Never heard of inositol? Yet this small molecule plays a huge role in your body. It's closely linked to cell walls, your nervous system, and thus your mental performance.
Find out where it has its fingers in the pie and what tasks it takes on here!
Table of contents
1. What is inositol?
Inositol used to be classified as a vitamin and referred to as vitamin B8 , as it does indeed share some similarities with the B vitamins . However, this designation is no longer valid , as inositol is chemically an alcohol , which has nothing to do with the alcohol we find in drinks and food.
Only structural similarities allow it to be classified as an alcohol. Another interesting fact is that inositol has a certain sweetening power , namely about half the strength of the table sugar we know from everyday life. Inositol occurs naturally in plants and animals . The substance is found in our food and in many metabolic processes in the body.
It occurs in nine different , similar forms ( called isomers ). The most important free form is myo-inositol, which you can find in many metabolic processes in your body and which your body even produces in small amounts itself [1].
Take-Home Message #1: Inositol used to be considered a B vitamin, but this definition is no longer accurate, as inositol can be produced by your body. It belongs to the alcohols due to its chemical structure. The most common form is myo-inositol.
2. Where do we find inositol in the human body?
Your body can produce inositol itself, namely from glucose. Since these two molecules are very similar, this is a simple process. Interestingly, the amount of inositol produced is much higher than the nutritional amount, i.e., the amount absorbed through food!
It's found throughout the body, but concentrations are particularly high in the heart , muscles , and brain .
3. The function of inositol
The small molecule plays an important role especially in the following two compartments:
- As a building block of biomembranes
- In the signal transmission between the cells
Why biomembranes are so important in your body
Your body consists of an infinite number of cells— 100 trillion to be exact. They are extremely sensitive and important for every single bodily function.
They are protected by biomembranes , a layer of cells that acts as a protective shield . According to current understanding, membranes have a liquid-crystalline structure .
The membrane is, of course, important to prevent pathogens or unwanted substances from negatively affecting the functions of your cells. Furthermore, each body area, a so-called compartment, is responsible for specific tasks.
The membrane also successfully separates these compartments from each other. This allows your organs to function efficiently, allowing you to carry out your daily tasks without any problems. Now you know what biological membranes serve your cells. What role does inositol play here?
Quite simply: The individual building blocks of biomembranes include a series of chemical molecules. They provide stability, protection, and a barrier.
One important one is an isomer of inositol , namely phosphatidylinositol . It is therefore essential when it comes to ensuring that your cells are not disrupted in their diverse functions by external factors [2].
Take-Home Message #2: Inositol is a building block of biological membranes, which are crucial for your cells. They provide your cells with protection and stability.
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Signal transmission and your mental performance
The thought process in your brain is a key factor in your mental performance, no matter the situation. Whether it's exams at university, creative projects at the office, subtle reactions in sports, complex calculations, difficult decisions, conversations, or simple everyday challenges: thoughts play a crucial role and are controlled by your brain around the clock.
Insights and emotions are used to create solutions to problems. This is all necessary to master tasks successfully. The entire thought process in your brain is invisible from the outside and is a true phenomenon. We constantly strive to optimize it in order to achieve peak mental performance .
What's going on in your brain right now? The brain is a true marvel of nature and consists of approximately 100 million brain cells. They belong to the central nervous system and are, of course, all interconnected, as chemical and electrical activity takes place between them.
This activity forms these connections. One can also imagine it as a communication system that enables appropriate responses to stimuli from anywhere.
Now things get a bit biochemical. Simply explained, this communication system includes, as mentioned, the brain cells. They communicate with each other to coordinate the activities of tissues and organs and adapt to changing external conditions.
When they receive an external stimulus, they must respond somehow. This stimulus is passed on as information from cell to cell until it reaches the organ or organs that are supposed to respond to it.
This happens so incredibly quickly in your body that you don't even notice it. This transmission of information is technically called "signal transduction."
This occurs through the chemical or electrical activity mentioned above. To ensure that the information actually travels from cell to cell, so-called chemical messengers can be released, for example, which dock onto a receptor on the preceding cell and thus inform the cell. The receptor ensures that the information reaches the cell and enters the cell interior.
The better this communication, the better the thought process and thus your mental performance. There are a multitude of chemical messengers in nature, but of course, you don't have to memorize them all. But that brings us to inositol .
This small chemical molecule serves as one of the many chemical messengers and is therefore present in particularly high concentrations in the brain [3]. It circulates between brain cells and thus acts as a messenger, transmitting information .
It's important that this forwarding works flawlessly [4]. This ensures that information gets to where it's supposed to go, ensuring an appropriate response in your project, your exam, your important meeting, your sporting competition, your important conversation, and in everyday life in general.
So you can see how important communication between the cells in your body, and especially in your brain, is. No matter the situation, it's often a matter of being fully present and being able to tap into your full mental potential .
Because lightning-fast reactions, mental strength and the ability to effectively process information such as names and responsibilities are always needed in everyday life.
Take-Home Message #3: Your brain controls your thought process. Signals are transported from one brain cell to another, a process called signal transduction. This is extremely important for reaching your full mental potential. Inositol is involved in this entire process.
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Further functions of inositol from clinical studies
Inositol has been studied in several clinical studies regarding its effects on the body. However, many more clinical studies are needed before general, health-related statements can be made.
Researchers have closely examined inositol due to its effect as a messenger substance in the central nervous system and reported encouraging effects [5].
4. Which foods are good sources of inositol?
As already mentioned, inositol is also found in plants and can be absorbed in small amounts through food. However, the amount produced by the body itself significantly predominates. These foods are a good source of inositol [6]:
- Beans
- Citrus fruits
- Whole grain products
- Nuts
- green leafy vegetables
5. Are there any known side effects?
Insoitol is a naturally occurring substance that is also produced by your body [7]. As with many other substances, you should never overdo it and always consider the dosage carefully. Clinical studies have not shown any serious side effects , but supplementation should still be used with caution .
6. Buy Inositol
Inositol is a popular supplement and is often purchased for its role in the nervous system. Consumers hope to benefit mood and well-being, as well as brain performance [8].
As a neurotransmitter in your brain, it plays an important role in the transmission of information , which is why inositol is often used in this context.
Another reported benefit is the effect of inositol on fat redistribution in the body. According to initial studies, it may improve the production of energy from fat [9].
These benefits of inositol are being intensively investigated in research, but further studies are still lacking to make general, health-related statements.
In what form can you buy inositol as a supplement?
Inositol is available in pure powder form and, based on experience , dissolves well in water, or in capsule form. The inositol content varies from product to product and can be adjusted to suit individual needs.
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7. Conclusion
Your body can produce inositol itself from glucose. Among other things, it serves as a building block for the biological membrane and is therefore important for the protection and stability of your cells. Furthermore, in your brain, it transmits neurotransmitters and information between brain cells.
8. Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12358779
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21583/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1309233
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9169302
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11386498
[6] https://examine.com/supplements/inositol/
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5078644/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3660126/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7751073
