Prevagen™ and the Brain
Guaranteed to Make You as Smart as a Jellyfish
On my Inside Information podcast this week, Dr. Annie Fenn, of the Brain Health Kitchen, and I had a great discussion of how food can be neuroprotective and potentially decrease the risk of cognitive decline with aging.
At one point in our discussion, we both laughed about how worthless Prevagen was, but didn’t give an explanation So, here goes.
PREVAGEN™ gets the award for one of the most convincing ads in TV history with claims that a daily dose would rapidly "improve memory, support healthy brain function”, and result in a “sharper mind, and clearer thinking." Wow, who couldn’t use some of that! And if you had any doubt about its efficacy, you would hear testimonials from countless older folks who attribute their superlative cognitive ability to Prevagen™.
Except for one problem.
There was, and is, no proof that Prevagen™ helps brain function in any way.
The “Science” behind Prevagen
The primary ingredient in Prevagen is apoaequorin, a protein derived from jellyfish.
For years, the company referenced a small study to support its claims, citing a company-sponsored study. The Madison Memory Study, 2016 was never published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, never replicated, and most importantly, showed no statistically significant changes in brain function in any of the 218 adults who took Prevagen outside of a small subgroup of “healthy individuals with no cognitive impairment.”
Apoaequorin, the active ingredient in Prevagen, has never been shown in a single scientific study to have any impact on human cognitive function.
This is not really surprising when one considers these fun facts:
