Focus Factor review

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Focus Factor has two main brain-boosting formulas: the original Focus Factor and Focus Factor Extra Strength. And honestly, they’re more similar than different. Most of the ingredients are the same, with just a few key changes between the two formulas.

The biggest difference is that Focus Factor Extra Strength contains substantially more vitamin D and replaces vinpocetine with ginkgo biloba. There are also smaller increases in some of the vitamins and minerals. The proprietary blend is technically larger in Extra Strength, but I suspect much of that difference comes from swapping vinpocetine for ginkgo rather than significantly increasing the doses of the other ingredients.

But does Focus Factor actually improve memory, concentration, and overall cognitive function? And does the Extra Strength formula offer a meaningful advantage? Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients and the clinical evidence.

Ingredients in Focus Factor

DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol)

First up is DMAE, or dimethylaminoethanol. This compound is related to choline and was once investigated as a prescription treatment for ADHD in children.

The problem is that the evidence never became convincing enough. The FDA wanted stronger studies to confirm that DMAE actually worked, but the manufacturer never completed the required research. The drug was eventually discontinued.

DMAE was also studied for conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but those results were disappointing as well.

So although DMAE was once promoted as a brain-supporting ingredient, the current evidence doesn’t provide convincing proof that it improves memory, focus, or overall cognitive function.

Bacopa Monnieri

Bacopa monnieri is an herb traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine, and unlike DMAE, there is actually some clinical evidence supporting its use for cognitive function.

Several studies suggest that taking bacopa consistently may produce modest improvements in certain aspects of memory and cognitive performance in healthy adults.

However, the evidence becomes much less convincing when we look at people who already have cognitive problems, such as mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.

There’s also an important issue when it comes to Focus Factor: the dose. Studies showing potential benefits from bacopa commonly use around 300 to 600 milligrams per day. That’s considerably more than you’re likely getting from a combination supplement like Focus Factor.

L-Pyroglutamic Acid

Next is L-pyroglutamic acid, which is essentially a modified form of the amino acid glutamic acid.

There is some very preliminary evidence that it may help with certain aspects of verbal memory in older adults. However, these studies are decades old, and there has been very little modern research examining L-pyroglutamic acid on its own.

So while the ingredient sounds interesting on paper, there simply isn’t enough modern clinical evidence to say that it provides a meaningful cognitive benefit.

Phosphatidylserine

Phosphatidylserine is a type of fat naturally found in cell membranes, including the membranes of brain cells.

Some research suggests that phosphatidylserine may improve things such as attention, alertness, and memory in people experiencing age-related cognitive decline. There is also some evidence of benefits for certain cognitive and behavioral measures in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

But when it comes to healthy people simply looking for a mental boost, the evidence is much more limited.

And once again, dose matters. Clinical studies that report benefits commonly use around 300 milligrams of phosphatidylserine per day, which is substantially more than the amount found in Focus Factor.

DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid)

Then we have DHA, one of the main omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. DHA plays an important role in brain development, particularly during infancy, when the brain is developing rapidly.

Some research suggests that adding DHA to infant formula may provide small developmental benefits early in life, although these differences generally disappear by around one year of age.

Beyond infancy, though, the evidence becomes much less impressive.

In healthy children, DHA supplements don’t appear to meaningfully improve normal cognitive function. And although lower DHA levels have been associated with ADHD, supplementation generally hasn’t produced major improvements in ADHD symptoms.

The same pattern continues into adulthood. In healthy adults, taking DHA for several months doesn’t appear to significantly improve overall cognitive function. In older adults, clinical trials lasting months or even years generally haven’t shown that DHA prevents or slows age-related cognitive decline.

DHA also doesn’t appear to reliably improve mood or depression.

So yes, DHA is important for brain development during infancy. But after that, the evidence that supplementation provides a noticeable cognitive boost is not very convincing.

N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine

N-acetyl-L-tyrosine is a more soluble form of the amino acid L-tyrosine.

Under extreme conditions, such as intense physical exertion, cold exposure, or significant stress, tyrosine may help maintain attention and mental performance.

But once again, dose is a major issue. Studies showing these potential benefits generally use several grams of tyrosine. Focus Factor provides nowhere near that amount.

Bilberry and Grape Seed Extract

Next up are bilberry and grape seed extracts. Both contain compounds such as anthocyanosides and proanthocyanidins, which have antioxidant properties.

There is some limited research suggesting that certain grape seed extracts might slightly improve aspects of cognitive function, but overall, the evidence is fairly weak.

For example, in people with mild cognitive decline, grape powder failed to improve most measures of memory and cognitive function. Similarly, in people with cognitive impairment, a combination of bilberry and red grape juice did not significantly improve memory or motor skills.

So while these ingredients may have antioxidant properties, that doesn’t necessarily translate into a meaningful improvement in memory, focus, or brain function.

GABA

Then there’s GABA, one of the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitters.

