Nervonic acid occupies a unique and crucial position in the human body’s nutritional needs. Nervonic acid, scientifically known as 24-carbon-cis-15-enoic acid, is a long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid. This unique molecular structure endows nervonic acid with extraordinary physiological functions. As a key component of cerebrosides and myelin sheaths, it directly participates in the fundamental physiological processes of nerve cell membrane structure construction and nerve signal transmission. Nervonic cell membranes act as a “protective barrier” and “communication base station” for nerve cells, and nervonic acid is the core material for building this important structure, ensuring good fluidity and stability of the cell membrane and maintaining the normal morphology and function of nerve cells. Myelin sheaths act as an “insulating layer” surrounding nerve fibers, greatly accelerating the transmission speed of nerve signals and ensuring the efficient transmission of nerve commands. Nervonic acid is abundant in myelin sheaths and is an indispensable component.
Unfortunately, the human body’s ability to synthesize nervonic acid is extremely limited. With age, increased life stress, and the influence of external environmental factors, the body’s nervonic acid content gradually decreases, making it difficult to meet the needs of normal nerve tissue function. This is similar to how car parts gradually wear out, but the car cannot produce new parts to replace them on its own. Therefore, it must rely on exogenous intake to supplement them in order to maintain the health of nerve tissue. During critical periods of nerve tissue development, such as infancy, an adequate supply of nervonic acid is essential for the normal development of the brain and nervous system, directly affecting a child’s future cognitive, language, and motor abilities. When nerve tissue is damaged, such as in cases of stroke or traumatic brain injury, nervonic acid provides a crucial material basis for the repair of damaged nerves, promoting nerve fiber regeneration and functional recovery. In maintaining daily brain function, nervonic acid continuously plays a role, ensuring normal brain functions such as thinking, memory, and emotional regulation, slowing down the brain aging process, and preventing various neurological diseases.
Natural Sources and Extraction Evolution
The exploration of nervonic acid sources has gone through several stages. Early on, nervonic acid was mainly extracted from shark brains or shark oil. Since sharks are apex predators in the ocean, their brain tissue and oil contain relatively abundant nervonic acid. However, this method of acquisition faces serious challenges. On the one hand, the process of obtaining nervonic acid from sharks is technically challenging and extremely costly, causing the price of nervonic acid to soar to over $100,000 per kilogram. This undoubtedly greatly limits its commercial application and widespread use. On the other hand, with increasing awareness of marine ecological protection, sharks are strictly protected by the United Nations and many countries, and the large-scale hunting of sharks to obtain nervonic acid has been abandoned by the international community.
Under the dual pressures of environmental protection and cost, scientists have turned their attention to plant sources. Acer truncatum seed oil has emerged as one of the important plant sources for obtaining nervonic acid. The dried seeds of Acer truncatum have a high oil content, reaching 46.6%, of which a considerable amount (5.8%) is nervonic acid. It is also rich in vitamin E, making it a high-quality potential source of natural nervonic acid and vitamin E. Xanthoceras sorbifolium oil is also a good source of nervonic acid; the oil extracted from its fruit contains a certain amount of nervonic acid, thus securing a place in the supply of nervonic acid. Deep-sea fish, such as salmon and tuna, accumulate nervonic acid in their bodies due to their unique marine food chain and physiological characteristics. Nuts like walnuts and algae also contain varying levels of nervonic acid, providing diverse options for people to supplement their daily diet.
With continuous technological advancements, the extraction process of nervonic acid is constantly being innovated. Modern processes employ low-temperature extraction technology, utilizing the difference in solubility of nervonic acid and other impurities in specific solvents under low-temperature conditions to achieve efficient separation and extraction of nervonic acid, maximizing the preservation of its bioactivity and avoiding damage to its structure and function at high temperatures. Biosynthesis technology, through microbial fermentation or genetic engineering, utilizes microbial metabolic pathways to synthesize nervonic acid. This method has advantages such as high sustainability and environmental friendliness, providing new possibilities for the large-scale production of nervonic acid. These advanced extraction and production processes ensure that nervonic acid supplements possess high purity and safety, meeting consumer demand for high-quality nervonic acid products and promoting the widespread application of nervonic acid in the field of nutritional health care.
