I am 28 yrs old male, who is on low carb diet, and i take some supplements. I work and I go to school. Anyway, here is the question:
I've been studying a lot lately, and I need to memorize a lot for my classes. Are there supplements to improve/enhance memorizing abilities? Improve brain function?
Please, remember, I do LOW CARB diet, and i have some high blood pressure when i get stressed out or smoke, otherwise i dont take any prescription drugs, only dietary supplements.
thanks in advance

okay, this is funny... a double post? you are losing it... HAHAHAHA just kidding. I see it's in two separate areas.

I don't have any trouble with lc and memory, but I do have memory problems as I get older.
do you listen to music when you study? they say that will really help.

isn't ginko biloba for memory? I think so, I can't remember....I've never tried it.... (maybe I should??)

Getting plenty of sleep and drinking a lot of water helps keep you alert - sometimes dehydration is mistaken for tiredness (and hunger, too).

Good luck with school!

Ginko biloba is really good for memory....as well as the smell of peppermint.....I used a tissue with peppermint essential oil on it to sniff while writing exams....helps with concentration. Or you could mix it with a carrier oil and rub it into your temples.

Thanks,
but doesn't ginko biloba increase blood pressure?

ive read and heard good things about eating oily fish and it being good for memory and concentration, essential fatty acids as i believe they are called can be found in mackerel, sardines, salmon etc. also this in tablet form - omega 3 - is said to help, found a few articles online about this do a search in google.

hope this helps

you probably want to look at Nootropics 'smart drugs'. At the moment I take ginko and vinpocetine which seems to improve memory and keeps me alert. Both of these are very safe too, with decades of research behind them. Vinpocetine increases ATP production in the brain and uptake of glucose and oxygen. Both improve micro circulation in the brain although ginko isn't as good as vinpo.

Take a look at this supplement: http://www.aor.ca/products/ortho_mind.php

Here is some research behind the ingredients: http://www.aor.ca/related_research/ortho_mind.php

Also check out this:

Piracetam in Normal, Healthy Humans
http://www.imminst.org/forum/index....=0&#entry134469

If you want information about nootropics / brain enhancers, imminst has a lot of people who are quite upto date on the research.

You might also want to check out intermittent fasting. Click the link in my siggy, it'll take you to a thread, click in link in that first post on that thread. A lot of people feel sharper when doing IF.

Also, there are things for me that create brain-fog: Wheat and dairy (milk products) and possibly soy for me. I swear I gained 20 IQ points getting off those foods.

Gee, I dunno, I knew once, but I guess I forgot ....

Some people think LC causes memory loss ... is that your concern? If so, I wouldn't worry about it.

I don't know about supplements, but what I do know (as a long-time adult student) is that memory needs to be trained. There are lots of ways of improving memory that have nothing to do with supplements. Look at the ancient Greeks and Romans, and consider the great long speeches they memorized. People who don't depend on writing learn to cultivate their memories.

I won't argue for or against supplements, but consider buying or borrowing a book on techniques to improve memory. I find even a simple mnemonic works wonders. Mnemonics are free and have no side effects.

Rachel

I had to memorize a composition for flute by Faure. I had no problems at all. Maximus, perhaps quitting smoking would help with your memory loss. Oh, BTW, congratulations on your weightloss.

I'm in the same boat as you with my thesis work. For concentration and memory on low carb, I have found that definitely drinking loads of water helps more than anything. The supplements really don't help all that much unless you are starting to get really ragged, then a lot of Vitamin C helps for that. (YMMV on that one)

As for the smoking, I always found that helped me with my paper writing when I was an undergrad, so I can't say anything bad about that...

So good luck, try to get rest ( I know that isn't an option often- Gods know I was never able to do so.) and just keep on plugging at it.

thanks guys, i will look into all info you've provided,
thanks again

thanks guys,
i think i will try ginko biloba, and I definately try to quit smoking,
my main concern was if our low carb diet somehow affects our brain function, since brain mainly functions on carbs (from what i've learned in my nutrition class), that's why i thought maybe we need something "extra" for our brain, especially when we need to study a lot and memorize a lot...

Oh dear, that old load of crap?

First of all, most of the tissues in the body actually prefer to use Ketones. And your body is quite capable of manufacturering all the glucose it needs (I think Dr. Eades says it is a teaspoon full per day) out of proteins.

Funny how well I remember these things...