<story><title>Omega-3s: Are “Brain-Boosting” Effects Scientifically Backed?</title><url>https://abouttolearn.substack.com/p/omega-3s-are-brain-boosting-effects</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>permo-w</author><text>why is it that no one wants to study the effects of nootropics?</text></item><item><author>mistercow</author><text>I don’t understand the author’s reading of the literature they cite. They refer to “isolated studies” and then link to a systematic review of 25 studies. They also linked to the same review twice for both memory and attention, which I assume is a mistake, because the review only supports the claim about memory.&lt;p&gt;But none of these studies are about “brain-boosting”. They’re about preventing or reversing cognitive decline, which is perhaps related, but ultimately different.&lt;p&gt;No fault to the author of this post for being unable to find evidence focused on healthy adults; anyone who has looked into the evidence around nootropics can tell you that pretty much nobody wants to study that. But it’s important to be clear about what the evidence actually says, and what it doesn’t speak to.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>omginternets</author><text>Because most of the time, interest in a topic is a function of plausibility. Most nootropics have little or nothing to indicate they work — not even a hint of something plausible.&lt;p&gt;Of course, it’s possible the scientific community is overlooking something promising. This has happened before. But that’s a dangerous bet for a career scientist to take.&lt;p&gt;Practically, if you want nootropics that work, and if you want to consume something whose long term side-effects are actually known, get an adderall prescription. (Or, stop trying to neurotically optimize every detail of your life and go outside.)</text></comment>
<story><title>Omega-3s: Are “Brain-Boosting” Effects Scientifically Backed?</title><url>https://abouttolearn.substack.com/p/omega-3s-are-brain-boosting-effects</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>permo-w</author><text>why is it that no one wants to study the effects of nootropics?</text></item><item><author>mistercow</author><text>I don’t understand the author’s reading of the literature they cite. They refer to “isolated studies” and then link to a systematic review of 25 studies. They also linked to the same review twice for both memory and attention, which I assume is a mistake, because the review only supports the claim about memory.&lt;p&gt;But none of these studies are about “brain-boosting”. They’re about preventing or reversing cognitive decline, which is perhaps related, but ultimately different.&lt;p&gt;No fault to the author of this post for being unable to find evidence focused on healthy adults; anyone who has looked into the evidence around nootropics can tell you that pretty much nobody wants to study that. But it’s important to be clear about what the evidence actually says, and what it doesn’t speak to.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>crazypyro</author><text>Because people buy it without it being proven and proving anything related to cognitive ability is both difficult and expensive.&lt;p&gt;This makes doing studies on their effectiveness a neutral to losing scenario.&lt;p&gt;Either:&lt;p&gt;The nootropic works. Great, you probably spent a decent amount of money and... The results are still going to be hard to quantify and measure. It may not be good enough results to convince people who already weren&amp;#x27;t convinced. Might as well not do it and keep making money off people who buy it without scientific studies.&lt;p&gt;Or&lt;p&gt;The nootropic doesn&amp;#x27;t work. Shit. Bury the results and never publish or risk losing a money maker.</text></comment>