Our original inspiration was to help with our own needs for focus and clarity, alertness and energy, all without causing jitters and in fact reducing  stress so we could successfully complete the tasks facing us at the time. This morphed into our main goal of finding high quality functional ingredients (with documented scientific backing instead of a lot of BS stories!) that provide both immediate reward and long-term health benefits.

Let’s be honest: It’s nice to hear that what we’re already doing anyway is also good in the long run, but it’s hard to start and maintain a regimen for 40 years only because of a payoff at the end. On top of that, every attempt to motivate ourselves would be haunted by doubt, seeing as it will take 40 years to find out if it works! If we managed to sell anyone a drink to take daily in order protect your mental sharpness 40 years from now we’d be surprised if they were still taking it regularly at the end of two weeks.

Let’s be honest again: We’re most likely to regularly use products with benefits we can feel right away, or at least during a short try out. We have no trouble believing in the benefits that we are actually getting right now. So we figured once you find yourself using Renew daily for all of its right-now and weekly benefits (and good taste!), you will feel even better knowing it’s so good for you in the long run.

There are five active ingredients in KINETIQ Renew: The amino acid (N-Acetyle-L-Tyrosine), Vitamin B₅, and three proprietary extracts: One is from the limited  supply of very special grapes (Cognigrape®) grown exclusively on one small Sicilian Island, another is a premium extract from the spice saffron (Affron®), and the 3^rd  is from the extraordinary botanical Sceletium tortuosm (Zembrin®). I promise I’ll try not to go full science-nerd on you while we take a look at each in some detail.

Vineyard (Sicily, Italy)

Cognigrape®

Cognirape® is a standardized extract of the skin and juice of Sicilian grapes that are extremely rich in powerful free radical crushing antioxidants (anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins). You always hear about the benefits of grape seed extracts, but the job of protecting the grape belongs to the grape-skin so that is where you’ll find the motherload of beneficial stuff including the antioxidants that help these grapes flourish in the unforgiving Mediterranean sun. The antioxidant power of these compounds is 20 as times as strong Vitamin C and 50 times as powerful as that of Vitamin E ¹ ! There are plenty of research articles out there that talk about the health benefits of the antioxidants in grapes, but for the moment we want to look at Cognigrape® specifically. ^2,3,4,5,6  The health benefits of Cognigrape® were examined in healthy older individuals (55-75 years old) over a 12-week period. Compared to the placebo group, those who received Cognigrape® saw a significant improvement in attention, memory, and mood! If the antioxidants and the health benefits weren’t good enough, the beautiful natural color of Renew comes from Cognigrape’s® antioxidants. Along with all the health benefits of Cognigrape® it is ethically and sustainably sourced from the beautiful island of Sicily off the coast of Italy.

Affron® is a natural extract of the ancient spice saffron that is standardized in Lepticorsalides, which are the active components in saffron that help with mood and reduce anxiety. Yes, we use an extract from the spice you find in many rice recipes and if you have ever seen it in the store, it is ridiculously expensive for just a little. Yes, we pulled out all the stops for you on this one. The active ingredients in saffron have strong antioxidant properties like those found in Cognigrape®, though for Affron® our focus is on mood and anti-stress. These mood and anti-stress effects of Affron® have been examined in both adults as well as younger individuals with remarkable results. In both studies, those who received Affron® had a significant reduction in stress as well as improved mood ^7,8. Lets face it, the more stressful things get, the harder it is to focus. Thats why, they say the key to success is to keep your head while everyone else is losing theirs. They never said you can’t take something to help. 

The saffron for Affron® is handpicked from the fields in Costilla-La Mancha, Spain and within 24 hours the saffron extraction process takes place to maximize the active ingredients (Lepticorsalides) in the extract.

Zembrin, S.tortuosum Harvest

Zembrin®

Zembrin® is a unique clinically tested proprietary extract of a distinctive selection of the South African plant Sceletium tortuosum that is rich in the active ingredient mesembrenone and low in mesembrine (I will get to why this is important in a minute). S. tortuosum, also known as Kanna, Channa, or Kougoed (literally means, something to chew), has been cultivated and consumed by those indigenous to South Africa for over 300 years to fight stress and depression, relieve pain and alleviate hunger ⁹. So back to the active ingredients mesembrenone and mesembrine. While both have anti-depressant and neuroprotective properties (Yay!), mesembrenone is much more effective, which is why a higher concentration of mesembrenone over mesembrine is one of the many reasons that Zembrin® is a high-quality form of Sceletium tortuosum extract. Zembrin® has been tested in multiple studies both for its safety and its health benefits.  Individuals who received Zembrin® displayed a significant improvement in cognitive flexibility (decision making, impulse control, strategy formation) ¹⁰,  Executive function (focus)¹⁰, mood ^10,11, memory ¹¹, and a reduction in anxiety ^10,12. WOW!... this stuff seems to do it all! Best of all, it is ethically sourced with Zembrin receiving the 1st ever export permit by the South African government that was fully compliant under the biodiversity act.

L-Tyrosine (as N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine)

L-Tyrosine is one of the 20 standard amino acids used by you body to synthesize proteins. L-tyrosine was added because it plays an important role in the formation of brain signaling molecules (neurotransmitters). Specifically, L-tyrosine is involved in the formation of catecholamines (dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine). Under stressful situations, physical or mental, the levels of catecholamines are reduced. In these situations the limiting factor for the formation of more catecholamines is the presence of L-tyrosine. Studies examining the effects of supplementation of L-tyrosine compared to placebo, observed that individuals taking L-tyrosine had a significant improvement in cognition under stressed situations ^13,14,15, as well as an increased ability to handle both physical and mental stress ^16,17. I could have really used some of this for just about every college exam.

