Vitamins for brain fog: the words the EU claims list uses

"Vitamins for brain fog": what words does the EU claims list use?

The EU claims list uses three phrases here: normal mental performance, normal psychological function and normal functioning of the nervous system, each authorised one by one for named nutrients in the list of permitted health claims made on foods.¹ That list has a vocabulary of its own, different from the phrase you typed into a search bar.

• Mental performance. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) contributes to normal mental performance.
• Psychological function. Vitamin C, biotin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 each contribute to normal psychological function.
• The nervous system. Vitamin C, biotin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 each contribute to normal functioning of the nervous system.

That makes five nutrients across three wordings, and Core^™ has all five in every portion.² The wordings come first, then the nutrients one at a time, then the label amounts.

We start with the wording because it is the part you can check for yourself. A claim on the list is a fixed sentence, so if a label uses it, you can hold the label against the list and see that the two match.

What do the authorised claims actually say?

Pantothenic acid holds the mental performance sentence, while vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin and vitamin C each hold the psychological function and nervous system sentences, every one a single sentence attached to a named nutrient. The table sets out the three wordings, the nutrients in Core^™ that hold each, and the amount of those nutrients in one portion.

Three details stand out in the table. Every sentence names one nutrient, so the claim belongs to that nutrient and to nothing else in the pack. Every sentence holds the word "normal". Pantothenic acid stands alone in the top row as the only nutrient in Core^™ with the mental performance wording.¹

We print these wordings as the list gives them. The phrase "psychological function" appears there exactly like that, so that is how it stays on this page.

The same vitamins hold further lines on the list, and those have their own articles. For the wording on tiredness and fatigue, read vitamins for tiredness and energy. For energy-yielding metabolism, read B vitamins and metabolism.

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What is pantothenic acid?

Pantothenic acid is the formal name of vitamin B5 and the name the EU list uses. It is a water-soluble B vitamin. Its main job is to help make coenzyme A, usually shortened to CoA, and CoA is essential for building and breaking down fatty acids.³

It belongs to the B vitamins, a group of eight water-soluble vitamins.⁴ In a scientific review of that family, the author reported that B vitamins work as coenzymes across a large share of the enzymatic processes in the body, among them the reactions that cells use to produce energy.⁴ A coenzyme is a helper molecule that an enzyme works with.

On a label, pantothenic acid is measured against a reference intake. The EU figure is 6 mg a day, and it is the number behind the % NRV you see printed.⁵ One portion of Core^™ has 5 mg of vitamin B5, which is 83% NRV.²

And the line it holds on the list, once more in full: pantothenic acid contributes to normal mental performance.¹ No other nutrient in Core^™ shares it, which is why this vitamin gets a section to itself.

What do vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin and vitamin C have in common here?

Vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin and vitamin C each hold the same two wordings, the psychological function sentence and the nervous system sentence, so they fill the second and third rows of the table together.¹ Apart from that shared ground they are four different vitamins. The cards give what the reference sources say about each, next to the amount in a portion.

The first three cards quote one of the two wordings to keep them short. Both apply to all four vitamins, as the table shows.

If you are reading with menopause in mind, we cover that stage in collagen and menopause.

What is in one Core^™ portion?

One portion of Core^™ has 11,000 mg of hydrolysed marine collagen, types I and III, alongside pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin and vitamin C.² These five nutrients from this article come in the same pour, listed below with the label amount and, beside it, the EU reference intake that the percentage is worked out from.⁵

• Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). 5 mg per portion, 83% NRV. Reference intake: 6 mg.
• Vitamin B6. 1.7 mg per portion, 121% NRV. Reference intake: 1.4 mg.
• Vitamin B12. 24 µg per portion, 960% NRV. Reference intake: 2.5 µg.
• Vitamin C. 120 mg per portion, 150% NRV. Reference intake: 80 mg.
• Biotin. 5,000 µg per portion. Reference intake: 50 µg.

A reference intake is a labelling reference. It gives every label the same baseline, so you can set one product beside another and compare like with like.

Taking it is a small routine. Shake the pack, pour one portion into the cap, and drink it straight or stirred into water or a smoothie. Core^™ has a natural berry flavour and is sugar free and fat free. Once opened, the pack lives in the fridge. You can read the whole label on the Core^™ product page.

What did women in our trial report?

Women in our trial reported on the drink as a whole: 99% found it easy to include in their daily routine, 95% felt the appearance of their skin improved and 86% reported healthier hair. In our user trial, 106 women took our liquid marine collagen daily for 8 weeks and reported what they noticed.² The figures we use here cover the routine, skin, hair and nails.

We lead with the 99% because a daily portion is a habit, and that figure is what the women in the trial said about fitting it into their day. In the same trial, 76% reported stronger nails.²

Questions about vitamins and mental performance