Here’s our Youthful Brain vs Prevagen comparison.
In today’s article, we’ll be going over their pros and cons to determine which one is better and how they compare to other nootropic supplements.
Youthful Brain vs Prevagen SUMMARY:
Put plainly, neither Youthful Brain nor Prevagen are good brain supplements. We will go as far as to say they’re hugely overpriced, ineffective products. Here’s why.
Youthful Brain contains a few great ingredients, but their doses are undisclosed. This prevents us from knowing how much we’re getting.
Youthful Brain also uses an ingredient called Huperzine A which needs to be cycled, but this cancels any positive effects of other ingredients that need to be taken daily long-term to work. Considering it costs $64.95, Youthful Brain is definitely not a good option.
Prevagen, on the other hand, contains just 2 ingredients. While both of them at least have their dosages shown, they’re ineffective at improving memory or doing anything else that the manufacturer claims!
One of the ingredients is the basic vitamin D, and the other is jellyfish protein Apoaequorin which isn’t proven to do anything. In fact, Prevagen’s manufacturers have been sued multiple times (including by the FTC) for making false advertising claims.
Safe to say, there are better options than Prevagen and Youthful Brain currently on the market. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
What do we recommend?
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Youthful Brain vs Prevagen: About the Products
Youthful Brain and Prevagen are both natural dietary supplements intended to improve your brain performance and cognitive functions like memory & focus.
They contain a range of naturally sourced ingredients that should improve your neurotransmitters, brain cell communication, and long-term information recall.
Vitality Now Youthful Brain comes in bottles of 60 capsules. The recommended dosage is 2 caps per day. We did an in-depth review of this product here.
Prevagen, by contrast, contains 30 capsules per bottle, and the dosage is 1 cap per day. We’ve also reviewed Prevagen in-depth here.
So, which one is better between the two? Let’s check the ingredients to find out.
Youthful Brain vs Prevagen: Ingredients
The ingredients in Vitality Now Youthful Brain and Prevagen are completely different.
Whereas Prevagen contains only 2 ingredients, Youthful Brain contains 5 of them.
And here’s an issue: either one doesn’t look too good.
Prevagen’s problem are ineffective ingredients. And the fact that it only has 2 of them.
Youthful Brain’s issue is not showing ingredient doses on the label. 4 out of 5 of its ingredients are inside a proprietary blend, which only shows you their combined dosage.
Here’s a closer look.
Youthful Brain’s Ingredients
Youthful Brain actually contains some of our favorite ingredients for memory and brain health. These include Bacopa Monnieri, Phosphatidylserine, and Ginkgo.
Bacopa is an ancient herb that’s been shown to promote long-term memory formation and brain cell function when taken every day for several weeks.
Phosphatidylserine and Ginkgo, on the other hand, promote brain development and plasticity, and may improve your concentration.
But the issue is that we can’t see the doses of any of those ingredients.
Plus, Youthful Brain contains an ingredient called “Huperzine A.” This ingredient, while beneficial for memory in the short-term, causes side effects with prolonged use. As a result, you will need to take breaks from Youthful Brain every few weeks or so.
But by doing so, you’ll be reducing the effectiveness of other key ingredients like Bacopa – assuming they’ve been dosed correctly in the first place (proprietary blend prevents us from knowing that).
The standard dosage for Bacopa Monnieri, for example, is 300mg (if it’s a 55% extract). But the entire proprietary blend of Youthful Brain is just 280mg. (source: https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/)
Needless to say, the manufacturers haven’t put too much effort into ensuring this formula is optimally dosed and effective. Not to mention, it has more fillers than actual active ingredients!
Prevagen’s Ingredients
We must commend Prevagen’s manufacturers for at least showing us the doses of ingredients in the product. But that’s where the praise ends, unfortunately!
Prevagen has decided to include only 2 ingredients: Apoaequorin and vitamin D.
