658. This Is Your Brain on Supplements

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.6 • 32K Ratings

🗓️ 9 January 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We all want to stay sharp, and forestall the cognitive effects of aging. But do brain supplements actually work? Are they safe? And why doesn’t the F.D.A. even know what’s in them? (Part one of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”)

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you ever watch TV or use the internet, you've probably seen advertisements for products that are supposed to help your focus, improve your memory, and prevent the cognitive effects of aging.
0:16.6	Our brains are incredible, but memory can get complicated. That's why we created new Nariva Memory 3D.
0:23.6	Alpha Brain is one of the most important supplements that I've ever found ever in my life, if not the most important one, and the one that I cherish the most.
0:31.1	I started noticing the clarity wasn't there, that I needed. And that was frustrating.
0:42.9	I'd seen many commercials about Previgen, and I thought, why not give it a try?
0:48.1	Want to know why there are so many of these ads?
0:50.9	Apparently because they work.
0:56.6	Around 60% of U.S. adults take at least one dietary supplement, the most common being a multivitamin. Brain supplements are one of the fastest growing segments of the market.
1:02.4	It is doubled over the past seven years, and it's projected to double again in the next seven
1:07.2	to around $25 billion a year. We asked Freakonomics Radio listeners to tell us what they
1:13.3	take and why. I take a bunch of supplements in the morning, but specifically for brain health,
1:19.3	I take krill oil and I also take creatine powder. After listening to a parenting podcast, I started taking coline, which is for fetal brain development, but also adults can take it from memory.
1:35.9	The one brain supplement I take is omega-3 fish oil. I take it once a day.
1:42.0	Currently, I'm taking 20 to 25 grams of creatine a day for cognitive benefits.
1:48.9	I take a good amount of fish oil every day.
1:51.0	I take three tablespoons of MCT oil every day.
1:54.3	My father-in-law is taking magnesium three and eight.
1:59.3	He has Parkinson's, and we're trying to retain some of his mental
2:04.8	clarity. I've been taking NAC, that's short for N, acetyl, cysteine, off and on for several years.
2:14.3	The reason I take it is because I found a really interesting article on PubMed
2:19.6	about how it reduces obsessive and compulsive behavior. And it, like, cured my sweet tooth. It makes me
2:29.1	feel sort of calm and less impulsive. In case you're wondering, these supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration,
	...

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