A nutritional supplement to support the management of Alzheimer’s disease

A new study, titled ‘Re-MIND’, from the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI) at South East Technological University (SETU) finds that patients with Alzheimer’s disease who consume a nutritional supplement containing fish oil, carotenoids and vitamin E benefit from targeted nutritional intervention. The authors conclude that this supplement formulation should be considered in the overall management of Alzheimer’s disease. The Editor-In-Chief, Prof George Perry, from the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease identified this work as newsworthy, saying “Re-MIND adds strong clinical evidence to the growing body of data supporting a key role for nutrition in reducing the incidence and slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease with supplements.”

The clinical trial was led by Prof John Nolan and Dr Rebecca Power of the NRCI at SETU along with with Prof Ríona Mulcahy, Consultant Physician in General and Geriatric Medicine at University Hospital Waterford, along with many other expert colleagues.

Re-MIND (Memory Investigation with Nutrition for Dementia), a follow-on from a breakthrough study published by the NRCI in 2018, was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial researching patients with mild to moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Individuals consuming the nutritional supplement demonstrated statistically significant increases in their blood concentrations of carotenoids (plant-based pigments that give fruits and vegetables their colours), omega-3 fatty acids (the building blocks of our cells), and vitamin E (one of four essential fat-soluble vitamins) after 12 months in comparison to patients receiving a placebo. The main outcomes of the trial included slower rates of disease progression, and greater improvements in mood and memory (as reported by the carers) of patients receiving the active intervention.

Commenting on the study, Prof Mulcahy said, “This works adds significantly to the accumulating body of evidence that good nutrition has a key role in the prevention or delay in onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The nutritional intervention in Re-MIND gives a specific combination of xanthophyll carotenoids, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E with resultant positive outcomes for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Given the exponential rise in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, we need to optimise modifiable risk factors and evidence based nutritional advice should be considered in the overall-management.”

Dr Power added, “The findings from the present study are important as they show that nutritional deficiencies in this population group can be addressed. This in turn can have a positive impact on disease progression and symptoms, and aid in the overall management of the disease. The results from Re-MIND highlight the opportunity for dietary intervention as a non-pharmacological therapy in assisting in the management of Alzheimer’s disease. Larger-scaled trials will be important to replicate these findings and to explore other research questions related to the role of nutrition in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Prof Nolan explained the evidence-base: “The many scientific discoveries over the last two decades have led us to this point. Our earlier published studies clearly demonstrated that carotenoids are related to cognitive function in the general population across all ages. When combined with omega-3 fish oil we see improved response of the carotenoids in blood, and improvements in cognitive function can be achieved with supplementation of these nutrients. Then, we observed that these positive effects can also be achieved in individuals with mild cognitive impairment. In 2014, we reported that patients with Alzheimer’s disease have very low levels of carotenoids compared to aged matched controls, so the results of the Re-MIND trial are compelling when all the evidence is considered.”

The Howard Howard Foundation (England & Wales Charitable Trust #285822 - HF UK) supported this work at SETU, and the product used in the trial is now commercially available as ReMind™ in Europe and the UK and Memory Health® in the USA.

This significant study will be published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Volume (90) Issue (1) on 25 October with a pre-press online version now available at the link below. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-220556
https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad2...

ENDS

Editor’s Notes:
For more information contact – NRCIResearch@setu.ie

Photo caption: A nutritional supplement to support the management of Alzheimer’s disease. Left to right: Dr Rebecca Power (PhD), Prof John Nolan (PhD), Prof Ríona Mulcahy (MD), Dr Alfonso Prado-Cabrero (PhD)

Media Contact: Lisa Bodden, Communications for Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies Office, SETU. E: lisa.bodden@waltoninstitute.ie M: 0857693332

Dr Rebecca Power (PhD) is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the NRCI. She is primarily interested in the role of dietary patterns and specific nutrients in maintaining brain health, improving cognitive performance and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Going forward, and as part of her Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Individual Global Fellowship, Dr Power aims to advance our understanding of the parts of the brain and neural networks that are strengthened by nutrition. This will be achieved using state-of-the-art methodologies and technologies from the field of nutritional epidemiology and cognitive neuroscience. This research is currently being undertaken at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Professor John Nolan (PhD) is a Fulbright Scholar, South East Technological University (SETU) Professor and currently holds a Chair for Human Nutrition Research at the School of Health Science, Ireland. Prof Nolan is the Founder and Director of the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI). His research centre studies the role of nutrition for vision, cognitive function and prevention of age-related diseases. In 2011, Prof Nolan won a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) research grant to study the impact of nutritional supplementation on visual function via two major clinical trials (CREST 281096; Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trials). As part of this ground-breaking work, Prof Nolan identified how targeted nutrition can improve visual function for the general population, and for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current studies at the NRCI are investigating the link between nutrition and brain health and function, and over the last number of years Nolan and the team have published novel papers on how targeted nutrients enhance cognitive function for the general population and improve quality of life for patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. Nolan’s work has had a major societal impact for patients suffering with AMD and for enhancing vision of the general population; for recognition, the CREST project was recently selected for presentation at a high-level conference entitled ‘EU Research & Innovation in Daily Life’, which took place at the European Parliament in Brussels to highlight the impact of EU-funded research and innovation in daily life. Prof Nolan has published 116 peer-reviewed scientific papers on his area of research (H index = 50). A major career highlight is his role as Chair of the International Brain and Ocular Nutrition Conference (BON Conference), which is held at Downing College, Cambridge University (www.bonconference.org). See www.profjohnnolan.com for further details and access to all the (peer-reviewed) scientific publications. Google Scholar - H Index

Professor Ríona Mulcahy (MD) was appointed Consultant Physician in General and Geriatric Medicine at University Hospital Waterford in 2000 and Undergraduate Dean, Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland in 2011. Her areas of specialist interest include Dementia, Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease and Poly pharmacy in the Elderly. She has also extensive ongoing research including collaboration with Professor John Nolan in SETU looking at the role of nutrition in Dementia and Age-related Macular Degeneration.

About the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Now in its 25th year of publication, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD) is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment, and psychology of Alzheimer’s disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews, and letters-to-the-editor. Groundbreaking research that has appeared in the journal includes novel therapeutic targets, mechanisms of disease, and clinical trial outcomes. JAD has a Journal Impact Factor of 4.160 according to Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2022). The journal is published by IOS Press. j-alz.com

About IOS Press
IOS Press is an independent international scientific, technical, medical (STM) publishing house established in 1987 in Amsterdam. IOS produce around 90 journals and 70 books annually in a broad range of subject categories, primarily specialising in biomedical and life sciences (including neurosciences, medical informatics, cancer research, rehabilitation) and physical sciences (including computer sciences, artificial intelligence, engineering). In addition, IOS offer specialised services that support scientific advancement. iospress.com.