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Menopause affects women in different ways and causes a wide range of different symptoms. That said, one symptom that is among the most common and the most troublesome is brain fog. While some women may only get a mild case, others may find that it can significantly impact daily functioning.
Some women turn to medical treatments like hormone replacement therapy to try and combat the issue, while others take a natural approach, such as eating a Mediterranean diet rich in healthy fats. Another good option may be a middle ground, especially if it is as effective as the former and as safe as the latter.
The option many women turn to is, of course, natural dietary supplements. In fact, one of the reasons more women say don’t go this route in the first place is because they don’t know which one to use. That is the background for the following guide on menopause brain supplements, to help make it easy for you to decide.
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The 6 Best Supplements for Menopause Brain Fog
1. Elm & Rye Nootropic Gummies— Best for brain fog
2. Estrocare — Best all-in-one menopause supplement
3. Hunter Focus
4. Olly Laser Focus
5. Feedamind
6. Mind Vitality
Elm & Rye Nootropic Gummies — The Best Supplement for Menopause Brain Fog
When it comes to combating menopause brain fog, Elm & Rye Nootropic Gummies take the top spot on this list as the best option on the market. They say their clinically backed formula combines powerful nootropics, essential vitamins, and brain-boosting compounds, and is specifically designed to enhance cognitive function, memory, and focus during menopause.
Unlike traditional capsules or tablets, Elm & Rye Nootropic Gummies offer a delicious peach-flavored alternative, making them easy and enjoyable to take daily. They seek to provide comprehensive cognitive support, helping to reduce mental fatigue, improve clarity, and restore focus, making them a perfect choice for some women struggling with menopause brain fog.
The key ingredients include niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, gamma-aminobutyric acid, bacopa monnieri extract, Alpha-GPC, L-theanine, phosphatidylserine extract, L-tyrosine, huperzine-A, and medium-chain triglycerides. Niacin is said to improve brain blood flow and enhance mental clarity. Vitamins B6 and B12 are considered essential by many for cognitive function, helping to reduce brain fog, fatigue, and mood swings. Gamma-aminobutyric acid reportedly promotes relaxation and reduces stress-related cognitive decline. Bacopa monnieri extract is cited as promoting memory retention and improving learning ability. Alpha-GPC is thought to enhance neurotransmitter activity, ideally improving mental clarity, focus, and recall. L-theanine is thought to help reduce stress while promoting mental relaxation and concentration. Phosphatidylserine extract is said to support brain cell health and memory, helping to combat cognitive decline. L-tyrosine is included to help with mental energy and focus, especially under stress. Huperzine-A is thought to protect against age-related cognitive decline and improve memory and mental processing speed. Medium-chain triglycerides are said to serve as a quick energy source for the brain, ideally improving cognitive function and focus.
Unlike many menopause supplements that primarily focus on hormonal balance, Elm & Rye Nootropic Gummies say they take a direct approach to brain health. Their targeted nootropic blend aims to enhance memory, focus, and mental clarity, making them the author’s best choice for combating menopause brain fog. The gummy format can also make them easier to take than capsules or pills, providing a convenient and enjoyable way to support cognitive function daily.
Pros
Powerful nootropic blend targeting brain function
Delicious peach flavor — no pill swallowing required
Seeks to enhances focus, memory, and mental clarity
Aims to reduce stress and brain fog symptoms
Convenient gummy format for easy daily use
Cons
Does not address other menopause symptoms like hot flashes
Only available from the official Elm & Rye website
Final Verdict
With a research-backed nootropic formula, a great taste, and a simple gummy format, Elm & Rye Nootropic Gummies are the best supplement pick for menopause brain fog. They aim to provide a fast, effective, and convenient way to restore focus, mental clarity, and energy levels, making them a possibly ideal solution for women experiencing cognitive symptoms during menopause.
Estrocare — The Best All-in-One Menopause Supplement
Estrocare has fast become a top choice for women suffering from symptoms of menopause, particularly hot flashes, mood swings and brain fog, as its very varied range of optimally dosed, clinically studied ingredients means it seeks to combat them in a variety of different ways. It was rated as the best menopause supplement overall for 2023, so it’s not really a surprise that it tops this list too.
