Thorne Brain Factors

Most cognitive supplements are designed to get you through a hard day. Thorne Brain Factors is designed to keep your brain sharp for the long haul.

There's a meaningful difference. The mental demands on endurance athletes go beyond race-day focus — months of high training volume, travel, sleep disruption, and accumulated stress quietly erode the neurological foundation that supports sharp thinking, learning, and mood. Two key brain health markers — BDNF and NAD+ — decline with age and with the chronic stress of hard training, and most athletes have no idea they're running low on either.

Brain Factors addresses both in a single daily capsule.

BDNF Support Without the Caffeine Spike – Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the protein that drives the growth of new brain cells and maintains the communication networks between existing ones. It's essential for learning, memory, and mood — and it declines with age and stress. CognatiQ™ is a patented whole-fruit coffee extract clinically shown to raise BDNF levels, delivering the neuroprotective benefit of coffee's bioactive compounds without relying on caffeine as the mechanism.

Cellular Energy for Your Brain – NAD+ is the coenzyme every cell in your body uses to produce energy, repair DNA, and regulate its circadian rhythm. It declines significantly with age and stress — and your brain is one of the highest-energy organs in the body. NR is a highly bioavailable precursor that helps restore healthy NAD+ levels, supporting cellular energy production in brain cells, protecting against oxidative damage, and improving mitochondrial health across the nervous system.

Methylation Support That Ties It Together – Methylation is a fundamental cellular process that influences everything from gene expression to neurotransmitter production. Betaine (trimethylglycine) is one of the body's most efficient methyl donors, helping optimize the methylation reactions that maximize the benefit of NR while also supporting healthy homocysteine levels — an important marker for both cognitive and cardiovascular health in athletes.

Together these three ingredients work through complementary mechanisms: CognatiQ™ promotes new brain cell growth and neuronal communication, NR fuels brain cell energy production and repair, and betaine supports the methylation environment in which both can function optimally. The result is a daily brain health formula built for longevity, not just a quick mental boost.

How to Use Thorne Brain Factors

Daily Dose: Take 1 capsule daily with food. Consistent daily use is what activates the brain health benefits — BDNF and NAD+ support build over weeks of supplementation, not hours.

Timing: Brain Factors is a foundational daily supplement, not a pre-training stimulant. Take it in the morning with breakfast to establish a consistent routine and support daytime cognitive function.