ProNurse

By Lyndsay Moss Health Correspondent

Drinking a special cocktail of nutrients and vitamins could help improve the memories of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research.

Scientists believe the drink can boost the memories of patients by stimulating the growth of new connections in the brain.

Campaigners said the findings suggested the drink should be investigated further to help patients with Alzheimer’s in future.

About 700,000 people in the UK have dementia, and that number is forecast to double in a generation.

The new cocktail, known as Souvenaid, was developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

It contains three nutrients – uridine, choline and omega-3 fatty acid DHA – which play a role in the formation of fatty molecules that make up brain cell membranes. The drink also contains other ingredients, including B vitamins and antioxidants.

The researchers studied 225 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease. Half of the patients took the nutrient cocktail, while half took a “control” drink. After 12 weeks the group taking the cocktail did better in verbal memory tests – remembering words – than those taking the control drink.

The researchers found 40 per cent the patients who received the nutrients improved in the tests, compared with 24 per cent in the control group.

Patients with the mildest forms of Alzheimer’s saw the most improvement, according to the study in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

But other measures of Alzheimer’s disease, including tests of activities linked to daily living, were unchanged.

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, patients typically suffer a major loss of the brain connections necessary for memory and information processing.

The researchers said stimulating the growth of new brain connections – known as synapses – could help improve memory.

Researcher Richard Wurtman said: “If you can increase the number of synapses by enhancing their production, you might to some extent avoid that loss of cognitive ability.”

The study was welcomed by dementia campaigners.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: "It’s very early days, but this study does suggest that this multinutrient drink is worthy of further investigation to help people with mild Alzheimer’s.

"Some nutrients are being investigated separately to see if they can benefit people with Alzheimer’s.

“The Alzheimer’s Research Trust is currently supporting work looking at the effects of B vitamins, found in dairy products, and omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, on Alzheimer’s disease. We know that lifestyle, including diet, has a role to play in Alzheimer’s.”

© 2010 Scotsman, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

<img src = “http://content.yellowbrix.com/images/content/cimage.nsp?ctype=full_story&story_id=139748385&id=monsteruk&ip_id=ProQuest+Public&source_id=Scotsman%2C+The&category=UK+Nursing”/>