We all know what vitamin D is. We get it mainly from sun, but it can also be found in some food sources (albeit in small amounts). The benefit of vitamin D supplementation (assuming you’re deficient) is improved mood and enhanced muscle strength, which is why bodybuilders often take it.
However, vitamin D optimal dosage for these benefits is around 5,000IU per day, and Prevagen only has about 2,000IU. So you’re unlikely to feel any effects from this dose. (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6135651/)
So then, this leaves us with only one ingredient in Prevagen: Apoaequorin.
What is Apoaequorin? It’s a glowing jellyfish protein. According to Prevagen’s manufacturers, Quincy Bioscience, jellyfish protein can bind to calcium plaque in your brain, removing it and thus helping your neurons stay healthy.
As a result of these effects, you should feel your memory improve over time. Prevagen is especially effective for older folks, according to the official marketing material on the website.
That all sounds great, but there are no credible studies to back Prevagen’s claims. There are only a few studies that Prevagen’s manufacturers point to, but these studies were removed from PubMed due to falsified data. Plus, those studies are funded by Quincy Bioscience themselves!
When you consider that Quincy Bioscience have been sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for making false marketing claims in the past, it’s probably best to take these purported benefits with a grain of salt.
Our Commentary on Youthful Brain vs Prevagen’s Ingredients
Both Youthful Brain and Prevagen contain terrible ingredient formulas, we can’t put it any other way.
Youthful Brain obviously contains underdosed ingredients, making it completely ineffective. Meanwhile, Prevagen uses only 2 ingredients, one of which is a basic nutrient, and the other is unproven jellyfish protein.
The basic nutrient – vitamin D – is somewhat effective so we’ll say Prevagen’s ingredient profile is better than Youthful Brain.
However, any of the current best-rated brain health supplements would blow both Prevagen’s and Youthful Brain’s formulas out of the water.
Youthful Brain vs Prevagen: Customer Reviews
Both Prevagen and Youthful Brain have plenty of user reviews online. Some are legitimate, some are paid ads, which ones are which? We’ll let you be the one to tell us that, because we’re yet to figure that out!
In general, it’s best to stick to scientific evidence and do your own research on the ingredients to determine whether the formula is effective or not, rather than relying on personal reviews.
Pricing & Availability
There are different versions of Prevagen available, so the price will vary depending on which you pick. The regular version costs $39.95 for a month’s supply. The Extra Strength version costs a lot more, but it’s essentially the same formula – just containing more of the jellyfish protein. Which we’ve already established doesn’t work. So we don’t recommend wasting your money.
As for Youthful Brain, it fares even worse in the pricing department. Costing $64.95 for just one month’s worth of product. Considering its massive drawbacks, we’re of opinion that this is an overpriced product – borderline scam. Not that Prevagen is much better, though!
Final Verdict
While we don’t think Prevagen or Youthful Brain are effective brain supplements, we rate Prevagen as the better between the two, for the simple fact that it’s more transparent with its ingredients.
Although Prevagen probably won’t improve your memory, focus, or any other area of brain function, it at least shows you exactly how much of each ingredient you’re getting. And you aren’t getting much, to be honest. Only 2 ingredients – vitamin D and Apoaequorin. It’s missing many core ingredients to be called a comprehensive brain supplement.
Youthful Brain, on the other hand, contains some of our favorite ingredients for brain health – but some of them are underdosed, and almost all are hidden in a proprietary blend so you can’t tell exactly how much you’re getting. Youthful Brain also uses Huperzine A, which is known to cause negative side effects.
All things considered, both are terrible nootropic supplements. It’s better to do more research and spend money on something that actually works.
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RELATED:
I sent you an order for youthful brain visa card for over $400,00 I have not
heard from you since. Please respond.
Hi Willard,
You did not send us anything. We do not sell Youthful Brain. We merely review supplements at Nashua Valley. You will need to contact the manufacturer of Youthful Brain to solve your issue.