Synapse strengthening supplement Souvenaid set to boost US brain health market

18 Apr 2023 --- Nutricia revealed that it is making the nutraceutical Fortasyn Connect available for the first time in the US. According to the company, the functional ingredient utilizes a proprietary blend of uridine, choline, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), vitamins and other nutrients to help power synaptic functioning in the brain.

Moreover, Nutricia holds that concentration and combination of nutrients are “impossible to get” by consuming the typical diet. It highlights that by targeting the connections in the brain that help create memories, Souvenaid can slow the aging processes of the brain, which lead to cognitive decline and memory loss.

“The ability to strengthen synapses, the connections between nerve cells, is the cornerstone of memory health,” says Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a physician, scientist, brain health expert and and an advisor to Souvenaid. “Consuming the right combination of uridine, choline, DHA and EPA increases the synthesis of membrane phospholipids and proteins, neurites and dendritic spines.”

The CDC found that 10% of adults 45 years old and older reported they were experiencing cognitive decline.“Souvenaid was developed based on the knowledge that these are the prerequisites to support new synapses and strengthen existing ones. It is the only supplement I am aware of that provides this precise combination of essential support to memory function.”

Boosting the brain
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 10% of all adults 45 years of age or older reported experiencing a subjective cognitive decline – a self-reported measure of worsening or frequent episodes of confusion or memory loss – from 2015 to 2020. 

Nutricia explains that this occurs because, as people age, the synapses in the brain break down faster than they can be replaced. The company says ingredients like DHA and EPA can help to strengthen synaptic functions and recent scientific studies agree.

A recent study showed that DHA and EPA can increase cognition in aging adults and even increase attention levels in adolescents. Additionally, prenatal supplementation with choline has also been shown to aid in children’s attention levels.

“Based on 60 years of scientific research into membranes and synapses and 20 years of product research, Nutricia designed Souvenaid to be a scientific approach to a complex problem, and we want American consumers to benefit from what we’ve learned,” says Dr. Steven Yannicelli, VP of medical and scientific affairs for Souvenaid at Nutricia North America.

“With Souvenaid, we are educating Americans on a topic that is new to them, specifically synapses and brain connections with the role they play for memory function,” Yannicelli concludes. 

“This is reminiscent of the public education experience when the importance of calcium and vitamin D on bone health were first introduced to American consumers.”

Edited by William Bradford Nichols