Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex condition that can affect people in different ways. The earliest symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is usually short term memory loss. Later symptoms can typically include difficulty with planning and problem solving, and sometimes problems with low mood.¹

The connections in the brain, called synapses, are continuously re-formed throughout life. This means that existing synapses are replaced every 3-6 months with new ones. In a healthy brain the amount of new synapses that are formed matches the amount that are lost.

In early Alzheimer’s disease however, the loss of synapses becomes accelerated. It is not yet understood why this is the case, however research suggests that synaptic loss occurs very early in the disease progression. The loss of synapses is one of the key features of early Alzheimer’s disease.

There are an estimated 850,000 people with dementia in the UK¹

Finding the missing nutrients

People living with early Alzheimer’s disease have been shown to have relatively low levels of certain nutrients in their bodies, despite eating a normal diet^2,3,4,5,6,7. These nutrients are important for making new synapses. Omega 3 fatty acids, uridine monophosphate and choline, together with several key vitamins, all work together to help this process.

Research suggests that taking a carefully formulated oral nutritional supplement may be beneficial where the levels of vitamins, omega-3-fatty acids, and the other nutrients (including uridine monophosphate and choline) are above those that can be achieved in a normal diet.

How does Souvenaid work?

Souvenaid is a medical nutrition product that contains a unique patented combination of nutrients designed to support synapse formation in early Alzheimer's disease.

Souvenaid Belgium, Early Alzheimer Disease, AMN

Clinical Evidence for Souvenaid

LipiDiDiet study is the first clinical trial to investigate the effects of a medical food in patients with prodromal Alzheimer's disease, often referred to as "Mild Cognitive Impairment" (MCI), and considered early stage AD.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs362/en/ accessed 18/01/2016 Ritchie C et al. Souvenaid: A new approach to Alzheimer’s disease, J. Nutrition, Health & Aging 2014: 18(3): 291–9; Olde Rikkert MG, Verhey FR, Blesa R et al. Safety, adherence and the effects on memory of 48-week Souvenaid use in mild Alzheimer’s disease – results from the Souvenir II Open-Label Extension study. Journal of Alzheimer’s disease 2015; 44:471–480
Ref Salerno-Kennedy et al. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2005
Regular intake of fish  Ref Kalmijn . J Nutr Health Aging 2000
Barberger-Gateau et al. BMJ 2002
Mediterranean diet Ref. Solfrizzi et al. Expert Rev. Neurother. 2011
Adherence to nutritional recommendations in middle-age adults is associated with future memory performance ref Kesse-Guyot et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2011
Kesse-Guyot et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2011

Important Notice

All products shown here are Foods for Special Medical Purposes and must be used under medical supervision. See individual product labels or product data cards for more information.

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Early Alzheimer’s Disease

Finding the missing nutrients