Core Efficacy: Multi-dimensional Empowerment of Nerve and Body Health
(I) Promoting Nerve Development and Repair/Regeneration
1. Protection of Nerve Structure: Nervonic acid plays a crucial role in the repair of myelin sheaths and the regeneration of axons in nerve fibers. The myelin sheath is a lipid membrane that wraps around nerve fibers, much like the insulating outer layer of an electrical wire, playing a key role in the rapid and accurate transmission of nerve signals. When nerve fibers are damaged, such as in cases of brain nerve damage caused by stroke, the myelin sheath will be lost to varying degrees, leading to obstruction of nerve signal transmission. Patients may experience motor disorders, such as limb weakness and incoordination, or speech disorders, manifesting as difficulty in speech expression and decreased comprehension. Nervonic acid can provide key raw materials for myelin sheath repair, promoting the proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes. These cells will re-wrap axons, forming new myelin sheath structures, restoring the insulating properties of nerve fibers, and ensuring the unobstructed flow of nerve signal transmission pathways. Clinical studies have shown that in the rehabilitation treatment of stroke patients, a comprehensive intervention program combining nervonic acid supplementation results in more significant improvements in motor and language function compared to the rehabilitation training group alone.
In diabetic peripheral neuropathy, the hyperglycemic environment damages nerve fibers, often causing numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, a sensation akin to wearing gloves and socks. Nervonic acid can activate relevant cellular pathways, promote myelin regeneration, enhance the nerve fiber’s resistance to damage, alleviate numbness and tingling symptoms, and improve the patient’s quality of life.
2. Support for Childhood Brain Development: As a natural component of breast milk, nervonic acid plays an indispensable role in the critical stages of infant brain development. During infancy, the brain is in a state of rapid development, with neurons constantly growing and differentiating. Numerous synaptic connections need to be established between neurons to form complex neural networks, while myelin sheaths are gradually forming and maturing. Nervonic acid provides the necessary material basis for this series of physiological processes. It promotes the growth of neuronal synapses, making signal transmission between neurons more efficient, and helps improve infants’ learning abilities and memory. Studies tracking infants supplemented with nervonic acid have shown that their development in language expression and cognitive comprehension is significantly better than that of the non-supplemented group, exhibiting earlier speech development and stronger cognitive and exploratory abilities.
For premature infants or children with developmental delays, they may not have received sufficient nervonic acid and other nutrients in the womb, leading to relatively delayed brain development. Nervonic acid supplementation can serve as an effective nutritional intervention to help their brain development catch up with normal levels. Under the guidance of a professional doctor or nutritionist, appropriate nervonic acid supplementation can promote neuronal growth and myelin formation in these children, improve their reaction speed and learning ability, and lay a good foundation for future growth and learning.
(II) Improving Cognitive Function and Delaying Neurodegenerative Diseases
1. Anti-brain aging: As we age, the brain gradually ages, and the function of nerve cells begins to decline. Abnormal deposition of β-amyloid protein is an important pathological feature in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Nervonic acid, with its unique molecular structure, can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and enter brain tissue to exert its effects. It can inhibit the aggregation and deposition of β-amyloid protein, reducing its toxic damage to neurons, thereby slowing the rate of cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease patients. Some studies on patients with mild cognitive impairment have found that after a period of nervonic acid supplementation, patients’ cognitive indicators such as memory, attention, and executive function improved to some extent, and their daily living abilities also improved.
Parkinson’s disease is mainly caused by damage to dopaminergic neurons in the brain, leading to a decrease in dopamine secretion. Patients experience symptoms such as tremor and rigidity, which severely affect their quality of life. Nervonic acid can regulate the function of dopaminergic neurons, promote the synthesis and release of dopamine, maintain normal neuronal activity, and alleviate the tremor and rigidity symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients. Although nervonic acid cannot completely cure Parkinson’s disease, as an adjunct therapy, when used in combination with conventional drugs, it can improve treatment effectiveness to some extent and improve the patient’s quality of life.
2. Brainpower Enhancement: For students, office workers, and other mental laborers, the brain needs to maintain high efficiency at all times. Nervonic acid enhances the fluidity of brain cell membranes, making them more flexible and facilitating the transmission of neurotransmitters between cells. When neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and dopamine can transmit signals smoothly, the brain’s attention, mental agility, and information processing capabilities are significantly improved. During study and work, a sufficient supply of nervonic acid allows students to concentrate better on listening and understanding knowledge, improving learning efficiency; it also helps working professionals quickly clarify their thoughts and efficiently complete complex tasks. Studies have shown that students who supplement with nervonic acid during exam preparation perform significantly better than those who do not supplement, demonstrating superior performance in memorizing vocabulary, formulas, and solving complex problems, thus better coping with high-intensity study pressure.
