An observational study in real world daily clinical practice to evaluate the effect of the medical food Souvenaid on instrumental activities of daily living in people with mild Alzheimer's disease: Neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurology/non&#8208...

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) coincides with a progressive decline in instrumental activities of daily living (iADL), such as cooking and everyday technology. Souvenaid is a medical food designed to enhance synapse formation and function; it contains the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn Connect. Randomized controlled trials showed beneficial effects on memory in mild AD patients and on the cognitive‐functional outcome CDR‐SB and hippocampal atrophy in prodromal AD. In this observational study we evaluated the effects of Souvenaid on iADL of people with mild AD in real‐world, daily clinical practice. Method: Participants were recruited from specialized memory clinics and received the medical food once a day. iADL were assessed at baseline, 6 months follow‐up, and optionally at 12 months follow‐up, using the Amsterdam iADL questionnaire (A‐IADL). Changes in A‐IADL scores were compared with a reference population (n=57), using a one‐sample t‐test. Exploratory sub‐group analyses will also be presented. Result: 116 participants were enrolled in the study. Self‐reported adherence to Souvenaid was high. The 6‐month change from baseline in A‐IADL was significantly less than the dementia reference population (‐1.56 [SD 6.71] vs. ‐3.68 respectively, p=0.009). The effect was maintained in participants completing the 12‐month period with a mean change from baseline of ‐3.12 (SD 8.04) compared with the reference value of ‐7.35 (p=0.011). People using AD medication showed a mean 6‐month change from baseline of ‐1.29 [SD 5.38]. People not using AD medication showed a mean change of ‐1.65 [SD 7.14]. Participants completing the 12‐month period showed a mean change of ‐5.62 [SD 6.19] when using AD medication and ‐2.06 [SD 8.63] when not using AD medication. In individuals with baseline MMSE > median, 6‐month change from baseline was ‐1.34 [SD 5.76] and ‐1.99 [SD 7.86] in individuals when baseline MMSE < median, whereas the 12‐month changes from baseline were ‐4.24 [SD 7.32] and – 1.91 [SD 8.89], respectively. Conclusion: People with mild AD receiving Souvenaid showed less decline in iADL over 6 and 12 months compared with a reference population. This observational study suggests that this specific medical food might have an impact on iADL in mild AD in a real‐world clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]