It contains DHEA, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, zinc, black cohosh, red clover, ginseng extract, bifidobacterium animalis, lactobacillus gasseri, chromium, soy isoflavones, 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), calcium citrate, magnesium, maca root extract, and Siberian rhubarb extract.
Vitamin B6 is reported to improve neurotransmitter biosynthesis, support the health and functions of the brain cells, make it easier to enter REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (the most restful kind), and help boost your energy levels, metabolic rate, hormonal balance, recovery time, and sleep quality (1).
Vitamin B12 may help support brain and nerve development and functions; help prevent brain fog, cognitive decline, poor memory, fatigue, mood swings, depression, and weight gain; and help improve cognitive performance and clarity, your metabolism, bone marrow, DNA, nerve, and red blood cell production, immune system and overall health, and ability to rest and recover (2).
Vitamin C helps to keep the human brain and immune system healthy and functioning, the skin looking young, the bones and joints healthy, and collagen being produced at the rate it should, and may help prevent various symptoms caused by menopause or low estrogen levels (3).
Taking vitamin D may help with hormonal changes and low vitamin D levels, weight gain, mood swings, and poor bone health and density, and help boost protein synthesis, nutrient breakdown and absorption, energy levels, recovery time, sleep quality, and your ability to relax and fall asleep (4).
5-HTP is said to improve the brain’s production of serotonin and your cognitive health; help you relax, doze off, and enter REM sleep; help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, cognitive issues, and memory problems; and help prevent difficulty concentrating, mood swings, weight gain, food cravings, and a poor metabolism (5).
Chromium is said to aid with calcium absorption (a mineral many women become deficient in during menopause), blood sugar levels, nutrient breakdown, bone and muscle mass, food cravings, weight management, energy levels, quality of sleep, serotonin production, and brain functions, and to help combat menopausal brain fog (6).
DHEA seeks to help control estrogen and testosterone production, help regulate your hormonal balance help prevent poor brain health, cognitive impairment, health, weight gain, depression, and sexual dysfunction, and help improve your bone, heart, and immune system health, mood, sex drive, energy levels, endurance, insulin sensitivity, and ability to perform moderate intensity exercise (7).
Ginseng extract is included to try to improve your cognitive health, brain function, energy levels, and sex drive, and help prevent hot flashes, vaginal dryness, fatigue, mood swings, sleeplessness and other issues with your sleep cycle, and help restore your natural hormonal balance (8).
Research shows maca root extract may treat menopause brain fog, memory lapses, depression, anxiety, hot flashes, mood swings, hormone imbalances, weight gain, and poor energy levels, exercise performance, sexual functions, and libido (9).
Vitamin A helps promote healthy bones, eyes, lungs, skin, and immune functions, and an effective working memory (10).
Iron and calcium deficiencies are also common during menopause, so keeping your levels up with supplements that contain them could provide many benefits, including better skin, nail, and bone health, and limited tiredness, weakness, head and chest pains, or menopause brain fog symptoms (11)(12).
Magnesium is thought to help reduce hot flashes and night sweats, help improve bone density and the quality of sleep that you get, and help prevent mood swings, issues with your sleep cycle, anxiety, fatigue, and stress (13).
Zinc works to help prevent inflammation, weakness, tiredness, anxiety, and a low sex drive, and help improve eye health, night vision, and nerve and immune system health and functions (14).
Black cohosh extract is one of the world’s most popular menopause supplements, as it is said to alter the production of neurotransmitters and hormones and combat hot flashes and night sweats (15). Siberian rhubarb extract is then included as it is said to combat many known menopause symptoms (16).
Red clover extract contains compounds known as isoflavones, which are said to help reduce hot flashes, prevent night sweats, regulate hormone levels, and keep the body and lungs healthy, especially in asthmatic women (17). These benefits are then supplanted by the inclusion of an extra dose of pure soy isoflavones (18).
Finally, Bifidobacterium animalis and Lactobacillus gasseri are considered to be two very effective probiotics that work to support the healthy bacteria in your gut and help prevent or treat menopausal symptoms like poor gut health and vaginal dryness (19).