(III) Regulating Metabolism, Protecting Both Cardiovascular and Brain Health
1. Blood Lipid Management: Nervonic acid plays a positive regulatory role in blood lipid metabolism. It can inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver, reducing the endogenous production of cholesterol. Simultaneously, nervonic acid can promote the breakdown and metabolism of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, commonly known as “bad cholesterol”) in the blood, clearing it from the blood and reducing LDL levels. Triglycerides are an important component of blood lipids, and excessively high triglyceride levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Nervonic acid reduces the synthesis and accumulation of triglycerides in the body by regulating the activity of enzymes related to lipid metabolism, thereby lowering blood triglyceride levels. Long-term supplementation with nervonic acid can effectively improve abnormal blood lipid conditions and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is an important pathological basis for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. When atherosclerotic plaques form on the blood vessel walls, it can lead to narrowing and blockage of blood vessels, causing serious diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Through the regulatory effect of nervonic acid on blood lipids, the formation of atherosclerotic plaques can be reduced, protecting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.
2. Vascular Protection: The protective effect of nervonic acid on vascular health is manifested in multiple aspects. It can improve blood microcirculation, making blood flow more smoothly in blood vessels and providing sufficient oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs. Vascular endothelial cells are a layer of cells lining the inner wall of blood vessels, and their health directly affects vascular function. Nervonic acid can delay damage to vascular endothelial cells, enhance their function, and enable them to normally secrete vasoactive substances such as nitric oxide, maintaining vasodilation and vasoconstriction, and preventing vasospasm and hardening. In clinical practice, for some patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and dyslipidemia, supplementing with nervonic acid in addition to lipid-lowering drugs can better control blood lipid levels, improve vascular endothelial function, reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, strengthen the overall health of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, and provide stronger protection for patients’ quality of life and health.
Target Population: Scientific Basis for Precise Supplementation
(I) Critical Development Period Population
1. Children and Adolescents: During childhood and adolescence, the brain and nervous system are in a rapid growth and development stage, making an adequate supply of nervonic acid crucial. Nervonic acid promotes the formation and strengthening of synaptic connections in the brain, much like building a city’s transportation network, making “communication” between neurons more efficient and frequent, laying a solid foundation for improved cognitive abilities. It also actively participates in the myelination process. Myelin acts like a high-speed “information channel” surrounding nerve fibers; the higher the degree of myelination, the faster the nerve signal transmission speed, and the stronger the child’s learning and reaction abilities. Numerous clinical studies have shown that children and adolescents who appropriately supplement their daily diet with nervonic acid often perform better in intelligence tests, academic performance, and concentration. For example, some studies on primary school students have found that after supplementing with nervonic acid, students showed significant improvement in subjects such as mathematical calculations and reading comprehension, with increased problem-solving speed and accuracy. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) are also fatty acids beneficial to brain development. DHA is an important component of the retina and brain, helping to improve vision and brain function; EPA indirectly supports brain health in areas such as regulating blood lipids and anti-inflammation. Nervonic acid, supplemented synergistically with DHA and EPA, provides comprehensive nutrition for brain development from different angles, mutually promoting absorption and utilization, further enhancing the promoting effect on brain development, like equipping the brain with a comprehensive nutritional “escort fleet.”
2. Pregnant and lactating women: Pregnant and lactating women are another group with an urgent need for nervonic acid. During pregnancy, the fetal brain and nervous system begin to develop rapidly. Nervonic acid, as an essential nutrient for fetal neural development, is obtained from the mother through the placenta. An adequate supply of nervonic acid can reduce the risk of birth defects, such as neural tube defects, while providing crucial support for the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of fetal brain neurons, contributing to the normal development of fetal brain structure and function. During lactation, the nervonic acid ingested by the mother is passed to the infant through breast milk, continuing to provide nutritional support for the infant’s neural development. Studies have tracked infants born to mothers who supplemented with nervonic acid during pregnancy and lactation, finding that these infants exhibited superior developmental levels in early postnatal development, including gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language, and cognition. However, pregnant and lactating women must supplement with nervonic acid under the strict guidance of a doctor, as improper dosage may have potential impacts on maternal and infant health. Doctors will comprehensively assess the pregnant woman’s individual circumstances, such as weight, nutritional status, and medical history, to provide a scientifically reasonable supplementation dosage, ensuring the safety of both mother and infant while maximizing the promoting effect of nervonic acid on fetal and infant neural development.
