Summary: TruBrain Nootropic Bars Review
Like the TruBrain drinks, TruBrain Nootropic Bars are a high quality product with high quality cognitive enhancers that (yes!) do work for both immediate and long-term brain health. However, in the case of these bars, the focus is more so on immediate brain boosting (which is exciting), although some of that immediacy comes by way of caffeine (which is anticlimactic). What isn’t anticlimactic is TruBrain’s choice of Noopept, a racetam-like brain booster that will provide a sense of clarity and focus in your day to day. Unfortunately, this choice comes at a high cost (see PRICING below). All in all, TruBrain Nootropic Bars are impressive, but frankly I don’t think they’re worth forking over all that money for.
Page Contents
About TruBrain Bars
- TruBrain Nootropic Bars are (exactly as they sound) nootropic-infused snack bars by TruBrain, the popular brand behind those slick nootropic drink pouches you’ve likely heard of.
- TruBrain supplies an impressive mix of nootropics, most notably Noopept and the L-theanine + caffeine combo, as well as one of my favorite brain boosters for daily health support: citicoline.
- Nutritionally, TruBrain also provides 20g of a clean carbohydrates and 5g protein—so it’s not exactly a “protein bar,” which are all the rage right now, but it’s a great source of healthy, fast-acting energy.
- TruBrain Bars, like the brand’s other supplements, are pretty damn expensive. Even with Noopept, a rare ingredient in the pre-made supplement market, I think this is ridiculously overpriced and is intended more to create the illusion of this being a “premium” snack bar… which come on lol grow up.
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TruBrain Bars Ingredients |
|
| Nutrition Facts | Amount Per Serving |
| Total Fat | 9g (12% DV) |
| Saturated Fat | 3g (15% DV) |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg (0% DV) |
| Sodium | 40mg (2% DV) |
| Total Carbohydrate | 20g (7% DV) |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g (18% DV) |
| Total Sugars | 7g |
| Includes 0g Added Sugars | (0% DV) |
| Protein | 5g |
| Vitamin D | 0mcg (0% DV) |
| Calcium | 20mg (2% DV) |
| Iron | 1.1mg (6% DV) |
| Potassium | 0mg (0% DV) |
Serving Size: 1 Bar (45g), Calories 180
Other Ingredients: Dates, Sunflower Butter, Organic Chocolate Liquor, Almonds, Natural Flavors, Coconut Chips, Vanilla Protein Powder (Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein, Quinoa, Milet, Chia, Flaxseed, Hemp, Sacha Inchi, Natural Flavors, Stevia Extract, Lo Han Extract, Guar Gum, Xantham Gum, Acacia Gum), Tapioca Fiber, Organic Cacao Powder, D-Ribose, Citicoline, Organic Coconut Nectar, L-Theanine, Mixed Tocopherois, Organic Caffeine, Noopept, Organic Stevia Extract; Contains: Coconut.
How to Take? From the TruBrain website: “We like to eat a TruBrain Bar when we feel a mid-afternoon brain fog or sluggishness coming on strong, or an hour before our workouts with plenty of fluids.”
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One of the more unique nootropic bars out on the market right now, TruBrain Bars, in true TruBrain fashion, take a bold approach to brain boosting, thanks in large part to the bars’ use of Noopept.
However, Noopept isn’t the only nootropic in this brain health bar. Let’s take a look at the main nootropic ingredients in this formula.
TruBrain Bars Review: Ingredients
D-Ribose: An interesting addition here. D-Ribose is a simple sugar directly involved in ATP energy production. (D-Ribose is an ATP substrate.) In cases of mitochondrial dysfunction (associated with clinically poor energy levels), D-Ribose supplementation may help. However, as a general nootropic for a general audience, D-Ribose’s benefits are less clear and possibly even harmful towards cognitive health and performance, if taken in excessive doses. I doubt TruBrain’s D-Ribose will tip the scale, but there you have it.
Citicoline: One of my favorite nootropics for daily brain health support, citicoline is one part cytidine (precursor to brain-energizing uridine) and another part choline, the building block to neurotransmitter acetylcholine. More on Citicoline.
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L-Theanine: Again, another one of my favorite nootropics, L-theanine is an amino acid known for giving green tea its calming, anxiolytic properties. Famously, L-theanine promotes alpha brainwave activity, the brain frequency associated with calm, creative thinking. Nootropic heads know to pair this amino with caffeine (or other stimulants) for its complementary non-sedative relaxing effect on stimulants. More on L-Theanine.
Caffeine: You know what caffeine is. The world’s favorite drug, caffeine boosts focus and energy levels, with possible fat-burning thermogenic benefits as well. Because caffeine is so popular, nootropic companies like to make a big fear-mongering fuss over this compound. With that in mind, if you feel you’re already consuming enough caffeine or trying to avoid it altogether, the caffeine here is probably a deal-breaker. More on Caffeine.
