Neuro-Peak
Positives
- Good serving of phosphatidylserine
- Good serving of Ginkgo biloba
Negatives
- Uses bacopa monnieri whole plant powder
- No cholinergic
- DMAE unreliable
- Weak in the short-term
Summary
Neuro-Peak is not a terrible nootropic, but it is not particularly good either. It is weak on focus and short-term mental performance; there’s no cholinergic, just DMAE. The Bacopa extract is questionable too. There are better brain supplements than Neuro-Peak. We have no idea how Neuro-Peak got so popular!
Zhou Neuro-Peak Review: What is it supposed to do?
Zhou Nutrition are major players in the nootropics industry. They first launched Neuro-Peak a good few years ago. It quickly became one of the best selling nootropic supplements in the world. Today, Zhou Neuro-Peak is still one of the top-selling brain supplements on Amazon. We’re sure Zhou sell plenty of Neuro-Peak through their independent store too.
So what does this brain supplement do exactly?
Why is Zhou Neuro-Peak still so popular?
Like every nootropic released around tat time, Neuro-Peak promises three central benefits:
- Heightened focus
- Better memory function
- Increased mental clarity
There’s no mention of neuroplasticity or neurogenesis on the Zhou Nutrition website. Long-term brain development doesn’t seem to be something that Neuro-Peak is designed to promote.
It is, however, designed to enhance memory function over the long-term. It also claims to support brain health and functionality going forward.
Sounds great. But these are claims we’ve heard before. Does Neuro-Peak really work? Is it a good option for total brain optimization? Read our complete Zhou Neuro-Peak review below to find out!
Neuro-Peak Ingredients
Let’s get straight to the important stuff. Here is the Zhou Nutrition Neuro-Peak ingredients list as it is on the bottle:
Here is a quick overview of the Neuro-Peak ingredients. In each case we’ll explain what the ingredient does – or doesn’t do – to promote cognitive performance. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Bacopa monnieri – 300mg (whole plant)
We hold Bacopa monnieri in very high regard. In our opinion, it is the most effective substance to use for long-term memory enhancement. Bacopa monnieri supplementation brings about dramatic improvements in memory retention, recall accuracy, and recall speed. Several clinical trials have demonstrated this, with the strongest effects being observed in people with mild memory impairment.
Phosphatidylserine – 100mg (20%)
Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid – a naturally occurring fat-like substance. Phosphatidylserine is a major component of important brain structures; neurons, synapses, their protective myelin sheaths, among others. Phosphatidylserine is also used in cell signalling. Specifically, phosphatidylserine triggers apoptosis (programmed cell death). This substance is of vital importance the brain. Our phospholipid levels naturally decline as we get older. Supplementation can thankfully slow this process down and protect cognitive function in the process.
Ginkgo biloba – 100mg (24% glycosides)
Gingko biloba increases blood flow to the brain. Flavones found in Ginkgo biloba – called glycosides – cause vasodilation (blood vessel expansion). This allows more blood flow to reach your brain cells per second. It may also revive brain cells which have been deprived of oxygen due to blocked or constricted blood vessels. Gingko biloba supplementation has been proven to improve cognitive function in people of all ages.
Rhodiola rosea – 50mg (3% salidroside, 1% rosavins)
This is our top rated anxiolytic. Rhodiola rosea is extremely effective at reducing stress and anxiety. It attenuates the worst physical symptoms of stress while promoting a calm, relaxed state of mind. This allows you to remain clear-headed and focused on the task at hand. Rhodiola rosea is extremely safe; it is well tolerated across populations and ages. It is also very reliable – everyone seems to respond the same way to rhodiola rosea. A great nootropic.
DMAE Bitartrate – 50mg
DMAE seems to act as a catalyst for acetylcholine synthesis. It is not a cholinergic; it does not increase choline levels in the brain. But it has been shown to increase acetylcholine concentrations. However, we believe that it is an unreliable acetylcholine booster. Our research suggests that it doesn’t work for every individual. We have seen several worrying reports of side effects at higher doses. Using a proper cholinergic is advised.
Our take on the Neuro-Peak formula
Zhou Nutrition got some things very right when formulating Neuro-Peak. But they got more things drastically wrong! Unfortunately, the end result is a weak nootropic. Compared to the leading brain supplement today, Neuro-Peak is not a very good choice for total brain optimization.
The main problem is ingredient quality.
It uses whole plant Bacopa monnieri. That’s just totally unacceptable today. The best nootropics on the market right now use highly concentrated Bacopa monnieri extracts – 20-50% bacoside content is standard. Whole plant powder will contain far less than that, meaning worse results.
Neuro-Peak also uses DMAE instead of a more reliable, effective acetylcholine booster. We think the research is cut and dry on this: the best way to boost acetylcholine levels is the use a potent cholinergic like Citicoline or Alpha-GPC.
DMAE doesn’t work for a lot of people. For others is just causes side effects.
Enhancing attention and information processing is a primary purpose of nootropic supplements. Taking cholinergics is the best way to boost focus and learning capacity. Neuro-Peak lets us down on that front.
These are major flaws for a premium brain supplement. Zhou Nutrition really fell short of our standards with Neuro-Peak.
Side Effects: Is Neuro-Peak safe? Wil it cause side effects?
In our opinion, Neuro-Peak is a relatively safe nootropic. We think 90% of you will be able to use this stack without experiencing serious side effects.
The majority of the ingredients are perfectly safe for regular human consumption.
All of the ingredients have been thoroughly tested in clinical trials; in every case, they’ve been deemed safe for supplementation purposes.
The only worry is DMAE. We believe DMAE to have a significantly greater risk profile than the proper cholinergics (Citicoline, Alpha-GPC, Choline Bitratrate, etc).
Common side effects of DMAE use include:
- Headaches
- Brain fog
- Loss of focus
- Low mood
- Hyperactivity
- Muscle cramps
- Jaw clenching
Many of these side effects occur very soon after taking DMAE. Users generally report that the side effects get increasingly more severe if they continue using DMAE.
If you experience any adverse effects whatsoever while using Zhou Neuro-Peak, stop using it and seek medical attention immediately.
In Conclusion – Is Zhou Nutrition Neuro-Peak any good?
Neuro-Peak might have been one of the better nootropics on the market a few years ago. But today, it is not up to standard. Zhou Nutrition really need to reformulate this product to bring it up to scratch with the best brain supplements around right now.
Neuro-Peak’s formula is riddled with problems.
The main over-arching problem is with the quality of the ingredients.
For example, instead of a highly concentrated Bacopa monnieri extract, we’re given whole plant powder. The amount of bacosides in that powder is going to be extremely low compared to a potent extract. As a result, effects will be severely limited.
Neuro-Peak’s main focus-enhancer is DMAE; in our opinion, this is a terrible choice! DMAE is unreliable and prone to causing side effects.
If you’re looking for a stack for total cognitive optimization, you’re going to have to look for a more modern, professional nootropic. Even for short-term focus and memory enhancement, Neuro-Peak looks like a weak, low quality option.
Regardless of your specific goals, there are much better nootropics than Zhou Neuro-Peak on the market now.
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Brian Johnson is a former academic researcher, psychologist, and tireless proponent of bio-hacking. Brian has dedicated all of his time since leaving academia and private practice to promoting the benefits to be obtained from the application of biotechnology and bio-hacking supplements. He has years of experience with nootropics, as well as prebiotics, probiotics, and other natural nutritional supplements. He has published scholarly research on natural nootropics; you can find his papers on his Google Scholar page.
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