Basically, GABA helps calm the nervous system, which is why it has become so popular in supplements marketed for relaxation, stress, and sleep.

But there’s a major problem when you take GABA orally: more GABA in the supplement does not necessarily mean more GABA in the brain.

GABA appears to have very limited ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and oral supplementation doesn’t seem to substantially increase GABA levels in the brain.

There is also very limited evidence that taking GABA actually improves stress or sleep. And more importantly for a product like Focus Factor, there’s no convincing clinical evidence that oral GABA improves memory, concentration, or overall cognitive function.

Huperzine A

Huperzine A is a compound derived from plants such as Chinese club moss. It works by blocking an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase.

That enzyme normally breaks down acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter involved in memory and attention.

Some studies in people with Alzheimer’s disease have reported modest improvements in memory, cognition, and behavior with Huperzine A.

But that doesn’t make it a general-purpose brain booster.

In healthy adults, Huperzine A doesn’t appear to provide much, if any, meaningful improvement in normal cognitive function.

Vinpocetine and Ginkgo Biloba

Now we get to one of the biggest differences between the two Focus Factor formulas. The original Focus Factor contains vinpocetine, while Focus Factor Extra Strength replaces it with ginkgo biloba.

Ginkgo biloba is a plant traditionally used in Chinese medicine, while vinpocetine is a synthetic compound derived from a substance found in the periwinkle plant. Both have been studied for cognitive health, but they are definitely not equal when it comes to the amount of research available. Ginkgo has a much larger evidence base.

Some clinical trials suggest that standardized ginkgo extracts taken for several weeks or months can produce small improvements in things such as memory and attention in healthy adults.

However, plenty of other studies have found little or no meaningful cognitive benefit in healthy people.

And there’s another important catch with ginkgo that often gets overlooked. The positive research generally uses specific, standardized extracts, such as EGb 761.

That’s not necessarily what you’re getting from a generic ginkgo extract buried inside a proprietary blend. A generic ginkgo extract isn’t automatically equivalent to the standardized extracts that have actually been tested in clinical trials.

Interestingly, both ginkgo and vinpocetine may have more potential in people who already have cognitive impairment, such as dementia.

Clinical studies suggest that standardized ginkgo extracts can produce modest improvements in cognition and daily functioning in people with dementia. Vinpocetine may also provide some improvement in cognitive function in dementia, but the evidence is considerably less convincing.

Is Focus Factor Effective?

So, does Focus Factor actually improve cognitive function? Maybe—but I wouldn’t expect any miracles.

Between the two formulas, I’d give Focus Factor Extra Strength a slight edge because ginkgo biloba has a much stronger evidence base than vinpocetine. But honestly, I don’t think that’s the biggest issue.

The bigger problem is the formula itself. Focus Factor is essentially a multivitamin with a proprietary brain-health blend added on top.

That doesn’t mean the multivitamin component is useless. Multivitamins have been studied in older adults, and some clinical trials suggest that taking a daily multivitamin may modestly improve certain aspects of memory, such as memory recall. So there may be some cognitive benefit coming from the basic vitamins and minerals.

The proprietary blend, however, is much less convincing.

Some of the more promising ingredients, such as bacopa, phosphatidylserine, and ginkgo biloba, appear to be included at relatively low doses, or they don’t use the same standardized extracts that were tested in clinical research.

Then you have ingredients such as DMAE, DHA, and GABA, where the evidence for improving memory and cognitive function is weak, inconsistent, or simply not very convincing.

In the end, Focus Factor feels like a classic kitchen-sink brain supplement: a little bit of everything, with the hope that something will work.

Personally, I’d rather see Focus Factor simplify the formula and put more of the serving into the ingredients that actually have solid clinical evidence behind them. That would make the product much easier to evaluate—and potentially a lot more convincing as a true brain-boosting supplement.

Overall rating

Focus-Factor-review-overall-summary-rating — Overall rating Focus Factor supplement review summary

Rating Focus Factor by effectiveness for improving cognitive function, I’m giving it a C. It may provide a small benefit, but I suspect a significant portion of that potential benefit comes from the multivitamin component, while several of the supposed cognitive boosters are either underdosed or supported by relatively weak evidence.

Rating it by cost, I’m giving it a C. You can recreate the parts of this formula that are most likely to be useful for considerably less, without paying for a long list of ingredients that may not be doing much.

Rating it for safety, I’m giving it a C. Ingredients like ginkgo and vinpocetine can have drug-interaction concerns.

Overall rating, I’m giving a C. It may offer some small benefits for memory and brain function, but there’s nothing particularly special about this formula that would make me choose it over the hundreds of other brain-boosting supplements on the market.

Top alternatives to Focus Factor

Bacopa – 1 to 2 caps / day
Ginkgo (Egb 761) – 1 cap / day
Ginkgo (generic) – 1 cap / day
Multivitamin (men) – 1 cap / day
Multivitamin (women) – 1 cap / day

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Citations

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