Plasmalogen Supplements: 4 potential benefits to living longer

Why the focus on Plasmalogens

Plasmalogens (Pls) are probably not something you have heard of before but are contained daily in many of the foods you eat, and they might just hold the key to a multitude of health benefits.  Although it is not quite the fountain of youth, it is definitely worth a closer look.

What exactly is it you asked?

These little guys are naturally occurring phospholipids and comprise as much as 18% of the total phospholipid mass in humans.  They are particularly enriched in the brain, heart and immune cells¹. The main thing to know about phospholipids is they are a key component of all cell membranes².  And they are found in many of the foods we eat such as krill, mussels, sea squirts, scallops, pork, beef, and chicken³.

Why does any of this matter

Pls are naturally produced in our bodies and are believed to be critical to supporting the functions of our brain and heart amongst other benefits.  As you can guess, our levels decline as we age.  Low levels are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. This decline in concentration observed in dementia patients begins years before the onset of clinical symptoms⁴.

Breakthrough Research

Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Stanford University, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University collaborated to study the effect of Pls supplementation in mice.  For the science geeks, you can read it for yourself here.  Essentially, they studied the effects of supplementing aged mice with Pls for 2 months vs. a control group.  Here are the highlights:

• Pls-fed mice exhibited a better cognitive performance, thicker and glossier body hair in appearance than that of aged control mice
• Alleviate age-associated hippocampal synaptic loss 
• Pls remarkably enhanced both the synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis in aged murine hippocampus
• Inhibited the age-related microglia activation and attenuated the neuroinflammation in the murine brain

These results might seem too good to be true but at least our small furry friends know what to eat now.  In the next section, we’ll look at any potential benefits for us Homo sapiens. 

Potential Health Benefits/Risks For Us Mortals

Benefits

The studies on humans, although limited, provide us with some optimism.  Ideally, we could get enough plasmalogen from a natural sources; however, the low bioavailability and potential difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier make this difficult⁵.  As a result, scientists have turned to enriched supplements as well as precursors.  One study on people with mild to severe Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease showed significant improvement in cognitive function and other clinical symptoms with elevation of the blood Pls levels⁶.  According to plasmalogen.me, the optimal dose of purified plasmalogen oil is 1mg split over two daily doses⁷,⁸.

Risks

Although there are no known risks to Pls consumption, always ensure you are not allergic to any supplement / food source.

How to incorporate it into your diet:

Cheapest:  Krill Oil Supplements

Krill Oil contains a good amount of Phospholipids and is a cheap option for those looking to incorporate some plasmalogen supplements in their diet on the cheaper side.  One option on the higher end is from Kori and can be found on Amazon here. Krill Oil supplements can be found for under $20/month, which make them a cost effective option.

As a site that wants to be completely unbiased, I do want to share that not all studies paint such a rosy picture.  One study on Krill oil indicated some potential drawbacks when administered to mice.  I also am unable to tell you exactly how much plasmalogen is in most Krill oil supplements.

Another option: Scallop Oil

Similar to Krill Oil, it is unclear how much plasmalogen is in Scallop Oil supplements.  Some research shows that Scallop Oil may provide additional cholesterol-lowering effect not found in Krill Oil.  There are not a lot of Scallop Oil supplements on the market.  Amazon has one available here.  Scallop Oil supplements will currently run you just over $40/month; over double the cost of Krill Oil.

Best:  Purified Plasmalogen Supplements

This is probably the best option because you know the exact amount of plasmalogen in each capsule.  The best product I have currently found is called NeuroREGAIN and is sold on Amazon here.  The purity comes at a cost as monthly supply will set you back just over $75.

FYF’s Take

FYF is excited for potential of plasmalogens specific to #livinglonger and #lookingyounger.  Although not the fountain of youth, we will definitely keep you updated on any future developments in this space.

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FYF’s Benefit Rating: 9/10

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0076687904870101
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phospholipid
3. https://med-life.ca/literature/2021/11/25/plasmalogen-replacement-therapy#:~:text=Plasmalogens%20and%20plasmalogen%20precursors%20are,pork%2C%20beef%2C%20and%20chicken.
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7572144/#:~:text=Low%20plasmalogen%20levels%20occur%20with,the%20onset%20of%20clinical%20symptoms.
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8620983/
6. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-60204-8_14
7. https://www.plasmalogen.me/alzheimers-disease/
8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396417300713