Northern Michigan's News LeaderHealthy Living: Saving Memories With a Shake

Imagine slowly losing the sense of who you are and not being able to stop it. Millions of people in the U.S. live with Alzheimer's disease or watch a loved one suffer from it. Now, researchers are looking at a high-powered prescription shake to ease the symptoms. In Healthy Living, Robyn Haines tells us how it's helped one woman.

At 93, Teresa Alfonzo has seen and done a lot. But because of a devastating diagnosis 10 years ago, she's now fighting to keep her most precious possession -- her memories. The Alfonzo's are one of 35-million families dealing with the devastating effects of Alzheimer's disease. A few months ago, Teresa's ability to remember the most basic skills started to go. She couldn't even draw a clock.

That's when the Alfonzo's decided to try something new. Teresa started on Axona -- a medical shake regulated by the FDA. "They mix it with usually a high protein drink, usually a milkshake or boost, and they drink it right after breakfast."

Alzheimer's patients lose the ability to use glucose in the blood. Two hours after drinking Axona, it's converted into Ketone bodies that circulate to the brain and produce energy. In a 90-day, double blind study of 152 Alzheimer's patients, 77 took Axona. 45-percent of them showed signs of improvement after 45 days. While it doesn't work for everyone, Doctor Richard Isaacson says it's worth a shot. "You have at least a 40 to 45 percent chance of having this medical food work, in my opinion, 40 percent is a lot higher than zero."

Axona is a prescription medical food. The FDA does not approve medical foods, but they do regulate them. It costs 70 dollars to 90 dollars for a 30-day supply. Doctor Isaacson says a genetic test can actually help figure out if Axona will work on patients.