Originally Discovered in Jellyfish

Column #203

Probably every American over the age of five has seen and/or heard the advertisement that proclaims: “. . . Prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. The secret is an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish. In clinical trials Prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory . . .”

The American population is aging and with dementia being like an epidemic, brain health is a concern for most seniors. Supplement makers and prescription drug companies know this and have created numerous products to address mental health. Because of that, a few years ago the FTC made it a priority to investigate supplements and products targeting age-related memory decline.

So, what’s the latest news regarding the FTC’s war on brain supplements?

Robert Speth, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is one of the more outspoken members of the scientific community that encouraged the FTC to investigate Prevagen. He said that “Prevagen has been on his radar since viewing one of their infomercials years ago and seeing the company’s claims that the calcium-binding apoaequorin protein could reduce calcium ion imbalances in the brain that could lead to memory loss.” He says “It’s crazy. You can’t take a protein that’s been put in a pill, which you swallow, and have it go into your brain . . . and bind to any calcium that might have accumulated in your neurons.”

Many nutritional, biological, and pharmaceutical scientists agree that apoaequorin, a protein isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, will break down into amino acids during digestion which means it can’t penetrate the brain barrier intact. Therefore, how can it help brain function? For sure fats do penetrate the brain barrier and they absolutely have a huge impact on brain function. And the most important fats are the essential fatty acids (EFAs) that must come from the diet, preferably in a balance of 1:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 by weight.

Some people have reported they have experienced some benefit from taking Prevagen. But there is no way to tell if their experience is due to an actual change in the brain caused by Prevagen, a placebo effect, or from improving their nutrition while taking Prevagen.

My personal take is that magic bullets for chronic diseases are rarely if ever cures. In nearly all cases chronic diseases can only be addressed by metabolical approaches that can address multiple modalities. The metabolical approaches are diet, exercise, sleep, meditation, environment, and stress management.

The best approach documented so far for curing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a paper titled “Reversal of Cognitive Decline: A Novel Therapeutic Program” published in 2014 by Dale E. Bredesen, MD. It’s a perfect example of a proper approach. In it he describes how his metabolical approach reversed AD.

The optimal diet focuses on whole foods that are low glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse, with 1:1 balanced EFAs. The best selections are grass-fed and Omega-3 meats, wild-caught seafood, and green leafy vegetables. Over the ages, most scientists agree that eating meat is what helped humans develop their oversized brains. In that vein Kevin Stock has written some interesting articles about meat and our brains. They are good reads.

As always, it’s caveat emptor. The marketplace is full of pied pipers and the supplement and health food arena is one of the more deceitful because all too often it promotes magic bullets just like the pharmaceutical industry.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

Prevagen TV Commercial, “Memory and Brain Support”

Robert Speth, Ph.D. Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

In the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division

The Prevagen Study: Effect of Apoaequorin on Cognitive Function by Mark Underwood, et al., for Quincy Bioscience, Madison, Wisconsin–maker of Prevagen

Court Orders A Trial in Prevagen Lawsuit by Kenneth Terrell, from AARP Advocacy

Jellyfish Memory Supplement Prevagen Called “Clear-Cut Fraud” by Anthony Pearson, MD

Reversing Cognitive Decline by Ted Slanker

Diet-Induced Cognitive Deficits: The Role of Fat and Sugar, Potential Mechanisms and Nutritional Interventions by Jessica E. Beilharz, et al.

Brain Food Intro by Kevin Stock

Your Brain on Meat Followup by Kevin Stock

Beware of Ads for ‘Memory-Enhancing’ Dietary Supplement Prevagen From Health Letter