Prevagen Review Summary
Summary
Prevagen is a dietary supplement that claims to enhance memory functions. However, these claims have been widely disputed by the FDA and FTC.
7 Facts from our Prevagen Review
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
- Products: Quincy Bioscience makes three different strengths of the Prevagen supplement for improving memory, with each one (except the Professional variant) having either the capsule or chewable tablet form
- Costs: $40 to $110
- How to buy: On the official website and retailers like Amazon, Walmart, GNC, and Walgreens
- Privacy: Prevagen claims to use appropriate data collection, storage, processing practices, and security measures to protect against unauthorized access to your account
- Active Ingredient: Apoaequorin
- Complementary Products: Our Nebula 30X Whole Genome Sequencing is the gold standard of DNA testing worldwide offering weekly updates, genome exploration tools, and deep ancestry analysis
This review is written with the intent to be as unbiased as possible. However, it represents the opinion of an individual reviewer and is therefore subjective. Furthermore, at Nebula Genomics we seek to educate the public about the benefits of Whole Genome Sequencing. Information about our Whole Genome Sequencing DNA test is therefore incorporated into the review.
July 20, 2023
Table of Contents
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easily accessible
- Mainly positive reviews
Cons
- There have been some serious Prevagen side effects experienced with the use of the supplement.
- Some users claim it doesn’t work.
- The company’s adverts have been accused of misleading the public.
Introduction
Prevagen is a memory support supplement Quincy Bioscience launched in 2007. Claims to this product include better brain and cognitive health, support for healthy brain function, and clarity. Quincy Bioscience is a biotechnology company specializing in discovering, developing, and commercializing of novel technologies to support brain health care and other regular health challenges associated with cognitive aging.
Age-related memory loss is a common issue many individuals face as they grow older, and products like Prevagen aim at helping to mitigate this problem by providing support for healthy brain function and clarity.
What is Prevagen?
This supplement is the company’s flagship product. Prevagen claims it can help with mild memory loss and cognitive function (even though it advises its customers to seek medical advice before use).
The active ingredient is apoaequorin, a protein scientists found in jellyfish in the 1960s. The company currently uses a synthetic version of this calcium-binding protein.
Other ingredients in Prevagen include Vitamin D, Apoaequorin, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable capsule (cellulose, water), and maltodextrin.
The product comes in different strengths, with the regular strength containing 10 mg of the active ingredient and the extra strength containing 20 mg. There’s also the Prevagen Professional, which includes 40 mg of apoaequorin. The company also produces two distinct quantities of the products, offering a 30-count bottle and a 60-count bottle for each strength variant.
There have been some controversies about the product. One such controversy is if the claims of the makers of Prevagen, that the supplement is a way to improve memory and cognitive function, are valid. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have questioned the credibility of the supplement, users still purchase it, with sales in the supplement industry climbing to $165 million over the past decade.
The disclaimer on its website states: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
The leaders at Quincy Bioscience include Mark Underwood (who takes credit for the idea behind Prevagen) and a businessman named Michael Beaman.
Review of Prevagen Science: A Protein to Prevent Memory Loss
Quincy Bioscience claims on its website that Prevagen is clinically proven to help mild cognitive impairment of brain function, including memory problems. It initially claimed to help with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia until the FTC disputed these claims. On January 28, 2020, a federal judge in California declared a similar Prevagen lawsuit charging Quincy Bioscience with false claims, specifically against Prevagen’s claims, a mistrial.
Although the apoaequorin was originally found in jellyfish, Quincy Bioscience manufactured its product from genetically modified bacteria. This approach has led to an argument that supplements like Prevagen qualify as drugs and should be treated with the same stringent procedures medications in the US are exposed to before being deemed fit for the market.
Research
To validate its claims, Quincy Bioscience cites three studies on its website. The main clinical study (the Madison Memory Study) is the only one that was double blinded and placebo controlled. The report showed that 10.8% of those who used the product daily for three months showed an improvement.
However, this result is not a statistically significant improvement compared to 3.8% of the people that were on the placebo treatment. This study led to the New York Attorney General lodging a complaint to a court in conjunction with the FDA due to claims of false advertising and charging the marketers of Prevagen with making deceptive claims. They claimed the product had defrauded many citizens of their money, especially older adults.
The other studies showed that people who used Prevagen daily experienced increased sleeping times and had better word recall, and remembered driving directions.
However, most of these studies have faced opposition due to insufficient reasons linking apoaequorin to the medicinal effects on brain cells Quincy claims and post hoc analysis. Also, only the Madison Memory Study company study has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Instructions included with the product indicate that it should be taken for 90 days. There is no safety or effectiveness information for longer than this period.
