{"id":604605251890,"title":"Thesis Review: Are Personalized Nootropics Legit?","created_at":"2023-01-13T12:45:32-05:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"Thesis Review: Are Personalized Nootropics Legit?\",\n \"keywords\": \"thesis, thesis review, thesis reviews, thesis nootropics, thesis nootropics review, thesis nootropics reviews, thesis nootropic, thesis nootropic side effects, thesis review nootropics, does thesis nootropics work, thesis nootropics cost\",\n \"description\": \"Our research team reviews the ingredients in Thesis nootropics to give our take on whether the supplements are likely to be effective. We share our concerns about the brand's marketing practices and health data collection.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/thesis-nootropics-review\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"editor\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Taylor Graber\",\n \"honorificSuffix\": \"M.D.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/taylor-graber\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/taylor-j-graber-md-81351642\/\",\n \"https:\/\/www.asapivs.com\/\"\n ],\n \"jobTitle\": \"Content Partner\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"medicine, health, anesthesiology, iv therapy, science, drugs, pharmaceutical, medical research, scientific research, medical journals, entrepreneurship, healthcare, orthopedic surgery, biomedical engineering\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": [\n \"University of California San Diego\",\n \"Arizona University\",\n \"University of Arizona College of Medicine\"\n ]\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"image\": {\n\"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Thesis_Nootropics_Thumbnail.png?v=1673632544\",\n\"width\": \"2979\",\n\"height\": \"2979\"\n},\n\"citation\": [\n\"https:\/\/takethesis.com\/products\/starter-kit\", \n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18342398\/\",\n\"https:\/\/compoundsolutions.com\/ingredients\/dynamine\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/noocube-review\",\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29367103\/\",\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11026748\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/products\/ginkgo-biloba-extract\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3575939\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/products\/panax-ginseng-extract\"\n],\n\"mentions\": [{\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"data\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Dynamine\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"vitamin b12\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"inactive ingredients\"\n }\n],\n\"datePublished\": \"2023-01-13\",\n\"copyrightHolder\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n},\n\"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/\",\n \"description\": \"Illuminate Labs is the most transparent supplement company in the U.S., and is a leading publisher of research-based health information.\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"supplements, science, nutrition, exercise, health, medication, pharmaceutical, wellness, diet, weight loss, medical research\",\n \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/editorial-guidelines\",\n \"memberOf\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"U.S. Chamber of Commerce\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Certified B Corp\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/en-us\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Natural Products Association\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.npanational.org\/\"\n }\n ], \n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Illuminate_Labs_Favicon_48x48_7595c3cc-e27b-47b8-a4fe-edcc7ed9b29a.png?v=1666502785\", \n \"width\": 48,\n \"height\": 48\n},\n \"foundingDate\": \"2019-01-30\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/illuminate-labs-supplements\",\n \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpgSJAsIPb-fZ25djtTxBEA\"\n ]\n }\n}\n\/\/ ]]\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Thesis_Nootropics_Review_Article_Header_Image_Optimized.png?v=1673631694\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dc\"\u003eT\u003c\/span\u003ehesis is a wellness brand that sells personalized nootropics. The brand sells supplements with unique names like “Creativity” and “Motivation,” and claims that their individualized products are “based on your unique brain chemistry.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBut is there legitimate research backing personalized nootropics or is this just a marketing spin? Why does the brand ask for so much personal data? Are their supplements well-formulated? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Thesis?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we share our concerns about the marketing practices and health claims of Thesis.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe’ll also analyze the ingredients in one of their formulations based on medical research to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective. We’ll share real, unsponsored user reviews of Thesis nootropics including some from individuals with ADHD.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIs the “Personalized” Approach Fake?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Thesis_Health_Claim_Optimized.png?v=1673632155\" alt=\"Thesis personalized health claim\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe branding around Thesis is of “personalized nootropic formulas,” however this may be entirely untrue.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe submitted test answers into the health intake form of their site, along with a fake email, and after submitting all of this information we were brought to their “Starter Kit” landing page which is accessible \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/takethesis.com\/products\/starter-kit\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eat this link\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIf you access the above link in a new window, the products suggested are the exact same, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ewhich suggests that Thesis is really collecting sensitive customer health data based on the guise of “personalized” supplements, while providing no additional value, which is a highly questionable marketing approach in our opinion.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe concept of “personalized nootropics” doesn’t even make sense, because the manufacturer would have to literally formulate and package them when a customer placed an order, unique to each customer’s order which is highly unlikely. It would make no business sense for a company to formulate millions of unique products and would be logistically impossible.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt appears that Thesis simply recommends some of their supplements to consumers based on their needs, which is not a “personalized nootropic formula,” it’s a personalized recommendation which literally any brand could offer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis leads us to our second concern about this brand.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eRather than simply selling supplements, they require users to complete a questionnaire which asks a number of sensitive health questions. