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Clinical efficacy of oral Souvenaid® as a non-pharmacological support in Alzheimer’s disease – a review

Anna Barczak

Affiliation and address for correspondence
Aktualn Neurol 2017, 17 (2), p. 115–120
DOI: 10.15557/AN.2017.0012
Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is associated not only with cognitive, behavioural and daily functioning impairment, but also with some nutrition deficiencies. Regardless of dementia-related factors leading to malnutrition, the disease itself causes the lack of substances essential for synaptogenesis. Standard pharmacotherapy may be supported by specific dietary interventions, which have beneficial effects on neurotransmission. Souvenaid®, a specialist oral nutritional supplement containing a unique nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect™ that promotes the formation of new synaptic connections, is one of such solutions. Available data indicate safety and beneficial effects of this formulation on the cognitive status of patients with mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. These effects were confirmed in both multicenter, randomised, double-blind European trials as well as in a Polish observational study including 12 patients. Although Souvenaid® appears to have no cognitive benefits in patients with more advanced stages of dementia, it contributes to an increase in the level of nutrients in these patients. A recent project known as LipiDiDiet, which investigated the effects of Souvenaid® on the cognitive status in patients with Alzheimer’s disease who have not yet been diagnosed with dementia, provided ambiguous data as no significant differences were found between the study and the control group for primary endpoints; however, it was demonstrated that regular intake of this formulation by patients with the earliest stage of disease was associated with improved secondary endpoints. The 2-year phase of the study confirmed that the substance is safe as well as that its form and the ease of its use may have positive effects on the nutritional status of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. However, final conclusions are still pending.

Keywords
Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, non-pharmacological support, nutraceuticals

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