Mood foods get dynamic duo

Cyracos, a lemon balm extract from Berkem, is alleged to reduce anxiety-associated symptoms by 72% over 15 days of supplementation, while Lipogen PAS, a combination of soy lecithin-derived phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidic acid (PA), from Lipogen, is claimed to reduce stress hormones cortisol and ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone).

Lemon balm has been used to calm the nerves in traditional medicine for hundreds of years, Berkem claimed. "The sedative action of Cyracos has been confirmed in a doubled blind, placebo-controlled study carried out on 30 people showing symptoms of anxiety and suffering from sleep disturbances." Patients who received 600mg a day for 15 days showed a 49% reduction in anxiety, a 72% reduction in anxiety-associated symptoms and a 39% decrease in insomnia, claimed Berkem.

Daily supplementation with 400mg of Lipogen PAS, meanwhile, helped people cope with stressful situations more effectively, said Lipogen chief executive David Rutenberg.

"In stress test conditions, the placebo group showed an expected increase in stress hormones, while the group on PAS showed significantly lower stress levels and a better control of the situation." Long- term stress, with its associated high cortisol levels, was directly related to Syndrome X, a precursor of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, he claimed.

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