Improving Brain Function: An Experiment

Brain function is crucial — it’s hard to be the best version of yourself if your brain isn’t functioning optimally. Stark's very own Tyler Mounce worked alongside Dr. Alice Nguyen to improve his brain performance and cognitive function. Tyler introduced several new supplements and foods into his system to “improve his brain.” He took the time to conduct baseline testing over the course of a few days — his baseline testing included tested memory recall, math, luminosity, IQ, typing words per minute, and reaction time in milliseconds. Here’s what Tyler introduced into his system on his journey of brain optimization:  

 Dietary Changes 

While Tyler eats a relatively healthy diet daily, he made a few dietary changes to improve his bran’s performance. He began to eat sardines for lunch five days a week — sardines are high in CoQ10, protein, Omega-3s, and B12. He also incorporated one cup of blueberries per day because they’re high in anthocyanins. Why are anthocyanins so essential for the brain? They’re protective of the blood vessels and fantastic for the brain and cardiovascular system!  

Supplements for Improved Mental Health 

1. The first supplement introduced into Tyler’s system was vitamin D3. Vitamin D is really important to integrate into your diet as it’s a hormone that affects almost every single cell in the body! Essentially, Vitamin D goes to the cell’s nucleus to determine whether things get expressed or not. 

2. While most people haven’t heard of K2, Dr. Alice Nguyen says it’s a nutrient that almost everyone is deficient in. K2 ensures the calcium floating around in your blood goes to your bone and not your soft tissue. Tyler took a supplement that offered K2 and D3 together, but you can also add K2 to your diet by eating fermented soybeans (the food with its highest form, according to Dr. Alice).  

3. Tyler added acetyl-L-carnitine into his first glass of water in the morning! Carnitine is necessary to shuttle fatty acids into the mitochondria — the powerhouses in the cells — for fats to be used as energy. Carnitine is poorly absorbed if acetyl is not attached to it because acetyl gives a higher absorption rate.  

4. Tyler’s NADH + CoQ10 supplement, which optimize mitochondrial support, came in the form of a tasty lozenge! When mitochondria work more effectively, the brain will function more effectively. NADH also helps improve energy production. (CoQ10 is found in eating heart and liver, so there are suboptimal CoQ10 levels throughout America because not many people want to eat those foods. If you’re interested in adding CoQ10 to your diet, you could opt for sardines.)  

5. Another supplement Tyler took to optimize his brain function was Vitamin E — but in the form of chocolate! Dr. Alice says, “When it comes to Vitamin E, it’s the one antioxidant we want to have on board because it helps with the actual cell membrane itself.”  

6. Tyler also took the popular supplement green tea extract. This could be taken in capsule, liquid, or powder form.

7. Are you interested in trying out one of Dr. Alice’s favorite herbs? Tyler opted to take Neuroresponse by Innate Response Formulas — which includes bacopa (one of Dr. Alice’s favorite herbs), holy basil leaf, and ashwagandha in the form of sensoril. Dr. Alice’s love for bacopa comes from research that has shown it repairs damaged nerves! 

8. Tyler introduced krill oil — an Omega-3 that is bound to phospholipids. Krill oil allows phospholipids to enter the brain more readily than other forms of Omega-3s because it moves across the blood-brain barrier more easily. Dr. Alice personally takes about 5 grams of krill oil a day! 

9. Dr. Alice gave Tyler “brain bags” with an IV drip that included vitamin C, B-complex, carnitine, taurine, B5, B6, and a glutathione push afterward.

10. Out of all the supplements Tyler took during this Stark experiment, he subjectively noticed the most effectiveness from taking B vitamins. Dr. Alice emphasizes the importance of B vitamins as almost every person has some suboptimal or deficiency in Vitamin B. So, how do different B vitamins help your brain? 

• • • B12 is an essential vitamin that supports the maintenance of nerve cells.  
    • B6 is required to make serotonin and melatonin.  
    • B5 helps support your adrenal glands.  

 B vitamins are primarily found in meat, sardines, or mackerel. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian — you’ll need to introduce a B vitamin supplement.  

The Results 

Tyler took all of the tests over again — and there was 100% improvement across the board! His words per minute typing increased, his reaction time went down, and his IQ even went up two points. Not only did his brain function improve on an objective level, but he also felt much better. He noticed a difference in his alertness and focus throughout the day. If you’re interested in improving your brain’s functioning, take your brain to the next level by implementing some (or all) of these beneficial supplements or foods!