By supporting your cognitive function from every angle, while combating the known symptoms of menopause, Estrocare aims to allow all women to return to living a normal, healthy life, free from brain fog.
If you use it with a Mediterranean diet and a moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise or strength training program, it may allow women to forget about menopause, making it the author’s choice for the best menopause supplement to combat the cognitive symptoms of menopause on the market today.
Pros
Contains a varied range of ingredients that promise to combat known symptoms of the menopause
The whole formula is labeled as being optimally dosed and clinically proven, aimed to provide maximum efficacy without causing any side effects
Reasonably priced
Said to be extremely effective for combatting menopausal brain fog
Cons
Being a fairly new menopause supplement means reviews from past users are still quite limited
Hunter Focus — The Best Supplement To Help You Focus During The Menopause
Hunter Focus is promoted as being the best pure brain supplement on the market today, and says it can help enhance your cognitive flexibility, focus, attention span, mental performance, and brain power, help support brain health and help prevent difficulty concentrating, which positions it as an ideal option to treat menopause brain fog.
It lists vitamins B6, B9, B12, C, D, and K, Acetyl L-carnitine, L-tyrosine, lion’s mane mushrooms, L-theanine, bacopa monnieri, ashwagandha root, panax ginseng, ginkgo biloba, Spanish sage, citicoline, caffeine anhydrous, maritime pine bark extract, phosphatidylserine, and rhodiola rosea extract.
Vitamins B6, B12, C, and D, and panax ginseng were all mentioned in Estrocare and again are said to serve the same functions.
Vitamin B9 reportedly helps prevent inflammation and degradation of the brain, and improve testosterone, DNA, and RNA production and bodily tissue growth and repair, which could be especially useful in middle-aged women (20).
Acetyl L-carnitine is an amino acid ester that may help protect the brain from degradation, old age, memory loss, and conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, and help improve immune system and brain functions and your overall health (21).
L-tyrosine and L-theanine are amino acids thought to aid brain functions, the production of neurotransmitters, relaxation, physical and mental performance and stamina, sleep, and immune health and functions, and help prevent anxiety, fatigue, inflammation, stress, tiredness, and difficulty concentrating (22)(23).
Lion’s mane mushrooms are said to help improve cognitive functions, concentration, focus, mental performance, blood flow to the brain, and immune system and nerve health, and help prevent cognitive impairment, verbal memory problems, inflammation, the effects of aging, and menopause brain fog (24).
Bacopa monnieri extract reportedly helps the brain process information and stay healthy, while reducing stress and anxiety, and supporting your overall health (25). Ashwagandha extract is said to reduce anxiety and stress even further, help you focus and sleep, and help prevent mental issues like brain fog and memory lapses (26).
Citicoline is said to help enhance neurotransmitter production, physical and mental performance and energy, and overall brain health, and deal with cognitive challenges, brain fog, toxins, and the signs of aging (27).
Ginkgo biloba leaf is thought to help boost heart, eye, and brain health, cognitive functions, blood flow to the brain cells, working memory, cognitive performance, mental focus and clarity, vision, and circulation, and help prevent poor concentration, brain fog, oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurotoxic effects (28).
Caffeine can help you stay alert and energetic, concentrate, and focus, and help reduce mental fatigue and tiredness (29). Maritime pine bark extract also seeks to support mental alertness and functions, and help prevent mental decline, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), brain fog, and Alzheimer’s disease (30).
Phosphatidylserine contains healthy fats that are thought to enhance brain functions, mental performance, and your memory, and reduce stress, brain fog, age-related mental decline, and inflammation (31). Spanish sage is said to directly improve your working memory recall and retention and help ease brain fog symptoms (32).
Finally, rhodiola rosea extract is said to help boost your brain functions, concentration, focus, memory, and mental energy levels, and help reduce anxiety, brain fog, depression, inflammation, and mental fatigue (33).
This varied mix of optimally dosed, high-quality ingredients are included by Hunter Focus in an aim to support brain health and functions from every angle. It may help you concentrate and focus, help boost your energy levels and memory, and help combat brain fog, mental decline, or a medical condition that affects your brain.
