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According to a national survey in the US, one in four adults over the age of 50 take at least one supplement to improve their brain health, believing the promises to improve memory and sharpen attention and concentration. What is the problem? The absence of strong evidence that these supplements work.
“There is no evidence that supplements contain any ingredient that can improve brain health,” says Dr Dr. Pieter Cohen, pathologist at the Harvard affiliate Cambridge Health Alliancewho particularly focuses on dietary supplements in his research. “None of the legal ingredients in supplements have been shown to improve thinking or prevent memory loss.”
Insufficient supervision
The main problem with all OTC products is the lack of regulation. THE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). it does not oversee product testing or the correctness of information about the action of the ingredients declared – it only monitors whether some supplements make claims related to the treatment of specific diseases.
In the case of brain health, this means that a supplement manufacturer can claim that their product helps with mental alertness or memory loss, but not that it protects against or improves Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia. Manufacturers are under no obligation to prove any claim that brain health supplements are effective.
Even that level of oversight may be reduced: the FDA announced in December 2025 that it is considering relaxing a particular rule — as a result, the disclaimers that appear on supplement labels will be reduced. This is “a very important step in the wrong direction,” says Dr. Cohen. “Consumers already face a lot of misinformation when buying supplements,” he adds.
Combination of nutrients
Many brain supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids (like those found in fish oil), vitamin E, various B vitamins, or various combinations of these. Why these particular ingredients?
There is strong evidence that certain types of diet (such as the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the MIND diet) may help improve cognitive function. These types of diets include foods that contain large amounts of the above nutrients. However, it is not clear whether it is the combination of nutrients that is beneficial or whether the benefit comes from individual nutrients or specific amounts or from other factors entirely. Researchers have attempted to answer these questions by testing how these nutrients affect cognitive function. So far, the limited studies have found no evidence that they help, with a few rare exceptions.
However, that doesn’t mean brain supplements don’t work. There simply isn’t much evidence from randomized clinical trials (the standard of study in research) about whether individual vitamins or other nutrients improve brain health.
Let’s look at a summary of what science has found so far and what they mean.
Omega 3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids help develop cell membranes in the brain, and may also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that could protect brain cells. There are three types of ω3 fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are found mainly in fatty fish, such as salmon and mackerel. α-Linolenic acid (ALA) is found in green leafy vegetables (brussels sprouts, spinach), vegetable oils (canola oil, soybean oil), and nuts and seeds (walnuts, flaxseed).
The body converts ALA to EPA or DHA, but only in small amounts. So the best way to get high amounts of EPA and DHA is to eat more fish. Fish is a staple in the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet, among others, and studies have found a correlation between higher fish consumption and a lower risk of cognitive decline.
However, omega-3 fatty acid supplements made from fish oil have not shown the same effect. Any benefit appears to come from eating more fish, not from taking fish oil supplements.
“I’m not aware of any new evidence showing that omega-3 supplements boost the brain,” says Dr. Cohen. “I don’t prescribe them or recommend them to my patients,” he adds.
Ginkgo biloba supplements
The fan-shaped leaves of the ginkgo tree are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat any ailment. In the US, the leaf extract is sold as a supplement commonly called gingko biloba. One of the things it is promoted for is improving memory. However, as with other brain health supplements, the scientific data does not support the claims.
One of the largest clinical studies investigating the possible link was the Study Evaluating the Effect of Gingko on Memory. The researchers studied more than 3,000 older adults (average age 79, 54% men) who had normal cognitive function or mild cognitive impairment. All received either 120 milligrams (mg) of ginkgo or a placebo twice a day for nearly six years. (This amount was chosen based on previous research.) The results showed that taking ginkgo biloba did not reduce the overall rate of developing dementia.
Thoughts on Brain Health Supplements
The question remains: Without evidence, why do people continue to believe in supplements for brain health? A major reason seems to be that it’s easier to pop a pill than to make long-term lifestyle changes.
If you are interested in using a brain health supplement, talk to your doctor and review the data with him.
Instead of supplements, invest in increasing exercise and adopting a plant-based diet. These habits can help long-term memory and brain health more than any supplement.
“Because manufacturers can advertise without supporting evidence, you really can’t rely on any of the claims made on the packaging of these products,” emphasizes Dr. Cohen. “If you’re still interested in using one, talk to your doctor and go over the data with him.”
A daily multivitamin can help keep seniors’ minds sharp
Although so-called brain health supplements offer dubious benefits, the Harvard COSMOS study shows that people age 60 and older may benefit from taking a daily multivitamin. The actions equate to slowing cognitive aging by about two years. More specifically, participants who took the multivitamin for about two years had better scores on episodic memory (the recall of events and experiences), compared to participants who took an inactive tablet.
Note: The goal of Harvard Health Letter is to interpret medical information for the general reader in a timely and accurate manner. Its contents are not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained directly from a physician.