Noopept: This racetam-like compound is the real deal. Piracetam, being the most basic racetam, has research-backed benefits, but few seem to notice these benefits in any acute, noticeable way. Noopept, essentially functioning as a more potent piracetam, delivers the cholinergic brain-boosting benefits of piracetam in a way that you will notice, resulting in what feels like clean focus and greater clarity of mind. This is TruBrain’s X-factor ingredient. More on Noopept.
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TruBrain Bars Review: My Experience
Currently, I’m reviewing all the big name nootropic bars to get an immediate back-to-back sense of which bar is best, and I’ve held off on trying out TruBrain mainly because of its price.
$89 for 12 bars??
Granted, I bought the $65 pack on Amazon instead, but even that’s a lot to shell out for a snack. Even a healthy snack (with Noopept!) such as this.
Having said that, I enjoyed my 12 bars of TruBrain. For awhile now, I’ve been supplementing Noopept (or, alternatively, phenylpiracetam, which I like better), so I’m familiar with its effects. I can say that TruBrain Bar’s Noopept is noticeably effective, although not as much as just straight up Noopept. But the difference there could be somewhat psychological.
It’s also difficult to say what’s the Noopept vs. the caffeine + L-theanine. I love caffeine as much as the next guy, but as far as nootropic supplements go, caffeine always seems to (deliberately) “muddy the water,” so to speak, in terms of discerning which ingredients in a formula are doing what.
If you’ve followed up on the TruBrain peeps for the past however many years, it’s become pretty clear that these guys are money chasers; although to their credit, they do seem to also want to put out something that’s a notch above the competition — with the notch here being, again, Noopept.
I find the whole techy Reddit aesthetic of TruBrain very nauseating and a bit too soyjak for my liking. But all the same, TruBrain is a quality product that, while not exactly my favorite nootropic bar (nor one I’m probably going to buy again anytime soon), will give you a decent nootropic high on top of some great, clean nutrition.
That’s really all you can ask for with a nootropic bar.
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The Pros
- Noopept. No other nootropic bar (that I’m aware of) has anything along the lines of Noopept, which is a distinguishing factor for TruBrain in general.
- Nootropics aside, TruBrain bars taste great and have healthy ingredients for a snack bar, making this just good daily nutrition to add to your workday.
- L-theanine is a must-have for any supplement (or I guess bar) that’s caffeinated. TruBrain smartly pairs L-theanine at a greater dosage than caffeine here for smooth focus and energy.
The Cons
- Nonetheless, the caffeine here is unnecessary, given how much caffeine everyone is already consuming. I’d rather see TruBrain invest in more nootropics than caffeine. Almost always, caffeine is a cheap way to get you to think that a supplement is working better than it is.
- The price is pretty insane at $89 for 12 bars ($7.42 per serving).
Pricing
12 Bars
- $89 for 12 bars, a 12-day supply
- $7.42 per serving
24 Bars
- $139 for 24 bars, a 24-day supply
- $5.79 per serving
By far the most expensive nootropic bar I’ve reviewed yet. I guess this makes somewhat sense, given the uniqueness of this nootropic bar, thanks in large part to the Noopept… However, you can buy Noopept for much cheaper than this, along with a quality nootropic bar that, likewise, sells for much cheaper.
To save 30% (which is a pretty BIG discount), TruBrain does offer a subscribe & save option when buying these bars. This seems like the only reasonable way to get into TruBrain, if you’re planning on taking these long-term.
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Who Takes TruBrain Bars?
Given the price and the “neurohacker” rhetoric associated with the TruBrain brand, TruBrain Bars seem to sell themselves as a sort of “premium” nootropic bar for those who trust that paying more makes you more competitive within the professional arena. Rarely does “paying the most” equal “getting the best” within the realm of nootropics (or supplements in general), and in the case of TruBrain, I think this bar is overvalued.
But that’s perhaps the point: there’s a market for those who are satisfied with buying what’s overvalued. TruBrain tends to that market.
Where to Buy TruBrain Nootropic Bars
You can buy TruBrain Bars through the TruBrain website, as well as Amazon.
Conclusion: Do TruBrain Bars Work?
Yes, TruBrain Bars work. Even though I think they’re way overvalued, TruBrain Bars do a good job of supplying a unique nootropic formula within a clean, natural, and tasty snack bar.
Personally, I get enough caffeine as is through my daily coffee (pot), so I’m not too hyped on the idea of taking TruBrain daily. I also have a personal supply of Noopept and even phenylpiracetam that I take fairly regularly, so TruBrain’s most unique ingredient here (Noopept) isn’t a game-changer in my own day to day.
But for those who don’t have a cabinet full of wild, esoteric cognitive enhancers, TruBrain does offer a convenient source of daily brain boosts and clean, carbohydrate energy. An excellent choice for a mid-work or pre-workout snack—one to tide you over between meals.
Final Rating
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