If you have ever wondered if there are natural ways to increase focus and memory while potentially preventing degenerative diseases and increasing muscle strength, then you might want to look at what alpha GPC can do for you. We’ll find out below the benefits of alpha GPC and if it can be beneficial for you.
“Fairy Tales Are More Than True: Not Because They Tell Us That Dragons Exist, but Because They Tell Us That Dragons Can Be Beaten.”
―Neil Gaiman
What Is Alpha Gpc?
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”
–Arianna Huffington
Alpha GPC is used for Alzheimer disease, stroke, dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain (vascular dementia), memory and thinking skills, and other conditions and is available as a dietary supplement in almost all jurisdictions on the planet (here’s a discussion of legal and illegal smart drugs around the globe)
Alpha GPC (L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine) is a molecule that is a source of choline and is found as a fatty acid derived from soy lecithin and other plants.
Alpha GPC helps increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for memory and cognitive thinking. Numerous studies have been done on this supplement, proving the many benefits of alpha GPC.
Benefits of Alpha Gpc
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
―Helen Keller
Alpha GPC helps with brain function and supports memory and learning, attention span, and cognitive thinking. These are hands down the main benefits of alpha GPC. It also helps with athletic performance, and studies have shown that alpha GPC even helps with diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia as well as recovery from stroke. I will explain these more in detail, but first, you may be wondering what choline is and how alpha GPC and choline work together.
Choline is a nutrient that is essential in aiding physiological processes like the nervous system and brain function. It is present in some foods such as eggs, salmon, chicken breast, spinach, and chickpeas.
Unfortunately, the body can only produce a small amount of choline naturally, so this great nutrient must be obtained by eating foods rich in choline. It is even more unfortunate that the body has issues with completely absorbing choline in foods.
The good news is that alpha GPC acts as an excellent choline supplement; about 40% of alpha GPC is made of choline. It mimics how choline is found in foods, and using this supplement is even more beneficial since it can cross the blood-brain barrier more easily than foods.
That means your brain will be absorbing much more than it would if you were not taking the supplement.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the science of how alpha GPC works with choline let’s go over some of the other individual benefits of alpha GPC.
Supports Memory and Learning
The benefits of alpha GPC related to memory and learning are among the most studied. Alpha GPC plays a vital role in improving the brain’s cognitive area responsible for memory retention, learning, and thinking skills and can also help with mental focus.
It increases the neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine which, as mentioned before, helps with memory and cognitive thinking. Since alpha GPC can be beneficial for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it can also benefit those who don’t suffer from either disease as a prophylactic.
A notable study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition done on a large group of dementia-free subjects (744 women and 647 men) with ages ranging from 36-83 found that higher doses of choline lead to improvement in areas such as verbal and visual memory, verbal learning, attention span, and executive function [1].
Helps Fight Off Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Since diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia cause damage to the brain cells over time, leading to memory loss and the ability to obtain new information. Several studies have shown that alpha GPC aids in slowing down the cognitive decline process.
One notable study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease was done on a group of patients with mild to moderate dementia who were given alpha GPC daily paired with an Alzheimer’s drug that increases acetylcholine levels. The study discovered that over two years, subjects were found to have improved cognitive function over the placebo group [2].
Supports Athletic Performance
The benefits of alpha GPC have grown more popular in more recent years with athletes, weightlifters, and bodybuilders since alpha GPC is an ergogenic aid.
This can enhance energy production in both neural and muscular tissue, reduce recovery time, and can create more strength and endurance. Because who doesn’t want to be pondering philosophical questions while lifting serious weight? A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition showed whether alpha GPC affected peak growth hormone levels and physical performance. The study was done on a group of men with at least two years of resistance training prior. They were given a 600 mg dosage of alpha GPC 90-minutes prior to weight lifting. Alpha GPC increased the peak bench press force 14% higher than the placebo group. The increase in growth hormone can also aid in weight loss and bone density and can be a mood booster [3].
Improves Stroke Recovery
When a stroke occurs, it causes an interruption of blood supply to the brain and often can lead to permanent brain damage if left untreated.
Research shows that alpha GPC may benefit those who have suffered from a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a “mini-stroke.” Alpha GPC helps with brain neuroplasticity and brain repair, which in turn helps provide critical support for brain and nerve mitochondria.
A study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences set out to find the effect of a daily dosage of 1000 mg of alpha GPC on patients suffering from a recent stroke or a TIA for three months. At the end of the trial, the effectiveness of alpha GPC on cognitive recovery was confirmed over placebo as the patients were reported to have less cognitive decline and forgetfulness [4].
