Nutritional intervention may reduce effects of aging on cognition
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SAN DIEGO — With prevalence of age-related cognitive decline and limited curative treatment options, nutritional interventions may prevent or delay symptom onset, per a presenter at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
“There are individuals who lose their memory and don’t have Alzheimer’s disease and may not have any pathology that a physician can identify,” Christian J. Camargo, MD, of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said regarding his poster presentation. “What can be done for the individuals who say, ‘I don’t want to lose my car keys everyday?’”
Camargo and fellow researchers aimed to test the effect of Souvenaid, an oral multi-nutrient combination manufactured by Nutricia, in those with age-related cognitive decline in the REACTION (Reducing the Effects of Aging on Cognition with Therapeutic Intervention of an Oral multi-Nutrient combination) pilot study.
The study is an ongoing 6-month, single-center randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, which factored in local COVID-19 restrictions and was conducted fully virtually. From 141 initial inquiries, 60 individuals with an ARCD diagnosis were successfully screened and assigned on a 1:1 basis to either Souvenaid or placebo. The main outcome of the trial is feasibility (recruitment rate and time, adherence rate and retention rate), with memory (eg Ray Verbal Learning Task), cognition (eg Oral Trail Making Test) and quality of life (eg Amsterdam IADL Questionnaire) as secondary outcomes.
Results showed that the mean age of participants was 69.9 years, with 51% of individuals identifying as Hispanic. A total of 17% of participants are men.
“We’re on our way, based on the trend, to prove feasibility. We look forward to completing the baseline and follow-up investigations so that we can do the final analysis,” Camargo said in his presentation. “And we can use this study to determine the sample size and power necessary to do a large-scale, definitive, outcome study to determine efficacy.”