This makes Hunter Focus the author’s pick for one of the best supplements to combat menopausal brain fog and memory problems, and it may even help improve symptoms other than this in some menopausal women as well.
Pros
Contains many ingredients that are said to combat menopause brain fog in different ways
All of the ingredients are labeled as high quality and optimally dosed
May help treat brain fog and other medical conditions related to your brain
Highly regarded by many consumers and critics alike
Cons
Quite expensive
Can only be bought directly from the official Hunter Focus and Hunter Evolve websites
Not specifically designed for menopausal women
Olly Laser Focus — Best Gummies to Combat Menopause Brain Fog
While most of the natural remedies to treat menopause brain fog listed here come in pill form, Olly Laser Focus comes as a Berry Tangy Tangerine flavor gummy. This may make it ideal for women who can’t or don’t like swallowing pills or capsules.
The Olly Laser Focus gummy formula primarily contains ingredients mentioned above, like panax ginseng extract, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, and they should again provide the same benefits.
They may help improve cognitive function, brain development, mental energy, mental clarity, neurotransmitter production, mood, and immune system and brain health and functions, and help prevent fatigue, age-related mental decline, brain fog, depression, and certain symptoms of menopause related to the brain.
There is then also one new ingredient list, which is Alpha-GPC (alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine).
A precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, Alpha-GPC is said to help boost brain signals and functions, memory, and your ability to focus and learn, and help make you feel motivated, combat brain fog, and keep the rest of your body healthy (34).
Free from gluten and artificial colors and flavors and reasonably priced, Olly Laser Focus gummies are available to the vast majority of women as well. There are, however, a few potential issues addressed below.
Some people say the ingredient dosages may be generally a bit low to produce optimal effects, and the gummies also contain added sugar, which could possibly exacerbate certain menopausal women’s health issues, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and weight gain.
Even with these issues, though, Olly Laser Focus gummies are still recommended to help combat brain fog symptoms while supporting the health of the brain. This means they may still be a great choice for women who don’t like swallowing pills or capsules or who are shopping on a budget.
Pros
Pleasant tasting and easy to use
Ingredients are reported to treat brain fog symptoms
Reasonably priced
Cons
Contains sugar
Dosages may be lower than some healthcare professionals recommend for brain fog
Not designed to combat other menopause symptoms
Feedamind — The Best Supplement to Boost Cognitive Function During Menopause
Feedamind is a supplement aimed to help people focus, concentrate, and improve their memory, which may be ideal for women suffering from menopausal symptoms like brain fog.
It features many ingredients already mentioned, like vitamins B6 and B12, N-acetyl L-tyrosine, Alpha-GPC, L-theanine, and bacopa monnieri extract, and they should again serve the same functions.
It then also contains a number of new ones too, which are marigold flower extract, resveratrol, pterostilbene, oat straw extract, cat’s claw extract, vitamin B1, biotin, chocamine, and dynamine.
Marigold extract contains lutein and zeaxanthin isomers, which are said to help improve your mental processing speed and vision, help prevent oxidative damage and stress, help reduce inflammation, and help reduce your chances of having problems with your eyes (35).
Resveratrol is a compound found in grapes and almonds that is thought to help reduce inflammation, oxidative damage, and brain fog, and help keep the gut, nerves, joints, and body healthy (36). Pterostilbene is a derivative of resveratrol that is said to offer the same benefits, while also being easier for the body to absorb (37).
Oat straw extract is claimed to help reduce anxiety, brain fog, stress, inflammation, and insomnia, and help enhance your brain health, blood flow, mood, physical performance, and sexual drive and functions (38).
Cat’s claw extract is said to help stop plaque from building up on the brain, helping to prevent mental decline, brain fog, inflammation, fatigue, and Alzheimer’s disease, and helping to boost your memory and overall health (39).
Vitamin B1 reportedly supports the growth of bodily tissues, boosts amino acid breakdown and mental energy levels, and makes you more alert (40). Biotin (vitamin B7) is said to improve amino acid and nutrient metabolism, as well as help boost the health of your hair, bones, nails, and skin (41).
Chocamine is a cocoa extract that contains caffeine and theobromine and is said to boost blood flow to the brain, helping mental energy levels, focus, mental functions, circulation, and your heart health (42). Lastly there is dynamine, an alkaloid that is thought to help to keep you energetic, focused, and mentally alert (43).
