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Nootropics Expert® readers often ask me which supplements I personally use. And what I recommend as a multivitamin, or for sleep, energy, or nootropic stack.
And for years it was a challenge providing these recommendations. Because no single company produced every supplement I was using.
But that all changed about a six years ago. And my supplement recommendations became a whole lot easier.
I’ve been using several different formulations by a company called Performance Lab® for the last 6 years.
The quality and unique stacks Performance Lab have put together are by far the best supplements I’ve ever used.
It’s a difference I can feel.
Performance Lab is a relatively new line of supplements by industry veterans based in the UK and a sister company to Mind Lab Pro®, the pre-formulated nootropic stack which I’ve been using since I founded Nootropics Expert.
This range of supplements are exactly what I’ve been searching for. The quality is superior. And the combination of ingredients in each formulation is what I’ve been doing on my own with individual supplements for over a decade.
These are the supplements I’ve tested from the Performance Lab line so far:
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi for men and women – NutriGenesis® lab-grown vitamins and minerals include cofactors, enzymes and probiotics that enhance nutrient bioavailability, metabolism, and body and brain utilization.
Daily stamina, whole-body performance, and long-range overall health for the entire body; customized support for men’s and women’s unique nutritional needs.
Performance Lab® Energy – Provides whole-body and brain energy on a cellular level; a caffeine-free method of enhancing energy for body and mind.
It supports cellular ATP energy production, mitochondrial genesis and function, fat metabolism, and overall metabolic efficiency.
Performance Lab® Mind – Nootropic stack for mental recovery and brain health support. Supports focus, mental processing speed, cognition under stress, multitasking, motivation, memory, and brain health recovery.
It supports brain energy metabolism, cerebral circulation, brain cell regeneration, neurotransmitters, and long-range brain health.
Performance Lab® Caffeine 2 – A smarter and cleaner caffeine + L-Theanine stimulant stack; for increased alertness and better multitasking, improved attention during sustained focus over longer time periods, better distraction resistance, and enhanced attention-switching performance.
Not your ordinary stimulant supplement, this unique formulation counterbalances the stress caffeine puts on your system. It replenishes depleted neurotransmitters and B-Vitamins, suppresses cortisol, and increases Alpha brain waves.
Just pure, clean stimulation when you want it without the jitters or anxiety associated with caffeine consumption.
Performance Lab® MCT – Pure, organic MCT oil extracted from 100% organic non-GMO coconuts. This MCT oil is calibrated to provide exactly 7.1 g (60%) Caprylic Acid (C-8) and 5.1 g (40%) Capric Acid (C-10) in each tablespoon dose.
Performance Lab® MCT quickly provides ketones your mitochondria use for ATP synthesis. For more cellular energy and less fatigue.
As a nootropic, MCT oil enhances alertness, energy and focus, appetite suppression, and an elevated feeling of happiness. And you can use this instead of unrefined coconut oil to ensure the bioavailability of any fat-soluble nootropics in your stack.
Performance Lab® Sleep – Helps you get to sleep faster, reduces sleep-disruptive muscle spasms, extends regenerative sleep phases, helps rejuvenate body and brain.
It supports calming brain neurotransmitters, muscle and nervous system relaxation, muscle and joint comfort, and healthy circadian rhythm.
Performance Lab® Vision – Competitive vision enhancer (great for gaming) and macular health support. Enhances high-speed focus, motion detection, dark and night-vision adaptation, contrast sensitivity, glare recovery, and reaction time.
It supports macular pigment and helps prevent macular degeneration, ocular circulation, retinal transmission speed, eye antioxidant defense, and long-range eye health.
Performance Lab® Prebiotic – Microbiome support for digestive, immune and metabolic health. Optimizes digestive health, regularity and comfort, healthy immune system gut function, heart health, weight management, and gut-brain axis for mood.
It stimulates growth of good Bifidobacterium microflora in the gastrointestinal tract while contributing to daily soluble fiber intake.
Performance Lab® Omega-3 – Upgrade your fish oil to an ultra-clean Omega-3 supplement made from algae. It enhances cell membrane structure and function for healthy whole-body performance. Support your heart, circulation and overall cognitive performance.
Maintain a healthy brain, eyes, and central nervous system. And support protein synthesis, muscle preservation and muscle recovery. This Omega-3 provides a 2:1 DHA to EPA ratio associated with balanced healthy brain and immune response. No fishy smell, fishy aftertaste or related digestive issues.
Performance Lab® PL-Immune™ – Support for a weakened immune system caused by insufficient vitamins and minerals in your diet, toxins, stress, and over-training. Formulated to help increase the number and activity of immune cells in your brain and body.
