Do dietary supplements help improve memory?

There is still no standard answer to this question. It all depends on who eats it, what they eat, and why they eat it.

When I was an intern in the nutrition department, I met an aunt in her 50s. She was a vegetarian all year round and did not even touch eggs or milk. She kept forgetting things for half a year. Forgetting to turn off the boiling water and forgetting to take the keys when going out were common occurrences. A blood test found that the vitamin B12 level was only one-third of the normal value. She took B12 supplements for a month as directed by the doctor. When she came back for a follow-up examination, she said that her forgetfulness was mostly cured and her memory was even better than the previous two years. This kind of memory loss is clearly caused by nutrient deficiency, and corresponding dietary supplements are indeed useful.

But if you usually eat meat, eggs, milk, nuts and deep-sea fish, and there is nothing wrong with your diet, and you still want to take supplements to "hack" your memory, it's basically a waste of money. A while ago, a schoolgirl who was taking postgraduate entrance exams complained to me, saying that she had saved up half a month’s living expenses to buy an imported DHA supplement. After taking it for two months, she felt that her political efficiency had improved a lot. However, she accidentally checked the store reviews and discovered that the seller had sent the wrong product. She was taking a sugar-free mint placebo trial pack in the same package. The so-called “memory improvement” was all based on psychological suggestion.

Nowadays, the academic circles are arguing about this matter and there is no conclusion. The core is that there are too many variables that affect memory. Have you slept enough for 8 hours recently? Are you so stressed every day that you have a headache? Do you keep moving a few times a week? These variables have a much greater impact on memory than a few supplements. For example, many studies say that Omega-3 can help improve the elderly with mild cognitive impairment, but there are also studies with the same sample size that say it is no different from placebo. In the final analysis, the basic conditions of the subjects in different studies, the purity and dosage of supplements are different, and it is impossible to generalize.

Don’t just think that supplements are harmless. I once met a high school student who took fat-soluble vitamin E indiscriminately in order to improve his memory. After taking supplements for three months, his face became oily and acne broke out. His coagulation function was also affected, and he went to the hospital for unstoppable nosebleeds. I really feel that my memory is declining. I should first adjust my daily routine and diet, and watch less fragmented short videos to prevent my brain from constantly spinning in a state of information overload. It is more reliable than any supplement. If you really want to take it, you must first do a nutritional screening to see if there are any clear nutrient deficiencies. Follow the doctor's advice to avoid pitfalls.