Most supplement brands cite one study and call it settled. We did the opposite. We pulled the human research on all ten ingredients in SYNAPS and read it the way a sceptical parent would, looking for where the evidence is genuinely strong, and where it is thin.
Here is what we found. All of it, not just the flattering parts.
Where the evidence is strong
Omega-3 (DHA). This is the most researched ingredient in the formula, and the evidence is the best. In healthy young adults, DHA has been shown to support memory and mental reaction time (Stonehouse et al., 2013, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis of 58 trials found omega-3 intake associated with better attention, memory and overall cognitive function (Shahinfar et al., Scientific Reports). Our DHA is algae-sourced, the same source studied in children in the DOLAB trial (Richardson et al., 2012, PLoS ONE).
B vitamins. In a study of 215 healthy working adults, a B-complex supported mental energy and vigour, reduced perceived stress, and improved accuracy on a demanding mental task (Kennedy et al., 2010, Psychopharmacology). B vitamins are the co-factors your body uses to turn food into energy and to keep the nervous system running, which is why all six are in the formula, not just one or two for the label.
The antioxidant story (CoQ10, zinc, vitamin C). Hard training generates oxidative stress. CoQ10 has been shown across trials to support healthy energy and reduce everyday fatigue (Mizuno et al., 2020, Nutrients), and to support muscle recovery around exercise (Talebi et al., 2024). Zinc and vitamin C both support the body’s antioxidant defences in pooled trial data (Mousavi et al., 2020; Moabedi & Milajerdi, 2025). Zinc and vitamin C also contribute to normal cognitive function, an effect that matters most when dietary intake is low, which is common in busy young athletes.
Where we are honest about the limits
We are not going to pretend every ingredient has a blockbuster study behind it in healthy kids. It doesn’t, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling, not informing.
Choline is essential for building the brain’s signalling chemicals and cell membranes, that biology is not in doubt. But the one trial testing our exact form in healthy young people did not show a memory benefit (Lippelt et al., 2016). So we include choline for its structural role, and we don’t claim it sharpens focus.
L-carnitine has good evidence for cellular energy and muscle recovery after exercise (Yarizadh et al., 2020), but the Cochrane review found no clear cognitive effect in healthy people (Chen et al., 2017). We use it for energy and recovery, full stop.
Iron supports energy, focus and memory, but the research shows this most clearly in people whose iron stores are low (Vaucher et al., 2012, CMAJ; Bruner et al., 1996, The Lancet). Active, growing and menstruating athletes are exactly the group most at risk of low iron, which is why it earns its place, with that honest caveat.
Why this matters
SYNAPS is built on a simple idea: give a young athlete’s brain the nutritional building blocks it relies on, especially under the demands of contact sport. Not a magic ingredient. Not a promise we can’t keep. A multi-pathway formula, each ingredient chosen for a real biological role, disclosed at full dose on every pouch.
SYNAPS is currently the subject of a university clinical trial at Macquarie University. We’ll report what it finds, whatever it finds.
SYNAPS supports brain health for sport. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.