Phosphatidylserine: Effective Mood Booster?

Phosphatidylserine is a supplement that is usually made from soy lecithin. Phosphatidylserine is a component of the phospholipid membranes in animals and plants and when taken as a supplement may have particular mood enhancing effects. These mood enhancing effects effects may relate to the ability of phosphatidylserine to inhibit the cortisol response to stress. For example, in one study, researchers administered a supplement containing 100 mg or caffeine and 400 mg per day of phosphatidylserine to healthy subjects for 2 weeks. The subjects were then exposed to mental stress in the form of a maths test before and after exercise. The supplement caused a significant improvement in the scores of the subjects in the maths test, indicating that phosphatidylserine may have improved cognitive performance. The supplement also significantly reduced post exercise fatigue. In addition, the normal post exercise mood disturbance that is associated with exercise was completely attenuated by the supplement.

Stress is associated with memory and mood problems. This may relate to the damaging effects of chronic high levels of cortisol in the blood. Phosphatidylserine may improve mood by lowering cortisol and protecting the brain from its damaging effects.

In another exercise based study, researchers administered 400 mg of phosphatidylserine per day to lower body resistance trained athletes for 2 weeks. The subjects were then exposed to an acute bout of lower body resistance training. The phosphatidylserine supplement significantly improved the cognitive performance of the subjects as measured using an maths test, but in this study the mood of the subjects was not improved by the supplement. In a further phosphatidylserine study, researchers administered a proprietary blend of 300 mg phosphatidylserine and 240 mg phosphatidic acid from soy lecithin to healthy elderly subjects for 3 months. The phosphatidylserine blood levels of the subjects leaked 90 mins and had returned to normal at 180 minutes post-consumption. The supplement was observed to significantly improve the memory of the subjects and significantly reduced the “winter blues”, suggesting that the supplement had caused a significant improvement in memory and mood.  

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Wells, A. J., Hoffman, J. R., Gonzalez, A. M., Stout, J. R., Fragala, M. S., Mangine, G. T., McCormack, W. P., Jajtner, A. R., Townsend, J. R. and Robinson IV, E. H. 2013. Phosphatidylserine and caffeine attenuate postexercise mood disturbance and perception of fatigue in humans. Nutrition Research. 33(6): 464-472

Parker, A. G., Gordon, J., Thornton, A., Byars, A., Lubker, J., Bartlett, M., Byrd, M., Oliver, J., Simbo, S., Rasmussen, C., Greenwood, M. and Kreider, R. B. 2011. The effects of IQPLUS Focus on cognitive function, mood and endocrine response before and following acute exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 8(1): 16

Moré, M. I., Freitas, U. and Rutenberg, D. 2014. Positive effects of soy lecithin-derived phosphatidylserine plus phosphatidic acid on memory, cognition, daily functioning, and mood in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Advances in Therapy. 31(12): 1247-1262