Ideal Dosage of Alpha Gpc
“When life gives you Monday, dip it in glitter and sparkle all day.”
–Ella Woodword
The dosage of alpha GPC can vary depending on the area you’re looking to improve. The standard dosage of alpha GPC is around 300-600 mg daily for a 50% extract.
The huge caveat is that most of the literature doesn’t comment on the purity level of the extract used. Most available supplements use 50% extract only. Marco’s Grounds uses 99% pure alpha GPC to pack more punch in one single capsule. Meaning you’ll get twice the amount of active Alpha-GPC for the same weight.
The average dosage of alpha GPC for cognitive decline would be about 600 mg taken daily if considering a pure formulation.
When it comes to improving physical performance, the average dosage is around 300 mg, and it should be taken 90-minutes before any type of physical activity for the best effects.
When starting a new supplement, it is always best to start with a lower dosage to help prevent any side effects such as nausea or diarrhea.
When taken at the recommended dosages, alpha GPC is well tolerated. If you have any other questions or are unsure about the benefits of alpha GPC, or have any other health implications such as stomach sensitivity or take any medication. In that case, it is always best to consult your doctor before supplementing.
Who Benefits From Alpha Gpc
“Only the paranoid survive.”
—Andy Grove
People who are mainly interested in boosting their energy while increasing their learning and memory capacities would benefit the most from supplementing with alpha GPC.
Alpha GPC works well for people with demanding jobs, long hours, high energy needs for long periods of time, demanding deadlines, and those who simply want to perform and put every chance on their side.
Alpha GPC also offers benefits for people who want to juggle work-life balance and want to perform at work and in sports due to the benefits of alpha GPC associated with athletic performance and cognition.
To name a few examples of occupations that would benefit from incorporating tyrosine in their supplementation strategy:
- Business owners: as mental performance is linked with the achievement of business goals
- Lawyers who want to focus for longer periods
- Medical professionals who need to perform with high stakes and high demanding physical and mental output
- Management consultants who want to deliver high-quality engagements consistently
- Students who want to stay composed and performant without relying on caffeine too much or at all
- Athletes who want to stay composed under stress
The list is broad, and these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to people who can benefit from alpha GPC.
Alpha GPC benefits tend to take only a couple of days of use to materialize and keep improving for about 4-6 weeks to plateau at around 6 weeks of use. So be aware of this when starting a supplement course. Also, alpha GPC can be taken all year round and is best cycled as discussed in the Maximum Mind Instructions.
Conclusion
“If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.”
—Michele Ruiz
Alpha GPC (L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine) is a molecule that is a source of choline and is found as a fatty acid derived from soy lecithin and other plants. It is also contained in Maximum Mind along with 15 other clinically proven ingredients.
Alpha GPC displays various benefits notably when it comes to mental and physical performance, memory, and learning. We covered the vast and substantial benefits of alpha GPC above.
Alpha GPC can be an important ace up the sleeve of people with demanding jobs who need to push themselves constantly as it increases performance overall, naturally.
All of these properties together make alpha GPC one of the best supplements to incorporate into anyone’s regimen for good health and performance.
Why not experience the benefits of alpha GPC in their purest form along with other clinically studied compounds for increasing brain performance and health with Maximum Mind?
Read more about alpha GPC on the Marco’s Grounds Deep Dive.
Literature
- Poly, C., Massaro, J., Seshadri, S., Wolf, P., Cho, E., Krall, E., Jacquez, P., Au, R. (2011). The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 94(6): 1584-1591.
- Amenta, F., Carotenuto, A., Fasanaro, A., Rea, R., Traini, E. (2014). The ASCOMALVA (Association between the Cholinesterase Inhibitor Donepezil and the Cholinergic Precursor Choline Alphoscerate in Alzheimer’s Disease) Trial: interim results after two years of treatment. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 42 Suppl 3, S281-288.
- Ziegenfuss, T., Landis, J., Hofheins, J. (2008). Acute supplementation with Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine augments growth hormone response to and peak force production during resistance exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 5(Suppl 1): P15.
- Sangiorgi, G., Barbagallo, M., Giordano, M., Meli, M., Panzarasa, R. (1994). Alpha-Glycerophosphocholine in the mental recovery of cerebral ischemic attacks. An Italian multicenter clinical trial. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 717:253-69.