PL-Immune™ contains a effective dose of Setria® Glutathione, your master antioxidant needed to defend your brain and body against oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals, a cofactor for several antioxidant enzymes, and helps regenerate Vitamin C and E already in your system.
And this immune formula contains IMMUSE™ which is a patented strain of Lactococcus lactis probiotic that also functions to activate your immune system. IMMUSE™ activates plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC).
7 clinical trials have shown that pDC can activate immune cells such as NK, Killer-T, Helper-T, and B cells, providing broad range immune support.
Those are the supplements I’ve reviewed so far and continue to use every day. Click on each link above for a complete review.
Honestly, these are some of the best supplements I’ve ever used. And the price is surprisingly competitive.
The company also supplies a pre-workout supplement line “Pre-Lab Pro”.
In this preview I’ll share why I believe this to be the best supplement brand on the planet today.
Pure Ingredients
Not too long ago I wrote a post on tips for choosing the highest quality nootropic supplements. And said, “Once you find a company you know is trustworthy, do your best to buy the bulk of your nootropic supplements from them.”
The dietary supplement business has received a lot of bad press lately. For selling inferior quality supplements to an unsuspecting public.
It’s why I wrote the post and why I’m ecstatic that Performance Lab® is now available.
The company grows their own nutrients (NutriGenesis®), uses standardized herbs, or patented ingredients in every one of their supplement formulas.
It’s the only way Performance Lab can guarantee herb or nutrient potency and consistency. And ensure their safety at recommended doses.
Standardized ingredients are also typically more potent. Which often means needing smaller doses for the same effect.
And some of the patented ingredients Performance Lab uses in each formula – compounds like MicroActive® Q10, BioPQQ®, Setria® Glutathione, and Cognizin® – often incorporate advanced delivery systems which enhances bioavailability.
I’ve been using, researching and writing about dietary supplements and nootropics for many years. And it’s clear to me that Performance Lab® has taken the time to identify and source the best ingredients in the world.
NutriGenesis®
I recently wrote a post called “How to Select the Best Multivitamin for Brain Function”. And in that post, I said, “If your multivitamin/mineral supplement doesn’t seem to be providing a benefit you can feel …
… chances are you bought the wrong supplement.”
Most of the multivitamins and supplements sold by the big chain discount stores or drug stores are often cheaper, synthetic, and usually petroleum-based compounds. And not food-based supplements.
Your body cannot use synthetic vitamins for any kind of health benefit. And in fact, some are downright toxic and can cause lasting damage to your body.[i]
Our bodies are designed to get nutrients from food. But since even the highest quality fruits and vegetables cannot provide the nutrients our body needs, we need to get it from a supplement.[ii]
So how do you produce vitamins and minerals that are identical to those we get from food?
Performance Lab uses their own proprietary NutriGenesis® to make their vitamins and minerals. And they are ‘nature-identical’ to the nutrients we get from food. Our bodies recognize them as food.
NutriGenesis vitamins and minerals grow in a yeast culture in a sterile lab-type environment. This process replicates the natural creation of these nutrients in plants.
The resulting nutrients come with the natural cofactors, enzymes, fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants just like they do when produced in plants.
The vitamins and minerals in Performance Lab products are safer, cleaner, eco-friendly, and nature-identical. Unlike conventional multivitamins found on the supermarket shelf.
World’s Cleanest Formulas
Ever noticed “other ingredients” listed at the bottom of most supplement labels?
Other ingredients can include hydrogenated palm oil, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, artificial colors like Yellow #6, cellulose, magnesium stearate, titanium dioxide, silica, and the list goes on and on.
Supplement manufacturers add “other ingredients” for a variety of reasons. But not even one does anything good for your health.
Performance Lab supplement formulas do NOT contain soy, egg, fish, shellfish, dairy, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, or other allergens.
The company’s supplements are non-GMO and non-irradiated. They are free of gluten, caffeine, synthetic additives, artificial colors, preservatives and banned substances.
No surprises during routine lab work or testing by your athletic association or authority.
The only “other ingredient” in Performance Lab supplements is the capsule itself.
Better Absorption
If you cannot feel a supplement when you take it, you are either perfectly healthy and do not need to supplement.
Or your body is not getting the benefit of what you are using. Because of the delivery mechanism. How the ingredients get into your body matters.
Performance Lab uses NutriCaps® which are easy-to-digest capsules made from pullulan (fermented tapioca). And NutriGels® are made with tapioca, caramel, glycerin, and purified water only.