(II) Age-Related Decline Groups
1. Middle-aged and Elderly Groups: With increasing age, middle-aged and elderly individuals inevitably face the problem of nervonic acid loss. From a physiological perspective, as age increases, the body’s ability to synthesize nervonic acid gradually weakens, while the metabolic and repair capabilities of nerve cells also decline, leading to a continuous decrease in nervonic acid levels. This change triggers a series of symptoms related to brain aging, such as memory loss and cognitive confusion, severely impacting the quality of life for middle-aged and elderly individuals. Nervonic acid supplementation can effectively address this natural aging process. Nervonic acid provides essential nutritional support to brain nerve cells, enhancing their activity and stability, and slowing down their aging and apoptosis. Long-term nervonic acid supplementation can significantly reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. A long-term follow-up study of middle-aged and elderly people in the community found that those who consistently supplemented with nervonic acid had a 30% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not supplement, scored significantly higher on cognitive function tests, and maintained better self-care and social abilities.
2. High-intensity brain users: Teachers, programmers, students preparing for exams, and other high-intensity brain users whose brains are constantly under high stress and fatigue. For example, teachers not only prepare and deliver lessons daily but also deal with various student questions and teaching pressures, keeping their brains constantly active. Programmers need to concentrate on coding and logical thinking for long periods, resulting in significant brain strain. Students preparing for exams face pressure to get into better schools, leading to prolonged study and excessive mental workload. Under such intense mental exertion, nervonic acid supplementation is particularly important. Nervonic acid can relieve brain fatigue by regulating the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters, allowing the brain to fully relax and recover after strenuous work. Simultaneously, nervonic acid can improve work and study efficiency, enhance the brain’s information processing capacity and memory, enabling these individuals to better cope with complex work and study tasks. For those in this state long-term, continuous nervonic acid supplementation can prevent the decline in neurological function caused by prolonged mental exertion, avoiding problems such as memory loss and difficulty concentrating, maintaining good neurological function, and providing strong support for long-term high-intensity work and study.
(III) Adjunctive Treatment for Neurological Disorders
1. Patients in the Rehabilitation Period of Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury: For patients in the rehabilitation period of stroke and traumatic brain injury, nervonic acid plays a crucial role in their recovery. Stroke can cause rupture or blockage of blood vessels in the brain, resulting in local brain tissue ischemia, hypoxia, and necrosis, leading to impaired neurological function. Patients often experience limb motor disorders, such as hemiplegia and limb weakness, as well as speech disorders, manifesting as aphasia and slurred speech. Traumatic brain injury is caused by external force applied to the head, resulting in brain tissue damage and similar neurological dysfunction. During the rehabilitation period, nervonic acid, combined with rehabilitation training, can accelerate the recovery of neurological function. It provides the necessary material basis for the regeneration of damaged nerve fibers, promotes the repair and reconstruction of myelin sheaths, and enables nerve signals to be transmitted smoothly again. Clinical practice shows that patients who supplement with nervonic acid while receiving rehabilitation training experience faster recovery of limb coordination; previously stiff and inflexible limbs gradually become more flexible, and their language expression ability is significantly improved, enabling them to express their thoughts and needs more clearly, thus improving their self-care ability and confidence in reintegrating into society.
2. Patients with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis: Parkinson’s disease is mainly caused by the degeneration and death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain, leading to a decrease in dopamine secretion, resulting in symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the myelin sheath of the central nervous system, causing nerve function impairment, resulting in symptoms such as decreased vision, limb numbness, and difficulty walking. For these two types of patients, nervonic acid can serve as an important nutritional support for drug treatment. It can regulate the function of dopaminergic neurons, promote the synthesis and release of dopamine, alleviate tremor and rigidity symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients, and improve their motor function and quality of life. In patients with multiple sclerosis, nervonic acid helps promote myelin regeneration, reduce neuroinflammation, and slow disease progression. However, it should be noted that as a nutritional support, nervonic acid needs to be supplemented continuously for 3-6 months to show significant effects. This is because the repair and regeneration of nerve cells is a relatively slow process that requires continuous nutritional supply and time accumulation to achieve gradual improvement in nerve function, providing strong support for the patient’s long-term treatment and quality of life improvement.
