Hello Fellow Students!

I just got a case of Gaba Tea drink from the Jones Soda company.  They wanted me to test out their drink supplement for students and I’ve performed my own experiment with amazing results.

Gaba Research

Gaba is a “naturally produced amino acid and is one of the key neurotransmitters in the regulation of proper brain functionality; it helps to increase the production of alpha brain waves, known to enhance focus + clarity.  At the same time it decreases beta brain waves, which are linked to nervousness and scattered thoughts.” (Jones Gaba).

Now I’m usually quite skeptical about new supplements for increased brain power as usually 90% of them are simply packed with sugar (cough red bull) and get you so hopped up on sugar that you feel amazing regardless of what else is in there.  From my research on gaba however, I’ve found quite a bit of research that both refutes and confirms gaba as a study tool.  In my search to see documented proof of the advantages of Gaba the people at Jones Gaba sent me some research data that for me is still in my opinion only exploratory but I’ll let you guys be the judge.

Gaba Research Data

So based on the research I was given, two studies popped out for me.  The first study was performed on school children being dosed with 100mg of Gaba which tried to find out if Gaba would improve students learning and test taking skills.  An N of 54 was used for each experiment with a P value of < 0.10. (see results below)

The Second Study was on Gaba and improved video game scores.  This study had an N of 10 and a P value of 0.06.  Each of these studies do not appear to have much academic rigor and would not be accepted in any kind of academic journal due to their low level of significance and their incredibly low number of subjects (any university student knows you can’t perform a study on 10 ppl and expect significant results).

gaba learning study

Gaba study on video games

Does Jones Gaba Work?

Unconvinced from the supposedly ‘academic’ data I decided to try Gaba myself and dose myself.  I worked on the included Sudoku puzzles, solving one puzzle then dosing myself and trying the second puzzle.  I put the entire thing together in a video which you can watch here:

Amazingly I saw an improvement of over 10 minutes!  Now there are some obvious problems with my little experiment; warming up with a few sudoku’s before starting the experiment being a perfect example.  However, for all my skepticism I would definitely suggest you run out and buy yourself a couple bottles and try it yourself.  You might be amazed by the results.

My Only Suggestions To Jones Gaba

Cut as much sugar as possible:  Sugar is bad for your general and academic health.  Try to cut some more out and we will be golden.

Get some more studies done:  Get some studies that have significant P values and have N’s of over 100!  If you want to win over college kids, you must run large scale studies, students aren’t stupid and can smell bullshit.

Final Thoughts on the Gaba Supplement

As an online tutor and blogger, it is really important that I prescribe sound advice.  Although the product does have some problems, I would suggest students give this product a try, as a test during a low lying period in their semester.  If they feel confident about using the supplement only then should you try to use it before writing a paper or an exam.

Here is the Jones Gaba main site if you’d like to check it out for yourself.

Liam McIvor Martin

D,oh, sometimes I'm so concerned with advanced methods, I forget the basics

I’ve unfortunately committed one of the cardinal sins of critical thinking….

I can’t believe I haven’t addressed this earlier but unfortunately I sometimes don’t see the forest for the trees.

I got an email from a student today, she asked me for some ‘general tips for academic success’. I was just about to throw her an email saying “well, uhh… why don’t you just check out the ENTIRE BLOG, WEBSITE and BOOK!

But I then took a look around the blog and realized I haven’t actually given any of you the basic tips for academic success! I suppose I’ve always just thought that anyone who wanted that info should just check out the VTA Method and consult an online tutor. But I want this blog to be a resource for any student, not just ones that have bought my program (although it’s awesome).

So with that in mind I’m going to start a recurring series of the general tips for academic success. Here is what I’m planning on talking about:

General college study tips

Exam study tips

How to study for finals

Study tips for different types of learners

How to write an A paper

How to create a study schedule

Health tips that will improve study habits

Advanced study tips

I’d like to ask everyone to tell me what I should add to the list, or what I should not talk about. I want it to be a 10 part series so I may rip out one or two and replace them if you have some good ideas. Comment away!

As always, if anybody is interested in online tutoring go check out our VTA Method University Mentorship Program.

Online Tutoring Program

Hello Fellow Students.

I Kinda Like the "Popeye Breakfast" but Meh

I got called out for my breakfast choices so I decided today to show you exactly what I eat for breakfast.  It’s good tasting and good for you.  For all you naysayers who think that you don’t have time for breakfast before class, this should shut you all up.  It took me 4 minutes to cook my breakfast on the video and I can usually do it in three.  So I suggest you all try this as an experiment at least for a week and see what kind of chances you see in your mind, body and mood.

The Components of the Superman Breakfast

- Approximately half a dozen egg whites with one full egg for flavor

- Fresh Baby Spinach, prewashed.

- Salsa or Tabbouleh.  Both excellent options.  The Tabbouleh has more nutrients but is higher in fat, the Salsa is lower in nutrients but higher in fat so go your own way with this one

- Crap loads of water

Cost of the Superman Breakfast

The egg whites cost me 3.29 per liter which works out to approximately .65 with the whole egg

The Spinach lasts me all week and I usually have it twice a day.  At 3.69 per bag that works out to .30 per meal

The salsa costs me approximately .10 per dose

That works out to a grand total of 1.05 for all that food.  

Advantages of the Superman Breakfast

Very little fat, high in minerals and nutrients and incredibly high in protein (18 – 24 grams) which will make you smarter, stronger, faster and will keep your body fat percentage below 10% if you follow that same nutritional theory for every meal.  (Lean protein and lots of veggies)

Here is the Full Video:

So anybody have anything else they’d like to add?  Comment away!