What Is Phosphatidylserine?
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is one of the naturally-occurring
molecules present all through the body. Although the human body can produce
this substance at its own, the majority of this nutrient can be attained
through the diet. However, because the diet which we follow today is unhealthy
and lacks the essential nutrients, Phosphatidylserine is used in certain
dietary supplements, and sometimes claimed to be useful for the below-mentioned
uses:
- Depression
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Age-related dementia or cognitive decline
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an essential component in all our
cells; specifically, it is a major component of the cell membrane. The cell
membrane is a kind of "skin" that surrounds living cells. Besides
keeping cells intact, this membrane performs vital functions such as moving
nutrients into cells and pumping waste products out of them. PS plays an
important role in many of these functions.
It is not yet known how exactly Phosphatidylserine
supplementation does work to treat Alzheimer’s disease or for some other
uses, although it is generally believed that its levels may reduce due to the
growing age and with certain other medical complications like Alzheimer’s. So
to maintain those levels it is prescribed as a supplement with treatment.
It is widely used for this purpose in Italy, Scandinavia,
and other parts of Europe. PS has also been marketed as a "brain
booster" for people of all ages, said to sharpen memory and increase
thinking ability.
Phosphatidylserine
(PS), in studies of severe mental decline, appears to have been equally
effective whether the cause was Alzheimer's disease or something entirely
unrelated, such as multiple small strokes. This certainly suggests that PS may
have a positive impact on the brain that is not specific to any one condition.
From this observation, it is not a great leap to suspect that it might be
useful for much less severe problems with memory and mental function, such as
those that seem to occur in nearly all of us who are older than 40. Indeed, one
double-blind study did find that animal-source phosphatidylserine could improve
mental function in individuals with relatively mild age-related memory loss.
Overall, the
evidence for animal-source PS in dementia is fairly strong. Double-blind
studies involving a total of more than 1,000 people suggest that
phosphatidylserine is an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other
forms of dementia. The largest of these studies followed 494 elderly subjects
in northeastern Italy over a course of 6 months. All suffered from moderate to
severe mental decline, as measured by standard tests. Treatment consisted of
either 300 mg daily of PS or placebo. The group that took PS did significantly
better in both behavior and mental function than the placebo group. Symptoms of
depression also improved. These results agree with those of numerous other
smaller double-blind studies involving a total of more than 500 people with
Alzheimer's and other types of age-related dementia.
And, finally, the promising study results were published in the November
2010 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition."
Elderly study participants, all with mild cognitive impairment, took 100 or 300
mg of phosphatidylserine per day for six months. Memory scores increased in all
groups, and those with the lowest starting scores improved the most.
Improvements occurred mostly in delayed verbal recall, an aspect of memory
associated with early stages of dementia. There were no adverse effects, and
the researchers concluded that phosphatidylserine is a safe and helpful
supplement for improving memory for some people.
This line of
investigation substantially slowed down in the 1990s over concerns about mad
cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), a fatal brain disorder believed
to be caused by consuming foods or other products from affected cattle.
Supplements containing phosphatidylserine are now derived from soy extracts. Early
studies, though promising, were based on cow-derived supplements. There are
reasons to expect that plant-source PS should function very similarly to PS
made from cows' brains, and some animal studies suggest that it is indeed
effective. However, in preliminary trials, soy-based PS and cabbage-based PS
failed to prove beneficial and did not show the same level of effectiveness.
Phosphatidylserine is generally regarded as safe when used
at recommended dosages. Side effects are rare, and when they do occur they
usually consist of nothing much worse than mild gastrointestinal distress. However,
the maximum safe dosages for young children, pregnant or nursing women, or
those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been established.
The known potential side effects are:
- Upset stomach
- Gas
- Insomnia.
Even though Phosphatidylserine is one of the natural
supplements, it may potentially interact with some of the medications and other
natural supplements. For example, PS is sometimes is taken with ginkgo because
they both appear to enhance mental function. However, some caution might be in
order: Ginkgo is a "blood thinner," and PS might be one as well. PS
is known to enhance the effect of heparin, a very strong prescription blood
thinner. It is possible that combined use of PS and any drug or supplement that
thins the blood could interfere with normal blood clotting enough to cause
problems.
Some medicines which may result in Phosphatidylserine drug
interactions are:
- Anticholinergic medicines, including, but not limited to:
- o Atropine
- o Belladonna (B&O Supprettes, Donnatal, Bellamine S)
- o Clidinium (Librax)
- o Benztropine (Cogentin)
- o Darifenacin (Enablex)
- o Clozapine (Clozaril)
- o Dicyclomine (Bentyl)
- o Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Tylenol PM)
- o Haloperidol (Haldol)
- o Glycopyrrolate (Robinul)
- o Hyoscyamine (Levsin)
- o Homatropine (Hycodan)
- o Tolterodine (Detrol)
- o Ipratropium (Atrovent)
- o Tiotropium (Spiriva)
- o Scopolamine (Transderm Scop)
- Drugs which have cholinergic effects (including acetylcholinesterase inhibitors), like
- o Donepezil (Aricept)
- o Ambenonium (Mytelase)
- o Galantamine (Razadyne)
- o Edrophonium (Enlon, Reversol)
- o Bethanechol (Urecholine)
- o Methacholine (Provocholine)
- o Guanidine
- o Succinylcholine (Anectine, Quelicin)
- o Rivastigmine (Exelon)
This is not a complete list and some other drugs may also
interact with Phosphatidylserine. Thus, inform your doctor about all sorts of
prescribed or non-prescribed medicines and health supplements you take.
Some people may be more likely than others to experience
problems due to phosphatidylserine. Therefore, you should talk with your
healthcare provider before taking the supplements if you have:
- Any serious or chronic health condition
- Liver disease, such as liver failure, cirrhosis, or hepatitis
- Kidney disease, such as kidney failure (renal failure)
- Any allergies, including allergies to medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Breastfeeding
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all other
medicines you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription
medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Sources and Additional
Information:
