Product Description
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.
- Gluten free
Supplement Facts
30 Servings
Serving Size: One Capsule
Serving Per Container: 30
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Nicotinamide Riboside Hydrogen Malate 415mg | ** | |
| CognatiQ® Coffee Fruit extract (whole fruit) (Coffea arabica) 100mg | ** | |
| Betaine Anhydrous (Trimethylglycine) 85mg | ** | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Daily Value (DV) not established
Always Happy Promise: Don't like a product? Tell us within 30 days of receipt and we'll make it right and make you happy. Here at The Feed, we want you to love your experience and the sports nutrition products you purchase. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with your nutrition specific purchase, tell us.
We do not accept returns on food items that have been opened, but we will issue a store credit if you are unsatisfied. In the event of a return, you must first contact us before sending back a return shipment.
Consumable products over $40 receive a 50% store credit. This includes specialty nutrition products such as ketones or supplements/vitamins.
Thorne Brain Factors FAQ's
Everything you need to know before getting started.
BDNF — brain-derived neurotrophic factor — is the protein that drives the growth of new brain cells and maintains the communication networks between existing ones. It's critical for learning, memory consolidation, and mood regulation. BDNF levels decline with age and are suppressed by chronic stress — including the stress of sustained high training volume. CognatiQ™ coffee fruit extract is a patented, clinically studied ingredient shown to support healthy BDNF levels without relying on caffeine as the primary mechanism.
NAD+ is the coenzyme every cell uses to produce energy, repair DNA, and regulate its circadian rhythm. It's found in every cell in the body, but levels decline significantly with age and are further depleted by chronic stress and high metabolic demand. Brain cells are among the most energy-intensive cells in the body — when NAD+ runs low, cognitive function, memory, and mood are among the first things to suffer. Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) is a highly bioavailable precursor that the body converts into NAD+, helping restore healthy levels.
They target different things. Brain Factors is a daily foundational supplement aimed at long-term brain health — supporting BDNF levels, restoring NAD+, and optimizing methylation for cognitive resilience over time. Memoractiv is an acute nootropic stack designed to enhance same-session focus, concentration, and reaction time. Many athletes benefit from running both: Brain Factors as their daily brain health foundation, Memoractiv on training days or races when they need an immediate cognitive edge.
Brain Factors is not a stimulant — its benefits build with consistent daily use over weeks. BDNF support and NAD+ restoration are cumulative processes. Most users notice improvements in mental clarity, focus, and mood resilience after 2–4 weeks of daily supplementation. For same-day focus benefits, pair with an acute nootropic like Memoractiv.
CognatiQ™ is a whole coffee fruit extract, but it is not a significant source of caffeine. The cognitive benefits come from the bioactive polyphenols in the fruit rather than the caffeine content. Athletes sensitive to stimulants can take Brain Factors without concern about caffeine-related effects.