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Review
. 2023 Jan 19;15(1):e33982.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.33982. eCollection 2023 Jan.

A Systematic Review of Dietary Supplements in Alzheimer's Disease

Anil Kumar Chimakurthy  1 , Sivani Lingam  2 , Sai Kumar Reddy Pasya  3   4 , Brian J Copeland  5
Affiliations
Review

A Systematic Review of Dietary Supplements in Alzheimer's Disease

Anil Kumar Chimakurthy et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Alzheimer's is the most common neurodegenerative disease among the aging population, which has been a major global challenge. The pathogenesis of the disease is still undetermined but postulated to be involved in various mechanisms including oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, inflammation, cell death, genetic factors, protein accumulation, and degradation. There are few Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs available for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that have limited benefits along with associated adverse effects. A retrospective review of randomized double-blind controlled trials of various supplements used in AD patients was performed on a PubMed search from January 1983 to March 2022. We found 10 articles that have shown positive outcomes in various cognitive domains. We conclude that there should be a global standard to endorse the quality and safety of these supplements.

Keywords: alzheimer's disease; cognitive domains; dementia; dietary supplements; dietary supplements beneficial in alzheimer's disease; memory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Enzymatic protein breakdown and proposed cellular mechanism involved in Alzheimer’s disease
Figure 1 was created based on our understanding of the APP breakdown. CTF - carboxy-terminal fragment, APP - amyloid precursor protein, AICD - APP intracellular domain
Figure 2
Figure 2. Kennedy cycle
Kennedy cycle: The biochemical pathway for synthesizing new neuronal membranes. Developed from Kennedy et al. 1956 [16] and adapted with permission of Annual Reviews from use of phosphatide precursors to promote synaptogenesis, Wurtman RJ, Cansev M, Sakamoto T, Ulus IH, 29, 2009; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. [14].
Figure 3
Figure 3. PRISMA flowchart describing screening and selection of articles associated with dietary supplements in Alzheimer's disease
*Search limited to Pubmed database between 1984 and March 2022. From: Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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