Other vegan softgels are made with carrageenan which has been linked in clinical studies to inflammation.
And some supplement manufacturers use capsules labeled “cellulose” which may appear natural. But are actually made of a semi-synthetic polymer.
NutriCaps and NutriGels disintegrate right away. Ensuring you are getting the benefit of every ingredient in each capsule.
And Performance Lab infuses each capsule with a prebiotic that helps support your digestion.
I’m not aware of any other quality supplement manufacturer who goes the extra mile by using NutriCaps and NutriGels.
Know Exactly What I’m Taking
One of my other pet-peeves are “proprietary blends” supplement manufacturers use to hide specific dosages of ingredients.
I’ve conducted thousands of hours of research for each supplement I use daily. I know what research shows to be a therapeutic or effective dose of each ingredient.
If I don’t know how much of a compound is in a “proprietary blend”, I cannot know how much extra I may need to add for my specific health issues.
Performance Lab discloses exactly how much of each ingredient is in each bottle. And to ensure label accuracy, the company conducts quality-control before, during, and after the manufacturing process.
Then Performance Lab uses a third-party auditing company that assays the finished product to ensure potency, purity, and label accuracy.
With Performance Lab I know exactly what I’m taking in every dose.
No Overlap Between Supplements
One of the more difficult challenges when buying premade supplement stacks is avoiding toxicity.
For example, say a multivitamin contains my daily maximum dose of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine).
And the nootropic supplement I want to try also contains Vitamin B6. But I know that a dose exceeding 200 mg per day of B6 can cause neurological disorder and loss of feeling in my legs.
So I must make a choice between the pre-made nootropic stack I want to try, or my daily multivitamin.
This is a huge problem in the supplement industry. Even with products made by the same manufacturer.
Performance Lab avoids this ingredient overlap. Their NutriGenesis Multi works in harmony with any other supplement in their product line. No fear of overlap or toxicity. No bad choices.
Good for the Planet
I’ve never been able to reconcile how a supplement company can promote their product for your health. And ignore the health of the planet by using toxic packaging.
Performance Lab uses BPA-free bottles manufactured from recycled content which are also 100% recyclable when you’ve finished the bottle.
They send their product to your door in recyclable shipping boxes using biodegradable packing peanuts to protect the product.
Even the ingredients used in their formulas are environmentally friendly. For example, their Mind supplement uses Sharp-PS® Green. A soy-free form of phosphatidylserine (PS) made with a patented eco-friendly manufacturing process.
Their NutriGenesis vitamins and minerals are lab-grown. Avoiding the herbicides, pesticides, carbon footprint and destructive farming and mining practices associated with other vitamin and mineral forms.
I don’t have to feel guilty about feeling good using Performance Lab supplements.
Made in the USA
Performance Lab supplements are manufactured in a state-of-the-art, FDA-registered and inspected, GMP-certified plant in New Jersey.
The company ships to most countries world-wide within hours of placing your order.
Performance Lab provides customer support 24/7, 7-days a week. And the average response time for emailed questions is 30 minutes or less. That’s amazing customer service by any standard.
The Bottom-line
If you’re over 40, you may remember the 1972 Life cereal commercial starring John Gilchrist. He played the kid “Mikey” in the TV ad. At some point in the commercial the announcer always said, “Mikey likes it!”.
My wife reminds me of that commercial when it comes to supplements. She is extremely sensitive and has experienced a bad reaction to nearly every supplement she’s ever tried.
But she loves the Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi for women. She says it feels natural. It does not cause any type of bad reaction like other quality multivitamins she’s tried. And she feels better using it.
I personally love this line of supplements and can feel the difference when using them.
Performance Lab has the best and most well-thought-out nutrient formulas. You will NOT find these combinations in any other supplement line.
I’ve found my mood is always good. Cognition and quick thinking is better then ever. My digestion is regular. Vision is clearer and more comfortable. And energy levels last all day.
I highly recommend every Performance Lab supplement . And look forward to reviewing each new supplement Performance Lab introduces in the future.
If you’d like to learn more about Performance Lab, visit their website before you go: PerformanceLab.com
Join The Discussion - 18 comments
DevD
August 14, 2021
Hi, could you please help to understand how PL-Immune works with people suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) disease. I am wondering whether PL-Immune can improve the condition or make it even worse. It would be helpful if you can point out some study or paper. Thanks
David Tomen
August 15, 2021
This study says “Liposomal glutathione as a promising candidate for immunological rheumatoid arthritis therapy” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6661417/). So, it seems to me it should help and improve your condition rather than make it worse.