FOOD & SUPPLEMENT BUNDLE
Foods and supplements claimed to help cognition
64 of them, ranked by strength of evidence. Only 2 reach grade A or B.
At a glance
64 foods and supplements marketed for cognition, each graded one by one against clinical trial evidence. Grade spread: B 2 · C 39 · D 17 · F 4. Only 2 reach grade A or B.
The grade measures how strong the evidence is, not how good something is for you. Grade A means independent research groups replicated a reduction in real clinical events in humans; grade F means well-designed trials established there is no effect. See Methodology.
Claimed to help cognition — strongest evidence first
Within a grade, higher scores come first; verdicts without a score sit at the bottom. Follow a name to see its trials, evidence, and limits.
| B | 66 | Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | Migraine prevention |
| B | 60 | Creatine monohydrate, cognition axis | Improved memory and reasoning during sleep deprivation and in vegetarians |
| C | 58 | Blueberry concentrate | Improved memory and cognitive function |
| C | 57 | Sage extract (Salvia officinalis/lavandulifolia) | Improvement of memory and attention |
| C | 56 | Habitual intake of edible mushrooms without a specified species | Prevention of incident dementia over long-term follow-up |
| C | 55 | Lion's mane mushroom (Lion's mane, Hericium erinaceus) | cognition, memory, and nerves |
| C | 55 | Huperzine A (derived from club moss) | Memory and cognition |
| C | 55 | Magnesium | Prevention of migraine attacks and reduction in frequency |
| C | 55 | Coenzyme Q10, migraine-efficacy axis | Reduction in migraine-attack frequency and duration in adults |
| C | 54 | Melatonin 3 mg (immediate-release indoleamine supplement or medicine) | Reduction of monthly migraine days and prevention of adult migraine |
| C | 54 | One whole Brazil nut daily | Improved cognition in mild cognitive impairment |
| C | 54 | Curry meals combining turmeric with other spices, fat, and main ingredients | Lower cognitive decline and incidence of mild cognitive impairment or dementia |
| C | 54 | Midlife alcohol intake of 1-14 UK units/week (8-112 g ethanol/week) | Prevention of incident dementia |
| C | 54 | Drinking coffee, at least 28 oz/day, about 828 mL, brewing method unknown | Prevention of incident Parkinson disease |
| C | 52 | Bacopa monnieri (brahmi) | Memory and cognition |
| C | 52 | L-tyrosine | Stress, focus, and cognitive performance |
| C | 52 | Enzymatically hydrolyzed Tremella fuciformis extract | Improvement of age-related cognitive function |
| C | 52 | Gastrodia elata extract | Improvement of memory and cognitive function |
| C | 52 | MCT oil (medium-chain triglycerides, C8 and C10) | Improved memory and cognitive function in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease |
| C | 51 | Heat-treated green tea extract | Improvement of memory and concentration |
| C | 51 | L-theanine (a green-tea-derived amino-acid supplement) | Improved attention and choice reaction time after a single dose in healthy adults |
| C | 50 | Alpha-GPC (alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, choline alfoscerate) | Cognition and exercise performance |
| C | 50 | Low-protein products with protein redistribution during levodopa therapy | Reduced daily motor off time |
| C | 49 | Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) | Cognition and diabetic neuropathy |
| C | 48 | Cocoa flavanols (cocoa polyphenols) | Cognitive function and vascular/blood-flow health |
| C | 48 | High-polyphenol spearmint extract, Neumentix | Improvement of working memory and attention |
| C | 46 | Magnesium L-threonate (Magtein®) | Memory, executive function, and increased brain magnesium |
| C | 46 | High-bioavailability curcumin (Theracurmin curcumin, a curcuminoid polyphenol supplement) | Improved memory and attention in middle-aged and older adults without dementia |
| C | 45 | Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (Ginkgo biloba; flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids/terpene lactones) | Memory, cognition, and blood circulation |
| C | 45 | Phosphatidylserine (PS) | Cognition, memory, and concentration |
| C | 45 | Whole coffee fruit extract (NeuroFactor/CognatiQ) | Improvement in BDNF, focus, and memory |
| C | 45 | Oral magnesium, a mineral supplement supplied in different magnesium salts | Reduction of migraine attack frequency in adults |
| C | 44 | NVP-2106 probiotic blend of Limosilactobacillus mucosae NK41 and Bifidobacterium longum NK46 | Improvement in memory and cognitive function |
| C | 44 | Multivitamin-mineral supplement (once-daily oral tablet) | Delayed decline in global cognition and episodic memory in older adults |
| C | 43 | Saffron extract from Crocus sativus, a botanical supplement containing crocin and safranal | Reduced core inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents |
| C | 42 | Uridine monophosphate (UMP) | Memory, cognition, and synaptic health |
| C | 42 | Aster glehni extract powder | Improvement of age-related cognitive decline |
| C | 42 | Rosemary extract | Improved memory and concentration |
| C | 42 | Citicoline (CDP-choline, Cognizin, dietary supplement) | Improved age-related memory and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults |
| C | 40 | DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) | Improvement in memory and focus |
| C | 40 | Polygala tenuifolia root extract | Improvement of memory, learning, and forgetfulness |
| D | 34 | Dihexa (PNB-0408, research-use peptide-like compound marketed for oral use) | Enhanced memory and concentration in healthy adults by promoting synaptogenesis |
| D | 34 | Green leafy vegetables as a group | Slower cognitive decline and prevention of dementia |
| D | 34 | Frozen cod fillets, 200 g twice weekly from gestational weeks 20 to 36 | Improved infant cognitive, language, and motor development at 11 months |
| D | 34 | MIND dietary pattern | Prevention of cognitive decline |
| D | 30 | Phosphatidylcholine/lecithin | Cognition and liver |
| D | 30 | High-dose biotin (MD1003, oral biotin 100 mg three times daily) | Reversal of walking impairment and disability in progressive multiple sclerosis |
| D | 30 | Nitrate-rich beetroot juice | Cognitive performance and cerebral blood flow in older adults |
