Brain boosters are big business, and many supplements on the market claim to improve cognitive performance. NOW Foods’ Brain Elevate and MyPEAK’s Brilliance are popular supplements that claim to boost brain function, delay age-related cognitive decline and boost energy and endurance. We’ll examine these two products and determine how well they live up to their claims.
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Brain Elevate vs Brilliance:
The companies
NOW Foods, the company that produces Brain Elevate, is a successful supplement and health food manufacturer with a stellar reputation. This company has been in business since 1968, and it was founded by Elwood Richard, a chemist. Its goal has always been to make high-quality health foods and supplements that are affordable and crafted with natural, health-boosting ingredients.
MyPeak, the manufacturer of Brilliance, is a relative babe to the supplement industry. Formed in 2020 by two medical professionals, the company’s mission statement incorporates the ideas of hormesis, synergy, bioavailability, purity, and sustainability. Both NOW Foods and MyPeak pride themselves on their high-quality, scientifically tested, vegan, and sustainably sourced ingredients.
Brain Elevate vs Brilliance:
The products and claims
Brain Elevate and Brilliance are nootropic supplements designed to improve cognitive function. Their core ingredients combine to enhance focus, attention, and endurance as they promote overall brain health. They also aim to reduce anxiety and relieve stress.
Brain Elevate claims to support healthy brain function and reduce brain aging, and it provides vital nutrients geared to brain health. Brilliance boasts a broader array of brain-boosting benefits. It claims to improve cognitive functions and brain health, increase productivity, sustain energy for up to eight hours, and boost endurance in athletes. Brilliance bills itself as a caffeine alternative thanks to one of its main active ingredients, TeaCrine, a patented form of theacrine.
Brain Elevate vs Brilliance:
Ingredient stack
Here are the ingredient lists for both products:
Brain Elevate core ingredients:
Choline (Choline Bitartrate) 50mg
Ginkgo Biloba leaf extract 60mg
RoseOx (Rosmarinus Officinalis 25mg
Phosphatidylserine 15mg
Huperzine Complex (Huperzia Serrata) (Moss) 25mcg
L-Glutamine 125mg
Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica) 125mg
Hypromellose (Cellulose capsule)
Rice Flour
Magnesium Stearate (Vegetable source)
Silicon Dioxide
Brilliance core ingredients:
Vitamin B1 10mg
Vitamin B3 16mg
Vitamin B6 12mg
Vitamin B9 400mcg
Vitamin B12 900mcg
Cognizin (Citicoline) 250mg
TeaCrine (Theacrine) 200mg
Rhodiola (Rosea Root Powder) 80mg
BioPerine (Black pepper fruit extract) 12.5mg
Huperzine (Huperzia Serrata leaf extract) 500mcg
As with most nootropics, Brian Elevate and Brilliance use combinations of ingredients as part of a ‘stack.’ We’ll look at some of Brain Elevate’s ingredients first:
Ginkgo Biloba has been used for almost 1000 years in China to provide several benefits, including improved cognitive performance and memory, reduced anxiety, and feelings of well-being. It contains antioxidants, flavonoids, and terpenoids which protect your cells and tissues against damage from free radicals. It aids blood flow to the brain, which improves oxygen delivery and cognitive functions.
Huperzine A is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It works synergistically with choline, a nutrient designed to run neurological processes that drive memory, focus, and cognition. Together they increase the production of acetylcholine, a crucial nutrient for brain health and memory. Huperzine A needs to be cycled to avoid side effects.
Brain Elevate also includes L-Glutamine in its stack. L-Glutamine is essential for overall cognitive health, and studies have shown it can help stall brain decline. While this product makes some bold claims, Brain Elevate sticks to a generic formula for its supplement, making it largely unremarkable among the variety of nootropics on the market.
MyPeak’s Brilliance shares some ingredients with Brain Elevate, and it contains Huperzine plus a patented source of choline called Cognizin. This standout nootropic also includes energy-boosting ingredients like TeaCrine and a blend of vitamin B compounds. TeaCrine is a caffeine substitute extracted from the Chinese Kucha leaf.
It has a significantly lower half-life than caffeine. Consequently, its effects last longer (up to eight hours), boosting energy and endurance. TeaCrine has shown some positive benefits in human studies, and as a caffeine substitute, it outdoes caffeine by working like caffeine but without its detrimental effects. TeaCrine sustains energy without a resulting crash, jitters, or tolerance build-up; because it is not a stimulant, it does not increase heart rate, blood pressure, or anxiety.
Brilliance uses BioPerine, a patented black fruit extract, to increase the bioavailability of its ingredients, thereby ensuring it works more effectively. BioPerine improves absorption of the vitamins, herbs, and minerals in Brilliance, sometimes up to 2000%. Brilliance wins this battle in the ingredients category for its multiple patented ingredients that promise to deliver unique brain benefits.
Brain Elevate vs Brilliance:
Price
There is little difference in price. Brain Elevate costs $21.99 for a 60-capsule bottle and $39.00 for a 120-capsule bottle; Brilliance costs $21.99 for a 60-capsule bottle and $40.00 for a 120-capsule bottle. When it comes to your wallet, both supplements score about equally.
Brain Elevate vs Brilliance:
Effectiveness
Brain Elevate is a decent cognitive aid, but it presents some issues when it comes to potency and ingredient quality. Its formula seems rather unremarkable, and its ingredient quantities are too low to produce pronounced effects. For instance, it contains only 50 mg of choline, a critical ingredient that is effective at doses closer to 250g. Furthermore, this product contains the cheapest and least bioavailable form of choline.
Brain Elevate’s Ginkgo Biloba is dosed at 60 mg, and this figure should be much higher for the supplement to be truly effective. Ginkgo Biloba is supposed to be one of the main engines driving this supplement, but it vastly underperforms. Glutamine has positive effects on cognitive functions; it influences dopamine synthesis and improves dopamine availability, improving motivation, mood, and performance under stress. However, it should come in a dose of at least 500 mg to be effective, and Brain Elevate’s dose is less than 150 mg.
Furthermore Brain Elevate contains other ingredients that have shown little benefit in enhancing cognitive ability, like Gotu Kola and Rosemary. Brain Elevate lacks a memory booster like bacopa monnieri or something comparable to benefit memory function directly.
Brilliance is well-dosed and creates a stack of ingredients that, individually and combined, have proven abilities to aid memory, focus, and brain development. Furthermore, its competent stack promises to improve mood and energy levels. In addition to improving brain functions, Brilliance tackles energy, endurance, and athletic performance while reducing fatigue, stress, and anxiety. Brilliance is the winner in the effectiveness category because it delivers its ingredients in effective doses, while producing a wide array of benefits that work synergistically to improve your performance.
Brain Elevate vs Brilliance:
The verdict
While on a surface level, both Brain Elevate and Brilliance appear to deliver sound nootropic benefits, Brilliance is the clear winner of this nootropic battle. Despite its popularity, Brain Elevate’s low potency is an issue, as is the low bioavailability of its choline ingredient. Brilliance delivers a much higher quality product as it uses several ingredients to improve brain function and increase energy and endurance.
In addition, this standout product uses patented ingredients like TeaCrine, Cognizin, and BioPerin to ensure effectiveness and deliver potent benefits in doses that actually work. When shopping for a nootropic supplement, be sure to consider qualities such as ingredient quality and product potency. With a little research, you can be on your way to maximum focus and productivity.
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Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