Admittedly, some of these ingredients could likely do with being researched by a medical professional in a little more depth, to conclusively prove just how effective they are for supporting your mental health.
Regardless though, Feedamind is still considered here to be one of the best supplements to help menopausal women prevent or treat brain fog and improve their mental health and functions.
Pros
Contains a diverse range of ingredients that claim to combat the mental symptoms of menopause from a variety of angles
May benefit some of the physical issues faced during the menopause as well
Cons
Some of its ingredients could likely use a little more research to prove just how much they affect brain fog
Mind Vitality — The Best Budget Supplement for Menopause Brain Fog
Mind Vitality is a nootropic supplement aimed to help people who are stressed or suffering from brain fog, fatigue, tiredness, or poor mental clarity, performance, and sharpness, concentration, energy levels, focus, or memory.
Its formula lists lion’s mane mushrooms, bacopa monnieri, N-acetyl L-tyrosine, ashwagandha extract, rhodiola extract, Korean ginseng, phosphatidylserine, mucuna extract, pine bark extract, choline, ginkgo biloba, huperzia serrata, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, and vitamin B12.
This article has already examined most of these ingredients and they should again benefit the brain in the ways previously discussed. However, mucuna extract, huperzia serrata, and vitamin B3 are all new.
Mucuna extract comes from the velvet bean and features precursors to the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. It is thought to help enhance your brain power and sperm concentration and mobility, repair damaged brain cells, help prevent or treat diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, and may even be used as an anti-venom (44).
Huperzia serrata is a toothed clubmoss that contains an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor called huperzine A. It has been said to help prevent the breakdown of neurotransmitters and brain chemicals, help boost your brain functions, memory, and quality of sleep, and help slow or prevent mental decline and mental health conditions (45).
Vitamin B3 seeks to improve brain, skin, organ, and joint health and functions and reduce your “bad” ldl cholesterol levels (46).
Mind Vitality is also deemed vegan friendly, GMO- and gluten-free, reasonably priced, and comes with a 100-day money back guarantee.
There may be a couple of issues with it to point out. While some of the proven ingredients in Mind Vitality are present in doses some say may be lower than ideal, others could need more research to conclusively prove some or all of their claimed benefits.
Regardless of this though, Mind Vitality may still help improve your brain health and mental functions to a decent degree. This means it might be a useful product for women going through menopause who are suffering from brain fog and don’t have much money to spare.
Pros
Contains a range of natural ingredients said to combat brain fog
Aims to improve your brain health from a variety of angles
Each purchase comes with a 100-day money back guarantee
One of the most reasonably priced brain supplements on the market today
Cons
Can only be bought direct from the official Mind Vitality website
Some of the ingredients may need more research, while others are often recommended to be used in larger doses
There have been some reports of it causing side effects
Final Thoughts on the Best Supplements To Boost Brain Health and Cognitive Function During Menopause
Brain health supplements may be a great way to ease the brain fog and other mental symptoms that women may face during menopause. However, while there are a number of good options to pick from, on this list Elm & Rye and Estrocare are highlighted as offering the best range of clinically studied, optimally dosed ingredients, thus making them the best choices. Estrocare also came in the top two for best supplements for menopause joint pain, only losing out to a highly specialized alternative.
If you combine it with a Mediterranean diet rich in things like unsaturated fats, olive oil, oily fish, whole grains, and more vegetables than you would normally eat, take part in regular physical activity, and do deep breathing exercises, you may make menopause symptoms like brain fog a thing of the past.
If for any reason, it does not sound like the right supplement to help you combat your menopausal brain fog, then one of the other options on this list may be. For everyone else though, you may want to give Estrocare a try to see just how well it can help combat menopause brain fog for yourself.
Resources:
https://centertrt.org/blog/benefits-of-dhea-do-dhea-supplements-work.html
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
https://centertrt.org/blog/animal-iron-vs-plant-iron-why-do-vegetarians-need-more-iron.html
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
https://www.endocrinology-journals.org/What-Is-Menopause.html
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/
https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/#dosage-information
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/
