A nutrient drink called Souvenaid shows promise in improving synapse formation and function for Alzheimer's patients, according to the most recent study done byRichard Wurtman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wurtman created the product.
He reports in the July 10th online edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease that an earlier study in patients with Alzheimer’s disease showed that Souvenaid increased memory performance after 12 weeks. His new study showed that Souvenaid is well tolerated and improves memory performance, which suggests that Souvenaid has an effect on brain functional connectivity.
The drink will not be made available to the public until further research has been done. Even then, however, William Thies of the Alzheimer's Association warns that consumers should exercise caution. Thies told MedPage Today, "I don't think it has any effect on the fundamental diseases process, but we'll see. Medical foods do not have a requirement for FDA premarket approval, but they do have a requirement for having a scientific foundation and some evidence of efficacy. But they don't have the kind of data we would find for a medication. There isn't a clear diet that prevents you from getting Alzheimer's disease or improves your memory
Thies adds that medical foods for Alzheimer's most likely won't be covered by insurance.
