPC increases choline levels and the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine connected to learning and memory. In athletes, it has been linked to the prevention of exercise-induced choline depletion, increases in endurance performance and growth hormone secretion.
“Choline availability can have a widespread physiological impact by way of impacting acetylcholine status across the body and facilitating other intracellular communication,” Dr. Kerksick explained. “A-GPC supplementation has been documented in studies to positively influence choline levels and exert influence over mood, cognition and physical performance.”
While A-GPC can help preserve choline status, research into its cognitive effects remains ongoing as evidence is mixed regarding its potential to impact cognition. Studies to date show improvements in memory and cognitive function in populations with neurodegenerative disorders or affected by brain injury but are less conclusive in healthy individuals.
“With the popularity of A-GPC being used in an acute fashion as part of various nutritional formulations ingested prior to workouts and competitions, more research is needed to examine the ability of A-GPC to impact cognition and exercise performance,” Dr. Kerksick wrote.
Study details
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial evaluated the effects of both a high and low dose of GeniusPure in a group of 20 resistance-trained males between the ages of 20 and 55 from a suburban community in Ohio.
During three separate visits, participants consumed either a 630 mg A-GPC (HD), 315 mg A-GPC (LD) or a resistant dextrin placebo (PL) before completing a series of cognitive tests approximately one and three hours after supplementation. The study also examined the potential impact of supplementation on physical performance as measured by vertical jumps, bench press throws and a bout of lower-body resistance exercise. Blood samples were collected at subsequent intervals to assess changes in growth hormones.
“The primary findings from the current study highlight the statistically significant improvement in Stroop total score when participants were supplemented with both HD and LD when compared to PL,” Dr. Kerksick reported. “Additionally, outcomes revealed that the HD group spent significantly less time (they completed the test faster) on the test when compared to PL.”
The Stroop test is used to evaluate working memory, attention, processing, cognitive flexibility and the ability to inhibit cognitive interference.
There were no significant differences between groups observed in other cognitive, visual analog scale, physical performance or growth hormone assessment, although post hoc tests revealed that the high-dose group exhibited faster response times during response inhibition tests compared to placebo but decreased accuracy compared to the low-dose group.
“These results are meaningful because they represent, for the first time, that A-GPC supplementation is documented to increase parameters of cognitive performance in a young, healthy cohort,” Dr. Kerksick wrote. “Previous investigations using this population were unable to identify such changes, while studies involving older and clinically compromised populations have reported the ability of A-GPC to positively impact cognitive performance.”
GeniusPure on the market
NNB Nutrition introduced GeniusPure in 2023, and it has been well received by early adopters since launch, particularly smaller brands including Infinis, Healthgev and Historic Labs, looking to create the highest potency formulas, Dustin Elliott, chief brand officer at NNB, told NutraIngredients. GeniusPure is researched at 90% concentration.
“Since the reveal of the research, there has been a surge in demand, and the results have become the number one lead generator for new customers joining our newsletter in exchange for the full sales sheet,” Elliott added. “The biggest launch since has been with the company MindValley, which has now made its entrance into the supplement industry with its MindValley States line of products featuring GeniusPure as its focus product.”
The ingredient is also soy-free (a common request among sports brands) and is manufactured with NNB’s FlowTech non-hygroscopic technology to reduce the risk of clumping and clogging in powder formulations and facilitate higher dosing in combination with other materials.
Commenting on the research revealed, Elliott noted that considering that existing Alpha-GPC research has mostly shown results in older subjects—often with chronic illness—over a period of weeks to months, NNB was not expecting such dramatic results for the Stroop Test after just one dose.
These results have translated to claims like ‘double your focus’ and ‘increase alertness’ from just one dose in a market expressing an increased demand for choline donor and cognitive boosting ingredients in combination with caffeine for pre-workout products.
“Pickup any pre-workout that has launched in the last few years and a cognitive boosting compliment to caffeine has become a staple in these products,” Elliott said. “It’s becoming a new ‘mandatory’ ingredient along with citrulline and beta-alanine for pre-workout formulations.”
Source: Nutrients
doi: 10.3390/nu16234240
“Acute Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Supplementation Enhances Cognitive Performance in Healthy Men”
Author: Chad Kersick
