Eighteen resistance-trained college men took 400 mg a day of soy phosphatidylserine for 14 days and a placebo for 14 days, then completed a hard lower-body session in each arm. Before exercise they worked through a mental subtraction test 20 percent faster on the supplement, with fewer errors. Mood scores, cortisol and testosterone were the same in both arms, and the difference in test scores disappeared after exercise.
Phosphatidylserine is a fat like molecule found in cell membranes. Earlier reviews suggested its cognitive benefits show up in elderly populations but not in younger ones. This study tested whether a soy phosphatidylserine product improved thinking, mood or hormone responses in young men, both before and after a hard resistance training session.
Eighteen physically active, college aged men took part, mean age 22.5 years and mean weight 84.4 kg. All had done lower body resistance exercise at least weekly for the previous three months.
The design was randomized, double blind, placebo controlled and crossover. Each man took the supplement for 14 days and the placebo, rice flour, for 14 days, in random order, with no washout between the two phases. The supplement was IQPLUS Focus, a soy derived phosphatidylserine product supplying 400 mg of phosphatidylserine per day across two servings.
After each 14 day phase the men reported fasted and performed five sets of 10 repetitions at 70 percent of their one repetition maximum on the Smith machine squat, leg press and leg extension. Thinking was measured with a serial subtraction test, a timed two minute task of subtracting 7 from a four digit number, and mood with the Profile of Mood States questionnaire. Both were done before exercise and at 5 and 60 minutes after. Blood was taken before exercise and at five points across the hour after it, and assayed for cortisol and total testosterone.
Before exercise, the men were faster at the subtraction task on the supplement: 5.14 plus or minus 1.3 seconds per correct calculation against 6.44 plus or minus 2.5 seconds on placebo, a 20 percent reduction, reported at p equals 0.001 in the abstract and p equals 0.007 in the results.
The other two cognitive measures did not reach statistical significance. Errors fell from 1.28 plus or minus 0.69 to 0.78 plus or minus 0.27, described as a 39 percent reduction, at p equals 0.53. Correct calculations rose from 22.1 plus or minus 2.24 to 24.9 plus or minus 1.52, a 13 percent increase, at p equals 0.07.
After exercise there was no difference between supplement and placebo on any cognitive measure. Mood showed no difference between treatments on any component of the questionnaire. Cortisol and testosterone showed no difference between treatments, and neither did the testosterone to cortisol ratio.
Eighteen participants is a small sample, all young, healthy, trained men. There was no washout between supplement phases, so carryover cannot be ruled out in a crossover design.
On funding, the acknowledgements state that Chemi Nutra of White Bear Lake, Minnesota assisted with funding the project and publishing the manuscript. Chemi Nutra is the supplier of the soy phosphatidylserine used in IQPLUS Focus. The competing interests section states that the authors declare they have no competing interests, which sits awkwardly beside the funding disclosure.
The presentation deserves scrutiny. Two of the three cognitive findings quoted in the abstract and conclusion, the 39 percent drop in errors and the 13 percent rise in correct calculations, did not reach the study's own significance threshold. Only the speed result did. The paper also found no overall treatment effect across the whole test, only an interaction with time.
The defensible finding is narrow: in eighteen trained young men, 14 days of 400 mg per day of soy phosphatidylserine was followed by faster performance on one arithmetic task measured before exercise.
It does not show a benefit to mood, and the mood result was flatly null. It does not show any effect on cortisol or testosterone, which is worth noting because that was the mechanism the wider phosphatidylserine literature had proposed. It shows nothing after exercise, where the difference disappeared. It does not show any effect on strength, training or sport performance, none of which were measured. And a percentage change quoted without a significant p value is not a finding.
That depends on the specific medication and formula. A few, like blood thinners with CurQLife or blood pressure medication with MaxiNOs, are worth a direct conversation with your doctor first. Check each formula's own FAQ section for specifics, or ask your health coach.
No, and we'd rather be upfront about it. Bacopa, the plant in BacoZest, has published human studies, though they used other bacopa extracts. OptiNOs and MaxiNOs each have human studies sponsored by their maker, Laila Nutraceuticals, which haven't been published in a journal. CurQLife's research is still early, from lab and animal studies, and we label it that way.
It depends on what you're building your routine around. BacoZest is built around bacopa, which is studied for memory.* OptiNOs supports strength and muscular endurance alongside resistance training.* MaxiNOs was studied for healthy blood vessel function.* CurQLife's research is still at the lab stage. Your health coach can help you pick a starting point.
All four are built around plant extracts. OptiNOs was reported as well tolerated in its human study, and published bacopa studies reported no serious side effects. CurQLife's safety data so far comes from lab and animal testing. Check with your doctor first if you're pregnant, nursing, on medication, or managing a health condition.
Because the patented ingredients behind our four formulas went through dedicated research, and research costs real money. A generic curcumin or bacopa supplement hasn't been tested in the form you get from us. You're paying for an ingredient with research behind it, not just a label.
Generic ingredients often haven't been studied in the specific form you're buying. Our four core formulas use patented ingredients, and we show you the research behind each one, including where it's still early.
It depends on the formula. In its study, MaxiNOs blood vessel response was higher than placebo 2 to 3 hours after the first dose.* OptiNOs and bacopa were studied over 6 and 12 weeks of daily use, so give them time. CurQLife is meant to be taken daily.
Yes. BacoZest, OptiNOs, MaxiNOs, and CurQLife are built for different goals, and none of them contain stimulants. They haven't been studied together, so ask your health coach how to fit them into your routine.