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Thesis_Health_Quiz_Questions_Optimized.png?v=1673631717\" alt=\"Thesis health quiz questions\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAs shown above, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ethe brand requires users to answer questions about their gender identity and their alcoholic intake in their health quiz. What does this have anything to do with nootropics, and why would any user share this data with a random supplement startup?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe would recommend avoiding this brand based on these marketing and data collection practices alone, but in the next section we’ll analyze the formulation of one of their products.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIngredient Analysis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Thesis_Motivation_Formula_Ingredients_Optimized.png?v=1673631741\" alt=\"Thesis Motivation supplement ingredients\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThesis’ “Motivation Formula” contains five active ingredients: l-phenylalanine, Dynamine, vitamin B12, forskolin and artichoke extract.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eL-phenylalanine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is an amino acid that Thesis describes as supporting mood, attention and motivation, however these claims are uncited and we can’t find any medical evidence supporting them. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMost of the clinical research we found on this ingredient involves obesity, with this \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18342398\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eclinical trial\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e finding that l-phenylalanine may increase the sense of fullness and decrease calories consumed in overweight individuals, but only at a dose 20x that in Thesis’ supplement.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDynamine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a trademarked form of methylliberine, which is a chemical compound that can be isolated from coffee beans and tea. Thesis claims that this compound “supports alertness” but this claim is uncited and we can’t find any medical evidence supporting it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe manufacturer of this ingredient is a company called Compound Solutions, and the company even states \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/compoundsolutions.com\/ingredients\/dynamine\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eon their website\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e that this ingredient is “typically used in combination with caffeine and TeaCrine,” because all three of the clinical trials that the manufacturer cites on their website use Dynamine in combination with either caffeine or TeaCrine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHowever, there is no caffeine or TeaCrine in Thesis Motivation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVitamin B12\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is often included in nootropic formulations, but we’re unsure why. As we referenced in our review of another nootropic supplement called \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/noocube-review\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNoocube\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e which also contains this ingredient, we can’t identify any medical evidence that vitamin B12 improves cognitive function in healthy adults without a vitamin B12 deficiency.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eForskolin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e was shown in an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29367103\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eanimal study\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to reduce memory loss, but the lowest dose used was equivalent to over 200% of the human-equivalent dose in Thesis. We can’t identify any clinical trials with human trial participants proving this compound to be an effective nootropic.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eArtichoke extract\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is the final active ingredient, and Thesis claims that this ingredient “supports blood flow and promotes stress management.” These claims are uncited and we’re unclear on why this ingredient would be included in a nootropic formula, as even the stated health claims do not reference an explicit improvement in cognitive function.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThesis fails to publish inactive ingredients for Motivation, which is an important consumer safety concern.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOverall \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ewe do not consider Thesis Motivation likely to be effective for improving cognitive function or productivity\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e as we are unable to identify a single active ingredient that we would consider effective at the given dose, based on a review of clinical studies.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe do not recommend this supplement or brand, and consider this product to be one of the worst nootropic formulations that we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health. Most nootropic supplements we review at least contain one effectively-dosed active ingredient.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReal, Unsponsored User Review of Thesis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA YouTube creator named “LUKAS YAN” reviewed Thesis nootropics and shared his thoughts on whether or not the supplements improved his physical and mental energy:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1HOkgsMM_sQ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWill Thesis Nootropics Cause Side Effects?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThesis Nootropics do not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not they’re likely to cause side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on their formulations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMost of the active ingredients in Thesis supplements appear to be safe and well-studied. We don’t have access to the full set of the brand’s supplements because instead of transparently posting all product pages they rely on the “individualized” marketing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOur concern in regard to side effects is that the brand fails to clearly publish inactive ingredient information, and some inactive ingredients can cause side effects.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe hope that in the future Thesis publishes inactive ingredients in the same section where active ingredients are published for each supplement they sell. This is important for consumer safety.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur Recommended Nootropic Supplements\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Nootropic_Supplement_Image.png?v=1663797412\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere are herbal supplements which are proven in medical literature to be effective for cognitive enhancement and memory function.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGinkgo biloba extract\u003c\/strong\u003e is arguably the most well-studied nootropic supplement apart from caffeine. It’s derived from the leaves of a tree native to China, and has been proven to improve memory, cognition and focus in hundreds of published medical research studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGinkgo biloba has not only been shown effective in older adults (the population that most nootropic studies are conducted on), but also in young, healthy adults which is impressive. A \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11026748\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePsychopharmacology\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e journal \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003efound ginkgo biloba supplementation to improve attention and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIlluminate Labs manufactures a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/products\/ginkgo-biloba-extract\"\u003eginkgo biloba extract supplement\u003c\/a\u003e that's potent (standardized to minimum 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInterested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Ginkgo Biloba Extract \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/products\/ginkgo-biloba-extract\"\u003eat this link\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePanax ginseng extract\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is another well-studied nootropic supplement. A 2013 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3575939\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eclinical trial\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e found that ginseng extract supplementation improved memory and short-term cognitive function.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIlluminate Labs manufactures a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/products\/panax-ginseng-extract\"\u003epanax ginseng extract supplement\u003c\/a\u003e that's potent (standardized to minimum 8% ginsenosides) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInterested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/products\/panax-ginseng-extract\"\u003eat this link\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoth Illuminate Labs nootropic supplements referenced in this section cost only \u003cstrong\u003e$15\u003c\/strong\u003e on a subscription basis, while a one-time purchase of the Thesis Starter Kit costs $119.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIs Thesis Effective for ADHD?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe don’t recommend using Thesis supplements to treat any specific health condition. There are several TikTok reviews from users with ADHD who tried Thesis supplements.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA TikTok user named “BrigidMarie TV” reviewed the brand here:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@brigid_marietv\/video\/7154438758849334574\" data-video-id=\"7154438758849334574\" style=\"max-width: 375px; min-width: 325px;\"\u003e\n\u003csection\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"@brigid_marietv\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@brigid_marietv?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e@brigid_marietv\u003c\/a\u003e ADHD med challenge with thesis nootropics has ended. \u003ca title=\"nootropics\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/nootropics?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#nootropics\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"adhd\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/adhd?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#adhd\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"executivedysfuntion\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/executivedysfuntion?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#executivedysfuntion\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"♬ How`s Your Day - aAp Vision\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/Hows-Your-Day-6941249468143306754?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e♬ How`s Your Day - aAp Vision\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cscript async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA TikTok user named “BadKitty” had a less favorable review:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@badkitty7777\/video\/7156259938224950574\" data-video-id=\"7156259938224950574\" style=\"max-width: 375px; min-width: 325px;\"\u003e\n\u003csection\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"@badkitty7777\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@badkitty7777?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e@badkitty7777\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"thesisreview\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/thesisreview?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#thesisreview\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"thesis\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/thesis?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#thesis\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"adhd\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/adhd?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#adhd\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"anxiety\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/anxiety?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#anxiety\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"mentalhealth\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/mentalhealth?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#mentalhealth\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"scathingreview\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/scathingreview?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#scathingreview\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca title=\"trash\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/trash?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e#trash\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca target=\"_blank\" title=\"♬ original sound - BadKitty\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7156259923981093675?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e♬ original sound - BadKitty\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cscript async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe disagree with the way Thesis markets their products, and we recommend that consumers avoid giving sensitive health data to dietary supplement startups unnecessarily.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe one Thesis supplement that we analyzed based on its active ingredients, called Motivation, was underwhelming. We were unable to identify any effectively-dosed ingredients based on a review of medical research, and the brand fails to clearly publish inactive ingredient information or cite the health claims made about their ingredients.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe do not recommend Thesis supplements although we don’t consider it likely that the supplements will cause side effects.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSome TikTok users with ADHD who tried Thesis supplements had relatively negative feedback.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2023-01-13T13:00:06-05:00","updated_at":"2023-06-02T22:37:02-04:00","summary_html":"We review the ingredients in Thesis nootropics to give our take on whether the supplements are likely to be effective. We share our concerns about the brand's marketing practices and health data collection.","template_suffix":"","handle":"thesis-nootropics-review","tags":"_related:nootropics"}

Thesis Review: Are Personalized Nootropics Legit?

Thesis Review: Are Personalized Nootropics Legit?


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Thesis is a wellness brand that sells personalized nootropics. The brand sells supplements with unique names like “Creativity” and “Motivation,” and claims that their individualized products are “based on your unique brain chemistry.”

But is there legitimate research backing personalized nootropics or is this just a marketing spin? Why does the brand ask for so much personal data? Are their supplements well-formulated? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Thesis?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we share our concerns about the marketing practices and health claims of Thesis.

We’ll also analyze the ingredients in one of their formulations based on medical research to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective. We’ll share real, unsponsored user reviews of Thesis nootropics including some from individuals with ADHD.

Is the “Personalized” Approach Fake?

Thesis personalized health claim

The branding around Thesis is of “personalized nootropic formulas,” however this may be entirely untrue.

We submitted test answers into the health intake form of their site, along with a fake email, and after submitting all of this information we were brought to their “Starter Kit” landing page which is accessible at this link.

If you access the above link in a new window, the products suggested are the exact same, which suggests that Thesis is really collecting sensitive customer health data based on the guise of “personalized” supplements, while providing no additional value, which is a highly questionable marketing approach in our opinion.

The concept of “personalized nootropics” doesn’t even make sense, because the manufacturer would have to literally formulate and package them when a customer placed an order, unique to each customer’s order which is highly unlikely. It would make no business sense for a company to formulate millions of unique products and would be logistically impossible.

It appears that Thesis simply recommends some of their supplements to consumers based on their needs, which is not a “personalized nootropic formula,” it’s a personalized recommendation which literally any brand could offer.

This leads us to our second concern about this brand.

Rather than simply selling supplements, they require users to complete a questionnaire which asks a number of sensitive health questions. 

Thesis health quiz questions

As shown above, the brand requires users to answer questions about their gender identity and their alcoholic intake in their health quiz. What does this have anything to do with nootropics, and why would any user share this data with a random supplement startup?

We would recommend avoiding this brand based on these marketing and data collection practices alone, but in the next section we’ll analyze the formulation of one of their products.

Ingredient Analysis

Thesis Motivation supplement ingredients

Thesis’ “Motivation Formula” contains five active ingredients: l-phenylalanine, Dynamine, vitamin B12, forskolin and artichoke extract.

L-phenylalanine is an amino acid that Thesis describes as supporting mood, attention and motivation, however these claims are uncited and we can’t find any medical evidence supporting them. 

Most of the clinical research we found on this ingredient involves obesity, with this clinical trial finding that l-phenylalanine may increase the sense of fullness and decrease calories consumed in overweight individuals, but only at a dose 20x that in Thesis’ supplement.

Dynamine is a trademarked form of methylliberine, which is a chemical compound that can be isolated from coffee beans and tea. Thesis claims that this compound “supports alertness” but this claim is uncited and we can’t find any medical evidence supporting it.

The manufacturer of this ingredient is a company called Compound Solutions, and the company even states on their website that this ingredient is “typically used in combination with caffeine and TeaCrine,” because all three of the clinical trials that the manufacturer cites on their website use Dynamine in combination with either caffeine or TeaCrine.

However, there is no caffeine or TeaCrine in Thesis Motivation.

Vitamin B12 is often included in nootropic formulations, but we’re unsure why. As we referenced in our review of another nootropic supplement called Noocube which also contains this ingredient, we can’t identify any medical evidence that vitamin B12 improves cognitive function in healthy adults without a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Forskolin was shown in an animal study to reduce memory loss, but the lowest dose used was equivalent to over 200% of the human-equivalent dose in Thesis. We can’t identify any clinical trials with human trial participants proving this compound to be an effective nootropic.

Artichoke extract is the final active ingredient, and Thesis claims that this ingredient “supports blood flow and promotes stress management.” These claims are uncited and we’re unclear on why this ingredient would be included in a nootropic formula, as even the stated health claims do not reference an explicit improvement in cognitive function.

Thesis fails to publish inactive ingredients for Motivation, which is an important consumer safety concern.

Overall we do not consider Thesis Motivation likely to be effective for improving cognitive function or productivity as we are unable to identify a single active ingredient that we would consider effective at the given dose, based on a review of clinical studies.

We do not recommend this supplement or brand, and consider this product to be one of the worst nootropic formulations that we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health. Most nootropic supplements we review at least contain one effectively-dosed active ingredient.

Real, Unsponsored User Review of Thesis

A YouTube creator named “LUKAS YAN” reviewed Thesis nootropics and shared his thoughts on whether or not the supplements improved his physical and mental energy:

Will Thesis Nootropics Cause Side Effects?

Thesis Nootropics do not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not they’re likely to cause side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on their formulations.

Most of the active ingredients in Thesis supplements appear to be safe and well-studied. We don’t have access to the full set of the brand’s supplements because instead of transparently posting all product pages they rely on the “individualized” marketing.

Our concern in regard to side effects is that the brand fails to clearly publish inactive ingredient information, and some inactive ingredients can cause side effects.

We hope that in the future Thesis publishes inactive ingredients in the same section where active ingredients are published for each supplement they sell. This is important for consumer safety.

Our Recommended Nootropic Supplements

There are herbal supplements which are proven in medical literature to be effective for cognitive enhancement and memory function.

Ginkgo biloba extract is arguably the most well-studied nootropic supplement apart from caffeine. It’s derived from the leaves of a tree native to China, and has been proven to improve memory, cognition and focus in hundreds of published medical research studies.

Ginkgo biloba has not only been shown effective in older adults (the population that most nootropic studies are conducted on), but also in young, healthy adults which is impressive. A medical review published in the Psychopharmacology journal found ginkgo biloba supplementation to improve attention and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults.

Illuminate Labs manufactures a ginkgo biloba extract supplement that's potent (standardized to minimum 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy.

Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Ginkgo Biloba Extract at this link.

Panax ginseng extract is another well-studied nootropic supplement. A 2013 clinical trial found that ginseng extract supplementation improved memory and short-term cognitive function.

Illuminate Labs manufactures a panax ginseng extract supplement that's potent (standardized to minimum 8% ginsenosides) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy.

Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract at this link.

Both Illuminate Labs nootropic supplements referenced in this section cost only $15 on a subscription basis, while a one-time purchase of the Thesis Starter Kit costs $119.

Is Thesis Effective for ADHD?

We don’t recommend using Thesis supplements to treat any specific health condition. There are several TikTok reviews from users with ADHD who tried Thesis supplements.

A TikTok user named “BrigidMarie TV” reviewed the brand here:

@brigid_marietv ADHD med challenge with thesis nootropics has ended. #nootropics #adhd #executivedysfuntion ♬ How`s Your Day - aAp Vision

A TikTok user named “BadKitty” had a less favorable review:

@badkitty7777 #thesisreview #thesis #adhd #anxiety #mentalhealth #scathingreview #trash ♬ original sound - BadKitty
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Conclusion

We disagree with the way Thesis markets their products, and we recommend that consumers avoid giving sensitive health data to dietary supplement startups unnecessarily.

The one Thesis supplement that we analyzed based on its active ingredients, called Motivation, was underwhelming. We were unable to identify any effectively-dosed ingredients based on a review of medical research, and the brand fails to clearly publish inactive ingredient information or cite the health claims made about their ingredients.

We do not recommend Thesis supplements although we don’t consider it likely that the supplements will cause side effects.

Some TikTok users with ADHD who tried Thesis supplements had relatively negative feedback.




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