Vitamin B₅

Why B₅? You usually see vitamin B₃, B₆ or B₁₂ in most focus or energy type products, and granted those vitamins are important for your brain and body. However, Vitamin B₅, aka "pantothenic acid" plays a critical part in brain health, energy, focus and mood. B₅ plays a role in the synthesis and metabolism of proteins, carbs and fats (better metabolism means more energy). B₅ is also important for the proper function of your nervous system and the formation of acetylcholine ¹⁸. Acetylcholine plays a significant role in attention, motivation, and memory ¹⁹, and while performing attention-demanding tasks the levels of acetylcholine drop ²⁰!

As I mentioned before I am trying not to go full science-nerd  with all this info, so hopefully I gave just enough to “blow your mind”. If it was a bit to much, you should take a break and refresh with some Renew!  

Citation:

1. Shi J, Yu J, Pohorly J, Kakuda Y. 2003. Polyphenolics in Grape Seeds Biochemistry and Functionality. Journal of Medicinal Food. 6(4): 291-299.

2. Bagchi D, Swaroop A., Preuss H.G, Bagchi M. 2014. Free Radical Scavenging, Antioxidant and Cancer Chemoprevention by Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin: An Overview. Mutation Research – Fundamental and Molecular Mechanism of Mutagensis. 768:69–73.

3. Nunes M.A, Pimentel F, Costa A.S, Alves R.C, Oliveira M.B.P. 2016. Cardioprotective properties of grape seed proanthocyanidins: An update. Trends in Food Science and Technology. 57:31–39.

4. Middleton E, Jr, Kandaswami C. 1992. Effects of Flavonoids on Immune and Inflammatory Cell Functions. Biochemical Pharmacology 43:1167–1179

5. Weseler A, Bast A. 2017. Masquelier’s Grape Seed Extract: From Basic Flavonoid Research to a Well-Characterized Food Supplement with Health Benefits. Nutrition Journal. 16(1):5 DOI:1186/s12937-016-0218-1

6. Krikorian R, Nash T, Shidler M, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph J. 2010. Concord grape juice supplementation improves memory function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. British Journal of Nutrition. 103:730-734.

7. Kell G, Rao A, Beccaria G, Clayton P, Inarejos-Garcia A, Prodanov M. 2017. Affron®a novel saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) improves mood in healthy adults over 4 weeks in a double-blind, parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 33:58-64.

8. Lopresti A, Drummond P, Inarejos-Garcia M, Prodanov M. 2018. Affron®, a standardized extract from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for the treatment of youth anxiety and depressive symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders. 232:349-357.

9. Smith M, Field C, Crouch N, Hirst M. 2008. The Distribution of Mesembrine Alkaloids in Selected Taxa of the Mesembryanthemaceae and their Modification in the Sceletium Derived ‘Kougoed’. Pharmaceutical Biology. 36(3): 173-179.

10. Chiu S, Gericke N, Farina-Woodbury M, Badmaev V, Raheb H, Terpstra K, Antongiorgi J.Bureau Y, Cernovsky Z, Hou J, Sanchez V, Williams M, Copen J, Husni M, Goble L. 2014. Proof-of-Concept Randomized Controlled Study of Cognition Effects of the Proprietary Extract Sceletium Tortuosum (Zembrin) Targeting PDE-4 in Cognitively Healthy Subjects: Implications for Alzheimer’s Dementia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014: Article ID 682017.

11. Dimpfel W, Gericke N, Suliman S, Chiegoua-Dipah G. 2016. Psychophysiological Effects of Zembrin® Using Quantitative EEG Source Density in Combination with Eye-Tracking in 60 Healthy Subjects. A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, 3-Armed Study with Parallel Design. Neuroscience and Medicine. 7:114-132

12. Dimpfel W, Gericke N, Suliman S, Chiegoua-Dipah G. 2017. Effect of Zembrin® on Brain Electrical Activity in 60 Older Subjects after 6 Weeks of Daily Intake. A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, 3-Armed Study in a Parallel Design. World Journal of Neuroscience. 7:140-171.

13. Banderet L, Leiberman H, 1989. Treatment with tyrosine, a neurotransmitter precursor, reduces environmental stress in humans. Brain Resolution Bulletin. 22:759-762

14. Deijen J, Orlebeke J. 1994. Effect of tyrosine on cognitive function and blood pressure under stress. Brain Resolution Bulletin. 33:319-323.

15. Deigen J, Wientjes J, Vullinghs F, Cloin P, Langefeld J. 1998. Tyrosine improves cognitive performance and reduces blood pressure in cadets after one week of a combat training course. Brain Research Bulletin. 48(2): 203-209.

16. Magill R, Waters W, Bray G, Volaufova J, Smith S, Leiberman H, Mcnevin N, Ryan D. 2003. Effects of Tyrosine, Phentermine, Caffeine, D-amphetamine, and Placebo on Cognitive and Motor Performance Deficits During Sleep Deprivation. Nutritional Neuroscience. 6(4): 237-246.

17. Thomas J, Lockwood P, Singh A, Deuster P. 1999. Tryosine Improves working memory in a multitasking environment. Pharmacology & Biochemical Behavior. 64: 495-500.

18. Lott E, Jones E. 2020. Cholinergic Toxicity. StatPearls. PMID: 30969605

19. Kapalka G. 2010. Substances Involved in Neurotransmission. Nutritional and Herbal Therapies for Children and Adolescents. 71-99.

20. Himmelheber A, Sarter M, Bruno J. 2000. Increases in cortical acetylcholine release during sustained attention performance in rats. Cognitive brain Research. 9:313-325.