Supplementation Sources: A Treasure Trove of Nervonic Acids in Our Daily Diet
1. Deep-Sea Fish: Salmon, cod, and sardines are veritable “concentrated treasure troves” of nervonic acid and Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon has tender flesh, is rich in high-quality protein, and is also high in nervonic acid and Omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients can reduce inflammation and damage to nerve tissue, which is crucial for maintaining the health of the brain and nervous system. Cod is also an excellent source of nervonic acid; it is low in fat, easily digested and absorbed, and very suitable for people of all ages. Sardines, though small in size, contain a great deal of nutritional energy. Their rich nervonic acid and Omega-3 fatty acids can promote blood circulation in the brain, providing the brain with sufficient oxygen and nutrients, and enhancing brain activity. Nutrition experts recommend eating deep-sea fish 2-3 times a week, 100-150 grams each time, as an ideal intake. Steamed salmon retains its original flavor and nutrients to the maximum extent; pan-fried cod is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a delicious taste; canned sardines are convenient and quick, providing a readily available source of nutrition. These cooking methods are simple and easy to do, allowing people to easily obtain nutrients such as nervonic acid while enjoying delicious food, thus protecting the health of the brain and nervous system.
2. Nuts and Seeds: Walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and other nuts and seeds are natural sources of nervonic acid. Walnuts, with their unique shape, are considered a “symbol of the brain,” rich in unsaturated fatty acids, protein, and vitamin E, and also contain a considerable amount of nervonic acid. It can enhance memory and improve brain function, like injecting a source of vitality into the brain. Almonds are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and their nervonic acid content helps regulate the balance of neurotransmitters, relieving anxiety and stress, allowing people to maintain a relaxed and happy mood in their busy lives. Pumpkin seeds are rich in trace elements such as zinc and magnesium, which work synergistically with nervonic acid to enhance nerve cell activity, promote nerve signal transmission, and improve the body’s reaction speed and sensitivity. To improve the absorption efficiency of fat-soluble nutrients, it is recommended to consume nuts and seeds with olive oil or flaxseed oil. For example, when making vegetable salads, adding appropriate amounts of walnuts and almonds, and drizzling with olive oil, not only makes them delicious but also allows for better absorption of nutrients. Crushing pumpkin seeds and adding them to cold dishes made with flaxseed oil not only enriches the flavor but also promotes nutrient absorption, providing the body with sufficient nervonic acid to support brain and nervous system health.
3. Plant Oils and Special Ingredients: Acer truncatum seed oil and Xanthoceras sorbifolium oil, as representatives of high-concentration plant-derived nervonic acid, have unique nutritional value. Acer truncatum seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the Acer truncatum tree and has a high nervonic acid content, reaching approximately 5%-6%. It can be eaten directly or used in cold dishes or low-temperature cooking. For example, adding a few drops of Acer truncatum seed oil when making cold vegetable dishes adds a unique flavor and replenishes nervonic acid. Using Acer truncatum seed oil when frying eggs or tofu at low temperatures adds rich nutrition to the dish without destroying its nutrients. Xanthoceras sorbifolium oil is also rich in nervonic acid; the oil extracted from its fruit is golden and clear, emitting a unique aroma, and can be used in daily cooking, bringing health and deliciousness to the family table. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, such as anthocyanins. These antioxidants can eliminate free radicals in the body, reduce the damage of oxidative stress to nerve cells, and indirectly support nerve health, like putting a “protective armor” on nerve cells. Black fungus contains abundant dietary fiber and polysaccharides, which have anticoagulant and lipid-lowering effects, improving blood circulation, providing good blood supply to nerve tissue, and maintaining the normal function of nerve tissue. In daily diet, these special ingredients can be properly combined. For example, making blueberry yogurt by mixing fresh blueberries with yogurt allows you to enjoy a sweet and sour taste while also getting the nutrition from both blueberries and yogurt, which is very beneficial to nerve health. Stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with meat is a nutritious home-style dish. The crispness of the wood ear mushrooms and the tenderness of the meat combine to provide the body with a variety of nutrients, which work together to protect nerve health.
