Neuriva Plus Review 2024 – Does it Work? Is it Safe?

Here’s our complete Neuriva Plus review. Our team will be analyzing this brain performance supplement to see how it compares to the current market-leading products.

Neuriva Plus is made by Schiff Vitamins, a well-known supplement company founded in 1936. There are two types of Neuriva currently available – Neuriva and Neuriva Plus. For this review, we’ll be focusing on Neuriva Plus.

Containing 30 capsules per bottle, it promises to help you:

• Increase focus & concentration
• Enhance memory
• Improve learning accuracy
• Improve reasoning

Sounds similar to what most other nootropic supplements claim. Obviously, some nootropics can also help with mood, brain plasticity and long-term functioning, and only a handful of them on the market offer complete cognitive optimization.

The question is, how will Neuriva Plus work for you?

Here are our thoughts.

*Please remember that PDPPro doesn’t offer advice; our posts are for entertainment and informational purposes only! Always get a go-ahead from a qualified professional before considering a new supplement.

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Formula Analysis

Each capsule of Neuriva Plus contains these ingredients:

• Vitamin B6 (1.7mg)
• Folate (680mg DFE) (400mg folic acid)
• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) (2.4mcg)
• Coffee Fruit Extract (200mg)
• Phosphatidylserine (100mg)

One pro to Neuriva Plus’ formula is that it’s completely transparent. Being free of proprietary blends, you can see the dose of each ingredient on the label, which makes it easier to tell if it’s within the safe and effective range.

Now, we’re going to take a closer look at each of these ingredients to see how they work and if they’re supported by science.

Vitamin B6 (1.7mg)

Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient for the body and mind. Found in eggs, cheese, whole grains and other foods, it’s been shown to help with PMS, memory and brain function and other areas of health.

However, while having many small benefits for the body, vitamin B6 doesn’t appear to have a significant effect unless you’re deficient in it. In other words, vitamin B6 supplementation isn’t necessary for most people. [1]

Folate (680mg DFE) (400mg folic acid)

Folate or vitamin B9 is another essential nutrient from the B complex family.

It is involved in the homocysteine metabolism. Homocysteine is an amino acid, and a byproduct of foods such as red meat.

While it’s normal to have some homocysteine in your body, having too much has been shown to irritate the cardiovascular system – leading to increased production of protein plaque which clogs up blood vessels. [2]

What does this mean for your cognitive function? Essentially, having less homocysteine leads to better blood flow to the brain, and by extension, improved mental performance.

Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) (2.4mcg)

Vitamin B12 plays a fundamental role in countless processes in your body. From aiding red blood cell production to assisting the body in creating energy, supplementation can be of particular benefit if you’re deficient in this nutrient.

Most people who ate a normal, varied diet aren’t deficient. However, if you’re on a strict plant-based diet, then you could be since vitamin B12 is only naturally found in animal products.

Coffee Fruit Extract (200mg)

Here we come to the main active ingredients of Neuriva Plus. The “main stars” if you will.

What is coffee fruit extract? It’s a single compound extracted from coffeea arabica fruit.

We don’t know which compound exactly is extracted from the coffee fruit. Is it water? Or perhaps caffeine? Or fiber? The makers of Neuriva Plus don’t say explicitly what’s in it, so it’s impossible to tell!

What they do tell us is that coffee cherry contains compounds that increase levels of a vital brain protein BDNF, which stimulates brain cell growth. Having higher BDNF levels sounds great, especially considering that our levels of this crucial ‘brain growth hormone’ go down as we age.

But does science agree with Neuriva Plus’ claims? Some people refer to a single study that showed whole coffee concentrate can boost BDNF. [3] Notice the highlighted words here – it’s whole coffee concentrate, not coffee fruit extract.

Whole coffee concentrate implies there’s a spectrum of compounds from the whole coffee fruit plant. On the other hand, coffee fruit extract is a single compound from the plant, and it can be anything!

We don’t know if whole coffee fruit concentrate increased BDNF as a result of multiple compounds in the plant, or just one compound.

Even if just one compound in coffee fruit was responsible for the increase in the brain’s BDNF levels, and that compound was the same one that’s found in Neuriva Plus’ coffee fruit extract, we still only have one study to prove it. Also, keep in mind that the sample size of the study was only a handful of people.

Ultimately, until more evidence comes out, we can’t recommend Coffee Fruit Extract as an ideal nootropic ingredient.

Phosphatidylserine (100mg)

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a so-called phospholipid compound. It’s a fat found in high amounts in your brain.

What does PS do in the brain? As it’s specifically mostly found in the inner part of your brain cell membranes, it governs many of your brain cell functions. Such as fluidity, permeability, and communication from one brain cell to another. [4]

When a brain cell grows old and is ready to die, PS moves from inside of your brain cell membrane to the outer layer of the membrane.

This signals to your immune system to attack the dying neuron and dispose it quickly. PS also helps protect other brain cells from the collateral damage caused by diseased or dying brain cells.

You may not feel Phosphatidylserine at all. It’s more of a long-term brain health ingredient. It promotes healthy cell structure and communication. Supplementing it is, therefore, most beneficial for older adults who’re looking to keep their brain sharp as they age.

Our Commentary on Neuriva Plus Ingredients

It looks like Neuriva Plus’ makers have decided to include only a handful of very basic ingredients in the formula.

B vitamins won’t do much for you unless you’re severely deficient in them. As we explained, most people aren’t deficient and thus won’t feel any effects from supplementing them.

If you are deficient, you may notice an increase in your mental energy levels.

Apart from B vitamins, the only ingredients left in Neuriva Plus are Phosphatidylserine and Coffee Fruit Extract. While Phosphatidylserine has no short-term benefits and you’re unlikely to ever ‘feel’ it working, it’s more researched than the other ingredient and is actually proven to help fight cognitive decline.

On the other hand, Coffee Fruit Extract is, for starters, a mysterious ingredient. We don’t know what’s ‘extracted’ from coffee fruit exactly. As a result, we can’t tell if it can do anything for you. There’s just one study on whole coffee fruit concentrate, which is a lot different than extract, and that study showed some promising results – but we’ll need to see more evidence to recommend it.

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How to Use Neuriva Plus (Directions)

Neuriva Plus dosage instructions are to take 1 capsule daily at bedtime.

The reason why Neuriva Plus is taken at bedtime is because of its reported effects on the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). BDNF levels increase when you sleep.

However, since the ingredients in Neuriva Plus aren’t proven to do this, we can’t say if taking it at night will make any difference.

Related: Prevagen vs Neuriva

Side Effects?

Neuriva Plus is unlikely to cause you side effects. Although some of its ingredients may not work, none of them are known to cause issues.

That being said, you should talk to your doctor if you have or suspect any type of health condition before taking a supplement.

Cost & Where to Buy?

Neuriva Plus can be bought in numerous physical and online stores, including Amazon, Walgreens, Walmart and the official Schiff Vitamins website.

It costs $49.49 for a bottle of 30 capsules, and $16.49 for a bottle of 7 capsules.

Is Neuriva Plus a good value for money? In our eyes, it’s not. It’s missing several core ingredients and uses a few unproven ones, and so the effects don’t justify the relatively high price.

Neuriva Plus Review Conclusion

So that concludes our Neuriva Plus review.

Do we recommend this brain performance supplement? We do not!

While it has a few decent ingredients – including vitamins B9 and Phosphatidylserine – it also contains an unproven Coffee Fruit Extract and is missing several other ingredients commonly found in the highest-rated brain supplements.

Another issue is that Neuriva Plus has only one serving per day. This means the effects will quickly wear off between the doses.

Even if your goal is to support long-term brain function and plasticity, Neuriva Plus only has one ingredient (PS) that can help you with that, which isn’t quite up to par with other supplements in this price range.

For our best-reviewed brain supplements of the year, click here.

References

1. Vitamin B6 – Examine.com.
2. Di Minno MN, Tremoli E, Coppola A, Lupoli R, Di Minno G. Homocysteine and arterial thrombosis: Challenge and opportunity. Thromb Haemost. 2010;103(5):942-961. doi:10.1160/TH09-06-0393
3. Reyes-Izquierdo T, Nemzer B, Shu C, et al. Modulatory effect of coffee fruit extract on plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in healthy subjects. Br J Nutr. 2013;110(3):420-425. doi:10.1017/S0007114512005338
4. Glade MJ, Smith K. Phosphatidylserine and the human brain. Nutrition. 2015;31(6):781-786. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.10.014

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