What is Cognizin® Citicoline?

by Erick Avila

Heightened mental focus is one of the key attributes which separates high performers from the rest of the pack. As this competitive edge has become more desirable, ingredients such as Choline have grown in popularity, with choline garnering a lot of attention from scientists because of its believed association with cognitive function.

In 1936, the scientists who discovered acetylcholine (a chemical messenger in the brain derived from choline) received the Nobel Prize for their contributions to the sciences. Since then, acetylcholine has been extensively researched by neuroscientists because of the strong relationship between acetylcholine levels and cognitive function.[1]

As increased mental performance has become more popular to high performers, one of the most popular forms of choline to emerge is Cognizin®.

What is Cognizin®?

Cognizin® is a patented form of Citicoline which has been clinically researched for its role in cognitive function. Citicoline gets broken down in the body into choline and cytidine.[2] Choline plays an important role in the synthesis of compounds like phosphocholine, acetylcholine, and betaine.[3] Phosphocholine plays a role in forming cell membranes.[2] Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter that’s involved in cognition and muscle contraction.[2] Betaine is involved in maintaining cellular hydration.[2] While cytidine then gets further broken down into uridine, can contribute to the formation of phosphocholine. Citicoline also raises the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine.[4]

Cognizin® is produced through a patented fermentation process using choline and uracil, uracil is a base compound that forms RNA.[5]

Benefits of Cognizin®

The beneficial effects of Cognizin® have been studied in a broad range of subjects from adolescents to elderly adults.

• Cognizin showed improved motor speed and attention, compared to placebo, in healthy adolescent males that supplemented with doses of 250 mg/day and 500 mg/day for 28 days.[6]
• Cognizin showed improved attentional focus and inhibition, compared to placebo, in healthy adult females that supplemented with doses of 250 mg/day and 500 mg/day for 28 days.[7]
• Cognizin increased levels of phosphocreatine and ATP in the brains of healthy adult male and females that supplemented with doses of 500 mg/day and 2000 mg/day for 6 weeks.[8] ATP fuels cellular processes and phosphocreatine can contribute to the formation of ATP.

How long does Cognizin® last in the body?

Citicoline is rapidly and effectively absorbed in the body with over 90% being absorbed. Plasma levels peak an hour after absorption and then a second peak occurs about 24 hours after consumption.[9] The elimination half-life of citicoline is 56 hours for CO2 and 71 hours for urinary excretion.[10] The half-life is the amount of time it takes a compound to fall to half of its original value, so if you were to take in 250 mg of citicoline, you’d have approximately 125 mg of citicoline in your system 56 hours later.
Studies in subjects of various ages have found citicoline to be very safe.[11]

How much Cognizin® should I take?

The U.S Institute of Medicine listed 550 mg/day for adult males and 425 mg/day for non-pregnant adult females as the adequate intake amounts for choline. While the European Food Safety Authority recommended 400 mg/day as the adequate intake of choline for all adults.[12]

In clinical studies on Cognizin® supplementation for the purpose of supporting mental performance, the standard dosage ranges used range from 250-2000 mg/day.

What C4® Energy Products Use Cognizin®?

C4 Smart Energy and Smart Energy Natural Zero both use 250 mg of Cognizin® Citicoline, in both the 16 and 12 oz formats.

Cognizin® 101 Summary

Coginizin is a patented form of citicoline that has been clinically researched. C4® Smart Energy and Smart Energy Natural Zero feature Cognizin which helps support mental focus, attention and recall. Citicoline is well-absorbed in the body and shown to be safe

References
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432810000124#preview-section-abstract
[2] https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/7/1569/htm
[3] https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33053828/
[5] https://patents.google.com/patent/EP1502956B1/en
[6] https://www.emmynutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2015-McGlade-Cognizin-Citicoline-Adolescent-Study.pdf
[7] https://cognizin.com/storage/app/media/pdfs/improve-attention-cognizin.pdf
[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18816480/
[9] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-002-1045-y
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4562749/
[11] http://archive.foundationalmedicinereview.com/publications/9/1/17.pdf
[12] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6684470/
[15] https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/2/2/86