Aging, brain function and memory loss are on the minds of every Baby Boomer in America. Millions of dollars are being spent on cosmetic surgery, organic food, brain training, exercise equipment and numerous other modalities that make us look and feel younger. So I thought it would be germane to mention a report I came across that reports the results of a new clinical study evaluating a "modernized" version of a previously helpful nutritional supplement called phosphatidylserine (PS). PS is a naturally occurring nutrient that lives in the membranes of cells. Approximately half of the PS in the body is located in the brain, much of it being in the mitochondria -- the power generating centers of each cell. When PS wears out it must be replaced or recycled.

Because of the vital roles played by PS, it was first made available as a nutritional supplement in the 1990s. At that time it was obtained from the brains of cows (the cerebral cortex) and was called BC-PS (Bovine Cortex PhosphatidylSerine). BC-PS is no longer on the market because of the risk of transmitting infectious agents such as the organism responsible for the production of Mad Cow Disease. PS supplements on the market today are derived from soy.

There was great interest in BC-PS because of the general medical support for its memory-enhancing properties. The PS currently available from soy doesn't generally share such robust clinical support. In fact, many of the products on the market have based their memory claims on the BC-PS literature. One might question whether those results can be applied to the soy-based PS. Many experts in brain research and alternative medicine have serious doubts about the validity of that leap of faith. Lloyd Horrocks, Professor Emeritus of Medical Biochemistry at the Ohio State University, believes "The fatty acids in BC-PS are mostly made up of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid -- an omega 3 fatty acid found in cold water fish) and arachidonic acid (an essential fatty acid in the omega 6 class) while the fatty acids from soy-derived PS are made mostly from oleic, linolenic and linoleic acids." Hence, the chemical composition of soy-derived PS is dramatically different from that of BC-PS, the product that was studied for cognitive benefits.

In addition to being chemically different, BC-PS is not pure phosphatidylserine. It is a mixture of many components of bovine cerebral cortex containing other fats. Thus, it is like comparing apples and oranges while evaluating soy PS and BC-PS. However, there is a new PS product on the market that has DHA complexed with a PS backbone making it much more biochemically like the BC-PS but without the risk of Mad Cow Disease. It is called PS-DHA and is manufactured by Enzymotec.

Scientific findings based on the usage of their novel form of PS-DHA were recently presented at a conference (the 25th Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International). The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated the efficacy of PS-DHA in healthy elderly individuals who had memory complaints but had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or any form of dementia. The dose tested was 300 mg of PS-DHA versus placebo. The trial period was 15 weeks. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Clinicians' Global Impression of Change scale were used. 53% of the patients in the PS-DHA group showed improved immediate recall (P=0.05) versus the placebo group. It was noted that the treatment was well-tolerated. The researchers concluded that PS-DHA had benefit and may improve short-term memory in this group of subjects.

This is a nutrient that should be evaluated by other scientists for similar cognitive benefits and might eventually be identified as a product that could be considered for inclusion in a supplemental program of brain health.