Best Supplements for Cognitive Function, Brain Fog & Healthy Ageing

June 17, 2026

TL;DR Cognitive health is not one pathway. The brain requires structural support, energy production and protection from oxidative stress and inflammation. Choline, creatine and fulvic acid each support a different aspect of brain health.

Brain Health Is More Than Memory

My interest in brain health didn't start because I was worried about dementia.

It started in sport.

Over the past 25 years I've worked with athletes across multiple sports, ranging from tennis and football through to BMX, mountain biking and motocross.

Along the way I became increasingly interested in traumatic brain injuries (TBI), concussion management and what happens when the body's most important organ is compromised.

At the time, most of the discussion focused on symptoms.

How long should an athlete rest?

When should they return to play?

What are the short-term risks?

But as the research evolved, so did the conversation.

Researchers started asking bigger questions.

What happens years later?

What role do inflammation and oxidative stress play?

How do we support brain health across an entire lifetime, not just after an injury?

As my parents have aged and I move closer to 50 myself, those questions have become even more relevant.

Brain health isn't simply about preventing disease.

It's about maintaining mental clarity, memory, focus and decision-making as we age.

That's where nutrition becomes interesting.

Why Cognitive Function Needs More Than One Nutrient

Most people think of cognitive supplements as "focus pills."

Take a capsule.

Get sharper.

Think faster.

The reality is far more complicated.

Our brains are one of the most energy-demanding organs in the body.

Although they account for only a small percentage of body weight, they consume a disproportionate amount of the body's energy.

For optimal function, the brain requires:

Structural support for neurons and cell membranes
Adequate energy production
Protection from oxidative stress
Protection from chronic inflammation

No single nutrient does all of this.

Instead, different nutrients appear to support different aspects of cognitive function.

Three that have particularly captured my attention are choline, creatine and fulvic acid.

Not because they work through the same mechanism.

But because they don't.

Choline for Brain Cell Membranes and Focus

One of the most overlooked nutrients for brain health is choline.

Choline is involved in the production of phosphatidylcholine, one of the major components of cell membranes throughout the body, including the brain.

It is also required for the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in learning, memory, attention and cognitive function.

In simple terms, choline helps support both the structure of brain cells and the communication between them.

This is one reason choline receives so much attention during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when rapid brain development is occurring.

However, brain health does not stop being important after childhood.

It remains important throughout life.

The obvious dietary sources of choline are eggs and beef liver.

If you need another source, consider Sunflower Lecithin, which naturally contains phosphatidylcholine and has become increasingly popular among people interested in cognitive health and healthy ageing.

Creatine for Brain Energy and Mental Fatigue

Most people associate creatine with strength training.

That's understandable.

The sports performance research on creatine is enormous.

What many people don't realise is that creatine is also heavily involved in brain energy metabolism.

The brain is incredibly energy hungry.

Every thought, memory, decision and action requires ATP, the body's primary energy currency.

Creatine helps support the rapid regeneration of ATP, which is why researchers have become increasingly interested in creatine for:

Mental fatigue
Sleep deprivation
Cognitive performance
Brain fog
Age-related cognitive changes

This is one reason creatine research has expanded far beyond the gym.

Researchers are now investigating its role in cognitive performance and mental resilience through its ability to support brain energy metabolism.

For me, this has become one of the most fascinating areas of modern creatine research.

Fulvic Acid for Healthy Brain Ageing

Fulvic acid was an ingredient I knew very little about for most of my career.

Today, it is one of the compounds I find most interesting.

Researchers first became interested in fulvic acid after laboratory studies showed it may interfere with the formation of tau protein tangles, one of the hallmark features associated with Alzheimer's disease.

More recently, researchers have explored fulvic acid because of its:

Antioxidant properties
Anti-inflammatory properties
Neuroprotective properties

A 2025 systematic review concluded that fulvic acid continues to show promise as a compound worthy of further investigation for healthy brain ageing and cognitive health.

What makes this particularly interesting is that brain health is not simply about memory.

The brain is one of the body's most metabolically active organs and is constantly exposed to oxidative stress generated through normal energy production.

Researchers increasingly believe that chronic inflammation, oxidative stress and impaired energy metabolism may contribute to age-related cognitive decline long before symptoms become obvious.

Rather than acting through a single pathway, fulvic acid appears to interact with several of these biological systems simultaneously, which helps explain why scientific interest in the compound continues to grow.

Why These Three Work Well Together

One of the reasons I find this combination interesting is that each nutrient appears to support a different aspect of cognitive function.

Choline helps build and maintain brain cell structures.

Creatine helps fuel them.

Fulvic Acid may help support the environment they operate in.

Structure.

Energy.

Protection.

Three different pathways.

One goal:

Healthy cognitive function across the lifespan.

Who Might Benefit Most?

While everyone is different, these nutrients may be of particular interest to:

Athletes exposed to high cognitive demands
Students during periods of intensive study
Busy professionals experiencing mental fatigue
Peri-menopausal women
Adults interested in healthy ageing
People experiencing brain fog
Individuals with high mental workloads

Of course, supplements are only one piece of the puzzle.

Why Middle Age May Matter More Than We Think

As we age, changes in brain energy production, oxidative stress and inflammation appear to accelerate rather than increase gradually year after year.

Interestingly, these processes were once thought to progress steadily throughout life.

However, newer research suggests midlife may represent a critical biological turning point, where changes in energy metabolism, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation become more pronounced.

This doesn't mean cognitive decline is inevitable, but it does highlight why supporting brain structure, brain energy and healthy ageing may be worth considering long before symptoms ever appear.

Final Thoughts

The longer I work in health and performance, the less interested I become in *miracle* ingredients.

Most health outcomes are rarely driven by one thing.

Brain health is no different.

No supplement replaces:

Sleep
Exercise
Protein intake
Sunlight exposure
Strength training
Stress management
Appropriate medical care

But when those foundations are in place, certain nutrients may help support different aspects of cognitive function.

For me, choline, creatine and fulvic acid are interesting because they support different aspects of brain health through different mechanisms.

None is a magic bullet.

But together they represent a practical, evidence-informed approach to supporting cognitive function over the long term.

And remember, Consistency > Optimal.

Buy Brain Health Supplements

About the Author

Grant Jenkins is the Managing Director of Propel Health Australia and a former high performance coach who has worked with athletes across multiple sports, including preparing competitors for World Championships and Grand Slam tennis events. His work now focuses on translating emerging nutrition and neuroscience research into practical, evidence-informed health education for practitioners and consumers.