Souvenaid
Souvenaid® is a nutritional supplement that contains a combination of nutrients that are thought to support brain functions affected in early Alzheimer’s disease.
Talk to your doctor before using Souvenaid. Dementia Australia does not endorse any nutritional treatment related to dementia.
About Souvenaid
Some studies suggests Souvenaid may support memory function, but it is not a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and it will not stop the disease from progressing over time.
Souvenaid is produced by Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, a healthcare division of the multi-national French food company, Danone. Souvenaid is manufactured in The Netherlands.
Souvenaid contains a combination of nutrients, including:
- uridine monophosphate
- choline
- omega-3 fatty acids
- phospholipids
- vitamin C
- vitamin E
- selenium
- vitamin B6
- vitamin B12
- folic acid.
Research suggests each of these is important for brain health, in building healthy cell membranes and connections between cells.
How Souvenaid works
Exactly how Souvenaid works is not known.
The nutrients in Souvenaid help build cell membranes and synapses. Alzheimer’s disease causes damage to synapses, which are the connections that brain cells use to communicate with each other.
As synapses are damaged and lost, brain function becomes impaired. Souvenaid may support the building of synapses, but currently there is no evidence that this actually occurs.
A clinical trial involving people with moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease failed to demonstrate any benefits of Souvenaid.
There is no evidence that Souvenaid benefits people who do not have Alzheimer’s disease, such as those with other forms of dementia, those with concerns about their memory, or those wanting to prevent dementia.
The evidence for Souvenaid
Based on existing studies, there isn’t enough evidence to recommend Souvenaid for people with moderate to advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
Souvenaid can be considered as one option for people with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease.
It is not possible to say whether individuals or their families will notice any difference from taking Souvenaid.
If you want to know if Souvenaid is suitable for you, talk to your doctor.
Souvenaid is not suitable for people with galactosaemia (a rare genetic disorder of galactose metabolism). Souvenaid contains ingredients obtained from milk, fish/seafood and soy, and should not be used by people with allergies to any of these. Souvenaid is gluten and lactose free.
Taking Souvenaid
The recommended dose of Souvenaid is one 125ml bottle per day. Souvenaid is not a meal replacement.
Some people taking Souvenaid reported dizziness, diarrhoea and headache. However, this was similar to a control group of people who did not take Souvenaid.
Souvenaid can be purchased at Australian pharmacies or directly from Nutritica. Souvenaid does not require a prescription from a doctor, but we recommend that its use is supervised by a healthcare professional.
There is no government subsidy available for Souvenaid, so the full cost must be borne by the consumer.
However, for veterans, the RPRC (Repatriation Pharmaceutical Reference Committee) will assess Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) funding applications for Souvenaid on a case-by-case basis. RPRC applications must be submitted by a clinician and certain criteria must be fulfilled for funding to be approved. This funding is applicable to all DVA Gold card holder
If you want to know more about Souvenaid and whether it might be suitable for you, talk to their doctor.
