Summary

Phosphatidylserine is unique in the nutrient kingdom. According to Parris Kidd, Ph.D., Author of Nature’s Brain Booster, “Phosphatidylserine (PS) is more concentrated in the brain than in any other tissue of the body.”

He goes on to say, “The findings from controlled clinical trials suggest that when the dietary intake of Phosphatidylserine is doubled or better still, quadrupled, by taking it as a dietary supplement, a majority of individuals derive measurable brain benefits. The modest supply of Phosphatidylserine coming from the modern diet simply may not be adequate to support optimal brain function.”

To quote Dr.Tom Crook, author of more than 200 scientific papers on memory and cognition, “Phosphatidylserine is by far the best of all the drugs and nutritional supplements we have ever tested for [slowing] age-associated memory impairment.”

Although PS is classified as a lipid – a phospholipid – it is very different from the triglyceride lipids that your body stores as fat. Triglycerides are mainly used for reserve energy. Not knowing that the refrigerator in your kitchen is stocked full, your body stuffs itself with triglycerides for a rainy day.

By contrast, PS serves a vital structural role and is a major component of all your cell membranes. Because of its unique structure, with one end of the molecule attracted to fats, and the other end attracted to water, PS can align itself to form the bi-layered membranes needed by all your cells.

Early in life, PS is manufactured by your body and found in heaviest concentration where electrical activity is highest, in your brain and nerve tissue. But, like so many things, production declines with age, and even under the best of circumstance, we consume no more than 100mg per day in our diet.

Phosphatidylserine was first introduced, by prescription, to consumers in Europe. At the time, the only source was bovine. Since then, manufacturers have learned how to make PS from soy lecithin, and now all PS-products are derived from soy.