| D | 30 | Advice to add 1.5 L of water per day to usual intake | Reduction in days with at least moderate headache among people with recurrent headaches |
| D | 28 | HongJam steamed mature silkworm hydrolysate or powder (individually recognized functional ingredient) | Improved memory and global cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment |
| D | 28 | Selenium (an antioxidant trace mineral supplement) | Prevention of cognitive decline, Alzheimer disease, and dementia in cognitively normal older adults |
| D | 28 | Whole walnuts, 30 to 60 g daily | Prevention of age-related cognitive decline |
| D | 28 | Matcha powdered drink, two servings daily, providing 3 g matcha | Prevention of overall cognitive decline in older adults |
| D | 28 | Hydrogen-dissolved water prescribed at 500 mL/day | Slower one-year cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment |
| D | 26 | Scallop- or ascidian-derived plasmalogens in finished memory products | Improved memory and global cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment |
| D | 25 | High-dose vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | Prevention of dementia and Alzheimer disease in the general older population |
| D | 25 | Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA fish-oil fatty-acid supplement, cognition claim) | Prevention of memory decline and incident dementia in cognitively healthy older adults |
| D | 22 | Pregnenolone (neurosteroid and hormone-precursor supplement) | Improved memory, cognition, and brain aging in healthy middle-aged and older adults |
| F | 12 | Combined vitamins B6, B12, and folate | Prevention of dementia and cognitive decline by lowering homocysteine |
| F | 8 | Coenzyme Q10, including ubiquinone and ubiquinol, a mitochondrial quinone antioxidant supplement | Delayed UPDRS functional decline and disease progression in early Parkinson disease |
| F | 8 | Creatine monohydrate (a guanidino ergogenic supplement) | Delayed long-term clinical progression and functional decline in early Parkinson disease |
| F | 5 | Apoaequorin, marketed as Prevagen | Improvement in age-related memory decline and cognitive function |
| ? | score not listed | N-acetyl-L-tyrosine (NALT, dietary supplement) | Greater absorption than ordinary L-tyrosine, leading to improved focus and cognition under stress |
| ? | score not listed | Cooked whole ginkgo nuts | Improved memory |
Not swallowed — applied, inhaled, held in the mouth, worn, or performed on the body (1)
Same claims, but these are not taken by mouth: rubbed on the skin, breathed in, chewed or rinsed and spat out, worn on the body, or performed as a procedure such as acupuncture or cupping. A different route into the body, so they are listed separately.
| C | 50 | Acupuncture using true needle treatment | Preventive reduction in episodic migraine attack frequency |
Claimed to harm cognition (1)
Here a higher grade means the harm is better established — the opposite direction from the table above. A low grade means the claim of harm rests on weak evidence.
| C | 50 | Mixtures of artificial food colors plus 45 mg/day sodium benzoate | Increased hyperactivity scores in children from the general population |
What does have evidence for cognition
Not foods or supplements: drugs and procedures graded A or B. Chamgap recommends nothing. It only shows where the evidence is strong. Any treatment decision belongs with your doctor.
| A | 97 | Mechanical thrombectomy (emergency endovascular procedure using a stent retriever or aspiration) | Reduced disability and dependence and increased functional independence at 90 days after acute ischemic stroke caused by anterior-circulation large-vessel occlusion |
| A | 93 | Aspirin 160 to 300 mg, administered orally in acute care by clinicians | Reduced early death and recurrent stroke when started within 48 hours of acute ischemic stroke after intracranial hemorrhage has been excluded |
| A | 90 | Carotid endarterectomy (standard vascular surgical procedure, non-drug intervention) | Prevention of ipsilateral stroke and stroke death after recent TIA or nondisabling stroke with 70% to 99% carotid stenosis |
| A | 90 | Levodopa–carbidopa, a prescription dopamine-precursor and peripheral decarboxylase-inhibitor combination | Improvement of tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia in Parkinson disease |
| A | 86 | Alteplase (intravenous thrombolytic tPA, Actilyse, prescription medicine) | Reduced 90-day disability and dependence in eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke |
| A | 85 | Whole-body therapeutic hypothermia (a neonatal intensive-care procedure) | Prevention of death or severe neurodevelopmental disability in neonates with moderate or severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy |
| A | 84 | Sumatriptan (a prescription 5-HT1B/1D triptan; Imigran or Sumitran) | Two-hour pain freedom and relief of nausea and photophobia during acute migraine attacks in adults |
| B | 79 | Organised inpatient stroke-unit care (a multidisciplinary specialist-ward system for admitted patients) | Reduced death, dependency, and institutional care after acute stroke |
| B | 78 | Anterior temporal lobectomy (prescribed lesion-resection neurosurgery) | Sustained freedom from awareness-impairing and all seizures in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy |
| B | 78 | Endovascular coil embolization for intracranial aneurysm (prescription neurointerventional procedure) | Reduced death or dependency at one year in ruptured intracranial aneurysms suitable for either coiling or clipping |
| B | 77 | Nimodipine (a dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker and oral prescription drug) | Prevention of poor neurological outcome, including death or severe disability, after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage |
| B | 76 | OROS methylphenidate (extended-release central nervous system stimulant; controlled prescription drug; Concerta) | Reduction of core inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents aged six years or older |
How to read this list
A grade of C or D does not mean "do not take it." It means the evidence is not yet strong enough to promise the effect. Equally, A or B does not mean it works for everyone.
Chamgap sells nothing and takes no advertising. See all Cognition verdicts.