Prevagen Review
How to purchase Prevagen
Where to buy Prevagen: Its widespread popularity has fast-tracked its accessibility. Apart from getting it on the official website (where it offers free shipping within the USA), you can also get it in retail stores (both online and offline) like RiteAid, Walgreens, CVS, and many more. It is also available in other online stores like Walmart and Amazon.
Prevagen Cost Review
Due to the high number of stores and vendors selling the over-the-counter dietary supplement, there tend to be variations in the cost of the different products. Below are the prices on the company’s official website.
Regular Strength (30-count capsule): $40
Regular Strength (30 chewable tablets): $40
Regular Strength (60-count capsules): $75
Extra Strength (30-count capsules): $60
Extra Strength (30-count chewable tablets): $60
Extra Strength (60-count capsules): $110
Professional (30-count capsules): $90
These prices could vary depending on when you’re purchasing the product. Customers can also subscribe to regular shipments and save 10%.
Prevagen Privacy Review
The privacy policy states that Prevagen only collects personal information that you submit to the website in cases like subscribing to newsletters, engaging in financial transactions, giving feedback on any of its products, and so on.
Examples of information it might collect are:
- Identity Data, such as your name, title, age/birth date, and gender
- Contact Information, such as your email address, mailing address, billing address, and phone number
- Payment Information, such as credit card information, debit card information, and other financial payment.
- Correspondence Information, including information you provide in communications.
- Online Activity Information, such as your activity while using the sites, as well as information it may gather through cookies, web beacons, and other similar tools.
- Device Information such as your IP address, browser information, operating system, and technical information from the device you are using to access the sites.
It also claims that it does not sell your information to third-party websites. Prevagen only uses the data for scenarios such as sending you newsletters, processing your financial transactions, using them to personalize your visit to the website, and so on.
In terms of protection, it claims to use appropriate data collection, storage, processing practices, and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information, and data stored on its site.
Here at Nebula, we value your privacy. Therefore, we use a combination of privacy computing and blockchain-type protection to ensure your data is immune to any security breach.
Other Prevagen Reviews
Prevagen is one of the most popular dietary supplements globally, and such acclaim comes with its advantages and disadvantages. While it has received positive reviews from many people, quite a number also claim that the supplement doesn’t meet Quincy’s claims.
Does Prevagen work? A good illustration is on Amazon. Looking through the profile of one of the products, Extra Strength 20mg, 60 Capsules with Apoaequorin & Vitamin D, the product has 4.4 out of 5 stars with 1,235 reviews. However, it did have a few negative ones, too, with one notable user stating that she had been using the products for six months and hadn’t seen any change in their use.
While customer reviews may be positive, the product is largely criticized as unproven by commercial Prevagen reviews 2020, including by companies such as Harvard Health, Wired, and Prevagen reviews from Mayo Clinic.
Prevagen in the News
This article published in Wired describes how governmental agencies, including the FDA, questioned Prevagen regarding false product claims and safety. In July of 2020, the company reached a settlement.
According to the settlement, consumers with proof of purchase were eligible to receive 30% of the retail cost of the product up to $70. Consumers without proof purchase could claim $12 apiece. The overall payouts were expected to reach the tens of millions of dollars.
In 2023, Prevagen becomes an official partner of USA Gymnastics as its Official Brain Health Supplement.
Nebula Genomics
Knowing your genetic predispositions to memory loss can help determine whether you should investigate memory supplements such as Prevagen. You can learn more about genetic variants related to memory and disease in the Nebula Research Library.
Here, you can explore your genetic risk of things like Alzheimer’s and brain volume and get personalized reports when you upload DNA (free) or purchase our 30X whole genome sequencing. Our tests read 100% of the information on your genome compared to others like 23andMe and Ancestry DNA tests, which only read about 0.02% of your genome.
The test provides full ancestry DNA reporting alongside Y chromosome and mtDNA sequencing, which we offer in collaboration with YFull. Our test will also keep you updated about the latest happenings in the genetic world thanks to our regular updates.
Lastly, we know how much our customers value their privacy. This is why we treat your personal information divulged on our website with the utmost importance. Using a combination of blockchain-type protection and privacy computing, your information remains inaccessible to anyone, even us at Nebula.
Other companies
Other supplement companies that claim to effectively improve memory and brain function include Focus Factor and Neuriva.
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Plus, Elysium Health and Tru Niagen are specifically focused on anti-aging by boosting NAD in the body.
Did you find our Prevagen review helpful? You can read more reviews on our blog and check out our complete guide to the best DNA test kit and other home tests.
