Vitaae is a nootropic supplement sold by a brand called SANE Laboratories. The brand describes their supplement as a " clinically proven brain health and anti aging supplement."
But does Vitaae contain ingredients shown in clinical trials to improve cognition? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Will the supplement cause side effects? And why do we take issue with the brand's health claims?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Vitaae to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective as as nootropic, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also highlight some questionable health and media claims on the Vitaae website, discuss the risk of side effects, and compare Vitaae to other popular nootropic supplements in terms of formulation quality to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains research-backed active ingredients
- We don't consider any active ingredients to be effectively dosed
- We do not currently recommend Vitaae
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Vitaae are shown below:
Vitamin D is the first active ingredient, at a dose of 125 micrograms (mcg).
This is 625% of the daily value (DV). Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it bioaccumulates. It may be unsafe to take such a high daily dose of vitamin D without a vitamin D deficiency, and we can't find any evidence that this dose of vitamin D has a cognitive-enhancing effect.
Magnafolate C is a patented form of folic acid, which is a B-vitamin.
We can’t identify any clinical trials showing that this ingredient increases cognition, nor are any currently cited by the manufacturer.
Citicoline has been shown in a clinical trial published in The Journal of Nutrition to improve memory in older adults, however the dose used in the study was 500 milligrams (mg) per day, or 5x the amount in Vitaae.
We can’t find any studies showing it to be effective at the relatively low dose in Vitaae.
Coenzyme Q-10 has been clinically shown to slow age-related cognitive decline at a daily dose of 200 mg, as we documented in our review of another nootropic supplement called Focus Factor.
However, the dose in Vitaae is only 50 mg.
The remaining active ingredients are included in a proprietary blend called “VitaalMind Proprietary Blend.”
Acetyl l-carnitine was studied in a 2017 medical review.
The study authors analyzed whether the compound could cause cognitive enhancement in people without cognitive impairment, and concluded that there was not enough evidence to suggest so.
L-carnitine tartrate is typically used for athletic endurance.
We can’t identify any clinical research suggesting it’s effective for improving brain function.
Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract was shown to improve blood vessel health in the brain of diabetic rats in a 2021 clinical trial, however this doesn’t necessarily mean the same effects apply in humans.
Omega 3 fatty acids can improve brain health, but the 450 mg average ingredient dose in this blend is relatively low.
One single can of sardines provides drastically more EPA than this supplement according to the USDA.
Overall, we consider Vitaae unlikely to have a nootropic effect because we’re unable to identify any active ingredients that we consider effectively dosed based on a review of clinical research.
The supplement does contain some effective ingredients, but those ingredients may be underdosed.
The good news is that the inactive ingredients in this formulation should be safe and non-toxic.
Questionable Health Claims
There are a number of highly questionable health claims on the Vitaae website that we disagree with.
The brand features a graphic, shown above, suggesting “brain-boosting ‘fountain of youth’ results:”
This graphic is misleading because it makes it seem as though the results are from a clinical trial on Vitaae, when they actually derive from a clinical trial on one of its ingredients, citicoline.
The clinical trial cited by the brand to back this claim used doses far higher than exist in Vitaae: 250 mg or 500 mg of daily citicoline supplementation.
The dose in Vitaae is only 100 mg.
The brand claims that their product is “clinically proven,” but we can't find any clinical trials on Vitaae.
The citation for this claim is to the same clinical trial linked above, which tested citicoline at a higher dose than exists in Vitaae.
SANE Labs claims that one of their ingredients “helps reverse neurological inflammation.” There is no citation for this claim, we cannot find any evidence of it, and this is a specific disease claim that is in violation of FDA guidelines.
Questionable Media Claims
SANE Labs claims to be one of the Inc 500 fastest-growing private companies:
We found no mention of their brand on Inc’s website or in their fastest-growing companies list.
At the top of the Vitaae website, there’s a claim that the brand is “seen on” major media publishers like TIME and The Wall Street Journal.
We searched all five websites and found no references to Vitaae on any of them.
Perhaps the brand was referencing television appearances, but we recommend that consumers exercise caution with brands that make media claims without providing proof.
Does Vitaae Cause Side Effects?
Vitaae does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to say whether or not the supplement will cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
All of the active ingredients in Vitaae are safe and well-studied at their included doses, so we do not believe that the supplement is likely to cause side effects in healthy adults.
A medical review published in the BioMed Research International journal found that high doses of Gymnema sylvestre may cause side effects such as hypoglycemia, weakness and excessive sweating.
We do not consider the dose in Vitaae likely to be high, but the brand fails to publish the individual ingredient dose. This is why we consider prop blends (where only the total dose of the blend is listed) to be harmful to consumers.
There is currently no mention of side effects on the Vitaae brand website.
Vitaae vs. Popular Nootropics
Here's how Vitaae compares to other popular nootropic supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Genius Mushrooms
This brand contains research-backed active ingredients (like cordyceps which is clinically shown to enhance learning) that we consider underdosed, like with Vitaae.
Genius Mushrooms doesn't make health and media claims we disagree with, so we consider the brand to have a (slight) edge in terms of reputability.
Winner: Genius Mushrooms
NeuroQ
NeuroQ contains research-backed active ingredients and is free from any unhealthy additives.
From a potential efficacy perspective, this brand has the advantage over Vitaae
Winner: NeuroQ
Focus Factor
Contains a synthetic vitamin and mineral blend that we consider unhealthy.
Vitaae wins from a health perspective.
Winner: Vitaae
Our Clean Nootropic Picks
Illuminate Labs Ginkgo Biloba Extract is our top herbal nootropic pick.
A medical review published in the Psychopharmacology journal found that ginkgo biloba supplementation improved attention and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults.
Mind Lab Pro by Performance Lab is our top multi-ingredient nootropic pick.
This is the first Illuminate Labs Certified supplement, and has been shown to be effective for short-term cognitive improvements in two clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals.
Vitaae Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Some research-backed active ingredients
- Safe inactive ingredients
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Many active ingredients may be underdosed
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
- Relatively high vitamin D dose
- Questionable health claims on brand's website
- Questionable media claims on brand's website
- Less healthy than some competitors
