Wednesday Aug 13, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Doctors say there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease.   That does not mean there is nothing you can do to prevent it or slow the onset of the disease.  Many studies have actually proved that a dietary supplement under the trademark Souvenaid(®) consisting of multiple nutrients is effective at helping maintaining cognitive function in early stages of Alzheimer's disease.The patented nutritional supplement is called Fortasyn Connect or otherwise known as Souvenaid(®), was developed at Nutricia N.V. in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.  While many studies have been completed to demonstrate its efficacy against Alzheimer's disease, clinical research is still ongoing in a few countries to confirm that this medical food effectively prevents synapse losses and synaptic dysfunction, which are involved in the pathological processes of the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.A report recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease explains in detail how each bioactive ingredient or nutrient employed in Souvenaid(®) plays a role to contribute to the protective effect against the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.Souvenaid(®) consists of the following, according to wikipedia:

  • Eicospentaenoic acid (EPA, a common type of omega-3 fatty acid), 300 mg
  • Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, another common type of omega-3 fatty acid), 1200 mg
  • Phospholipids (something that has been known to benefit the brain), 106 mg
  • Choline (Its benefits have been more or less known for its neurological benefits), 400 mg
  • Uridine monophosphate (UMP in short, a nucleotide used in a monomer in RNA. This compound along with choline and DHA have been proved to improve cognitive function in animals), 625 mg
  • Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol equivalents, one common antioxidant), 40 mg
  • Selenium (another part of many antioxidant enzymes) , 60 µg
  • Vitamin B12 (vitamin b12 deficiency is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease or more generally dementia), 3 µg
  • Vitamin B6 (one physiological function is to participate in nucleic acid synthesis), 1 mg
  • Folic acid (it has been tested for its effect against Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment), 400 µg
  • Vitamin C may also be used, according to the report by van Wijk and colleagues although it is not listed on wikipedia.

In one trial reported in 2012 in Journal of Alzheimer's disease, P. Scheltens and colleagues at Alzheimer Center, VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands found supplementation of Souvenaid for 24 weeks significantly increase the memory function domain Z-score of the Neuropsychological Test Battery (NTB).  The supplement was well tolerated and few side effects were observed.Souvenaid(®) is designed to prevent the neuronal and synaptic losses observed in Alzheimer's disease. Synapses are a new target for Alzheimer's disease prevention and treatment.  In comparison, many drugs designed to target the abnormally folded beta amyloid have proved to be ineffective.  (David Liu) References:van Wijk N, Broersen LM, de Wilde MC, Hageman RJ, Groenendijk M, Sijben JW, Kamphuis PJ.  Targeting synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease by administering a specific nutrient combination.  J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;38(3):459-79.Engelborghs S, Gilles C, Ivanoiu A, Vandewoude M.  Rationale and clinical data supporting nutritional intervention in Alzheimer's disease.  Acta Clin Belg. 2014 Jan-Feb;69(1):17-24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souvenaidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer's_diseaseScheltens P, Twisk JW, Blesa R, Scarpini E, von Arnim CA, Bongers A, Harrison J, Swinkels SH, Stam CJ, de Waal H, Wurtman RJ, Wieggers RL, Vellas B, Kamphuis PJ., Efficacy of Souvenaid in mild Alzheimer's disease: results from a randomized, controlled trial.  J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;31(1):225-36.