How Does Phosphatidyl Serine Work?

PS in Flavay Plus® restores your brain's supply and output of acetylcholine— neurotransmitter essential to memory. (14)

Phosphatidylserine enables your brain cells to metabolize glucose and to release and bind with neurotransmitters, all of which is important to learning, memory and other cognitive functions.

Phosphatidylserine increases communication between cells in your brain by increasing the number of membrane receptor sites for receiving messages. Phosphatidylserine modulates the fluidity of cell membranes—essential to your brain cells' ability to send and receive chemical communication.

Scientific studies demonstrate that phosphatidylserine restores the brain's supply and output of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter so important to memory, and so may turn back the clock in an aging brain.

PS in Flavay Plus® restores your brain's supply and output of dopamine—essential to memory, attention and problem-solving. (15-21)

Phosphatidylserine can increase the availability of endogenous (that which is created within your cells) choline for de novo synthesis and release (while similar treatments with phosphatidylcholine had no effect).

Phosphatidylserine also stimulates your brain to produce dopamine and this is likely why patients diagnosed with clinical depression have shown marked improvement in their symptoms as a result of taking phosphatidylserine daily. Reduced dopamine levels are also thought to contribute to attention deficit disorder and this natural substance has proven to be an effective therapeutic agent for ADD and ADHD.

PS in Flavay Plus® inhibits stress- and exercise-induced increases in Cortisol. (22)

Studies examining athletes involved in cycling, weight training and endurance running show that phosphatidylserine can speed recovery, prevent muscle soreness and help athletes to feel their best during the rigors of training.

We also know that phosphatidylserine is important in bone matrix formation, testicular function, beat coordination of the heart, hormone secretion by the adrenal glands and cell repair and removal by the immune system.

Modern science has only begun to understand how important phosphatidylserine is to our bodies. After all, it's present in every type of cell in our body and the membrane proteins that it activates are important in all cells.

Why Do I Need Phosphatidyl Serine?

Because of stress, aging, and our modern eating habits and food-production methods.

Stress: Like burning a candle burning at both ends, stress increases the demand for phosphatidylserine and depletes your phosphatidylserine levels at the same time.

Aging: The elderly particularly benefit from taking phosphatidyl serine. While aging increases our brain's need for phosphatidylserine it also creates digestive and metabolic inefficiency so that it's simply not possible to get enough phosphatidylserine in your diet. Considerable research has proven that Leci-PS improves age-associated memory impairment and continued use prevents age-related decay of brain functions.

(Above:) Changes in daily phosphatidylserine (PS) consumption. (23)

Modern Diets: Modern low-fat and low-cholesterol diets lack up to 150 mg per day of dietary phosphatidylserine. A vegetarian diet may undersupply as much as 200 to 250 mg per day. Other eating styles also create a demand for more phosphatidyl serine. For example, a diet deficient in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the amount of phosphatidylserine in the brain by 28% and thereby impair your brain's ability to form, store, process and remember.

Modern Food Production: To make matters worse, modern industrial production of fats and oils decreases all of the natural phospholipids—including phosphatidylserine.

One or two words: Phosphatidylserine or Phosphatidyl Serine?

Both ways are correct. While the term appears as one word in scientific journals, the marketplace often splits the awkward name into two.

What is Phosphatidylserine (PS)?

Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that is vital to your brain cells. Phospholipids are molecules containing both amino and fatty acids found in every cell membrane within our bodies. The fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid molecules—essential for life.

Actually, phosphatidylserine is universally present in living things from the most simple to the most complex. It is present in every one of our cells. Phosphatidylserine has many known functions throughout all of our tissues and organs, but is most important as the key building block for the billions of cells that make up our brain.

First isolated in 1942, phosphatidylserine is now available as a dietary supplement derived from soy lecithin.

Is Phosphatidylserine Safe?

Yes! The use of phosphatidylserine is well validated through clinical research and proven safe in standard toxicology tests.

The large number of human studies conducted on phosphatidylserine produced a flawless safety record. First, it has proven compatible with a wide array of medications including: antacids, anti-hypertensives, anti-inflammatories, antiulcer and mucolytic agents, diuretics, antithrombotics, hypoglycemics, antiarrthymics, insulin, calcium channel blockers, calcitonin, chemotherapy drugs and other prescription medications. Second, phosphatidylserine is well tolerated by elderly patients with chronic diseases such as cerebrovascular, artery and vein disorders, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, lung diseases, digestive system diseases and arthritis.

Interestingly, clinical researchers found phosphatidylserine lowered uric acid levels and liver SGPT in their elderly patients—which can signify improved liver health.

Phosphorylated vs. Phosphatidyl

A phosphorylated serine is available as a dietary supplement but does not substitute for phosphatidyl serine (PS), despite the claims of its manufacturer. Though it resembles the head piece, phosphorylated serine is different—it is not a phospholipid and does not work like PS does.

Consumers report phosphorylated serine can cause highly uncomfortable adverse reactions. Be sure you get the real thing.

Authentic vs. "Borrowed" Science

BUYER BEWARE: Not all phosphatidyl serine products are equal. The marketplace is full of imitations, offshoots and derivatives of scientifically proven natural products. Those who are looking for a product that will produce the proven results and not just “claimed” or “implied” results want the authentic product that was used in the actual scientific research.

Consumers want the actual phosphatidyl serine proven safe and effective in the clinical trials.