The benefits of uridine come with a little understanding of its source, purpose, and makeup. Uridine is a naturally occurring compound known as a nucleoside. It has many functions throughout the human body, such as RNA synthesis, cellular function and metabolism, homeostatic regulation, and aiding neurophysiological functions, as seen in BioMed research [1].
Uridine benefits many aspects of cognitive performance, mood regulation, and other aspects of the nervous system throughout the body.
Uridine can be found in a variety of supplements, including Maximum Mind in the form of uridine monophosphate (UMP) or triacetyluridine (TAU), both of which are more readily available for use by the body than dietary uridine, which as researchers of Pain Studies and Treatment asserted is usually bound up in RNA [2].
“Life Has Got All Those Twists and Turns. You’ve Got to Hold On Tight, and off You Go.”
—Nicole Kidman
Benefits of Uridine
“Be courageous—Challenge orthodoxy. Stand up for what you believe in. When you are in your rocking chair talking to your grandchildren many years from now.
―Amal Clooney
While there are many benefits of uridine supplementation, four main benefits are discussed here: improvement in cognitive function and performance, improved mood, pain management, and improved sleep quality with emphasis on cognitive benefits.
The list could go on as discoveries are constantly being made. As research advances, any number of new benefits of uridine may be found.
Cognitive Function
Cognitive function includes attention span and concentration, long-term memory, and the ability to acquire and retain new information. According to an article published in Nutrients, uridine is one of three crucial nutrients whose levels are used to determine the number of synapses formed by neurons [3]. Uridine is also found as uridine-5′-monophosphoric (UMP) in mother’s milk and as part of infant formula to aid in synaptogenesis in an infant’s developing brain [3].
Even in adulthood, synapse turnover and the formation of new neural connections to accommodate new learning mean adequate uridine, along with DHA and choline, are essential to the assimilation of novel information and preservation of previously learned information [3].
This increased ability to produce synapses, both when replacing worn-out synapses and forming new connections, is likely driven by uridine’s use in creating proteins and other building blocks. An article in Brain Research done on gerbils shows that oral administration of uridine and DHA, along with a diet containing choline, increased the production of membrane phosphatides and proteins found in synaptic structures [4]. These two types of products allow for significant numbers of synaptic membranes to form, creating the potential for more new synapses [4]. The more new synapses the brain can create, the greater the potential for learning and the quicker information recall becomes. This aligns with current research on neuron creation and multiplication in adults.
In addition to the increased numbers of synapses, uridine can enhance neurite outgrowth, according to an in vitro study published in Neuroscience [5]. Uridine also increased neurite branching, increasing the complexity of the network of connections within the brain [5]. Because neurites can be either axons or dendrites, an increase in the number of neurites per neuron can allow the neuron to receive information from more sources, send information to more places, or both, further increasing cognitive performance.
As we can see, there’s quite extensive evidence on the benefits of uridine relating to cognition.
Improved Mood
Given a choice, most people would prefer to experience more positive moods and emotions than feeling sad or down all the time. According to an article from Biological Psychology, uridine showed a dose-dependent reduction in depression-like behaviors in rats, both alone and in combination with omega-3 fatty acids, thought to be due to both compounds’ influence on phospholipid metabolism and cell membrane fluidity [6]. Additionally, it has been researched and shown to improve depression associated with bipolar disorder in adolescents through a similar mechanism, according to a study in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Pharmacology [7]. An article in Bipolar Disorder also found that administration of uridine to healthy adults increases phosphomonoesters levels in the brain, which are thought to play a role in depression and bipolar disorder [8].
All this evidence supports the benefits of uridine on improving mood.
Pain Management
Pain can interfere in day-to-day life in many ways, ranging from general aches and soreness to severe pain that prevents a person from doing everyday activities. A study published in the Journal of Pain Research showed that administration of uridine and vitamin B12 reduced pain caused by orthopedic problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, significantly more than vitamin B12 alone [9].
Another study, this one from Pain Studies and Treatment, showed a surprising improvement in pain and nerve regeneration when a uridine triphosphate, cytidine monophosphate, and hydroxocobalamin combination was administered to those suffering from acute, non-traumatic spinal pain [2]. Although the mechanism behind this pain relief hasn’t been fully identified yet, the benefits of uridine as an adjunct for pain management have been recognized.
Improved Sleep Quality
It’s no secret that a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep can negatively impact everything from mood to the ability to focus to overall well-being, but evidence that uridine can help improve that has been found. In a study published in Nutritional Neuroscience, it was found that infants given a specially-formulated cereal enriched with uridine had an improved sleep quality and slept through the night more often [10]. This showed that uridine acts as a sleep promoter and can help improve the time spent asleep and sleep efficiency [10].
This is a quite unknown benefit of uridine. It is thought to generate REM sleep, promote natural sleep patterns, and induce other CNS depressive effects necessary for maintaining good quality sleep through the night, according to a review article published in Sleep [11].
Ideal Dosage of Uridine
“You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.”
—Oprah Winfrey
The dosage of uridine should optimize the benefits without reaching the level of diminishing returns or going even higher to create unwanted side effects. To enhance cognitive performance, this means staying within a range of 150-250 mg of uridine per day, which is the dose available in Maximum Mind.
Uridine can be found in Maximum Mind in the form of uridine monophosphate (uridine-5′-monophosphoric acid), a highly stable and absorbable form of the compound. Uridine is non-GMO and vegan, making it suitable for many different lifestyles.
Additionally, as discussed above, Maximum Mind contains methylated vitamin B12, which can act synergistically with uridine. These ingredients, and many more, were carefully selected for synergies and are included in pure, high-potency forms. Maximum Mind was precisely formulated to help you increase cognitive performance, including memory, alertness, problem-solving skills, and learning capacity.
Why not experience the benefits of uridine in their purest form along with other clinically studied compounds for increasing brain performance and health with Maximum Mind?
Read more about uridine on the Marco’s Grounds Deep Dive or dig deeper into the benefits of uridine here.
Literature
- Zhang, Y., Guo, S., Xie, C., & Fang, J. (2020). Uridine Metabolism and Its Role in Glucose, Lipid, and Amino Acid Homeostasis. BioMed Research International, 2020, 7091718.
- Mibielli, M. A., Nunes, C. P., Scussel Jr., A. B., Neto, M. S., Oliveira, L. and Geller, M. (2014) Symptomatic improvement in an acute, non-traumatic spine pain model with a combination of uridine triphosphate, cytidine monophosphate, and hydroxocobalamin. Pain Studies and Treatment, 2, 6-10.
- Wurtman, R. J. (2014). A nutrient combination that can affect synapse formation. Nutrients, 6(4), 1701-1710.
- Wurtman, R. J. , Ulus, I. H., Cansev, M., Watkins, C. J., Wang, L., & Marzloff, G. (2006). Synaptic proteins and phospholipids are increased in gerbil brain by administering uridine plus docosahexaenoic acid orally. Brain Research, 1088(1), 83-92.
- Pooler, A. M., Guez, D. H., Benedictus, R., & Wurtman, R. J. (2005). Uridine enhances neurite outgrowth in nerve growth factor-differentiated pheochromocytoma cells. Neuroscience, 134(1), 207-214.
- Carlezon, Mague, S. D., Parow, A. M., Stoll, A. L., Cohen, B. M., & Renshaw, P. F. (2005). Antidepressant-like effects of uridine and omega-3 fatty acids are potentiated by combined treatment in rats. Biological Psychiatry, 57(4), 343-350.
- Kondo, D. G., Sung, Y. H., Hellem, T. L., Delmastro, K. K., Jeong, E. K., Kim, N., Shi, X., & Renshaw, P. F. (2011). Open-label uridine for treatment of depressed adolescents with bipolar disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 21(2), 171-175.
- Agarwal, N., Sung, Y. H., Jensen, J. E., daCunha, G., Harper, D., Olson, D., & Renshaw, P. F. (2010) Short-term administration of uridine increases brain membrane phospholipid precursors in healthy adults: a 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 4T. Bipolar Disorders, 12(8), 825-833.
- Goldberg, H., Mibielli, M. A., Nunes, C. P., Goldberg, S. W., Buchman, L., Mezitis, S. G., Rzetelna, H., Oliveira, L., Geller, M., & Wajnsztajn, F. (2017). A double-blind, randomized, comparative study of the use of a combination of uridine triphosphate trisodium, cytidine monophosphate disodium, and hydroxocobalamin, versus isolated treatment with hydroxocobalamin, in patients presenting with compressive neuralgias. Journal of Pain Research, 10, 397-404.
- Cubero, J., Sanchez, S., Rivero, M., Rodriguez, A. B., & Barriga, C. (2009). Improving the quality of infant sleep through the inclusion at supper of cereals enriched with tryptophan, adenosine-5′-phosphate, and uridine-5′-phosphate. Nutritional Neuroscience, 12(6), 272-280.
- Kimura, T., Ho, I. K., & Yamamoto, I. (2001). Uridine receptor: Discovery and its involvement in sleep mechanism. Sleep (New York, N.Y.), 24(3), 251-260.