Danone works on anti- Alzheimer's drink

Functional and health food manufacturer Danone could launch a new milkshake product which will improve the lives of Alzheimer's sufferers if large scale trials prove successful.

The company, which is probably best known for its Actimel and Activia brands, designed and financed the research which was undertaken by doctors and the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) in the US.

Danone's signature brands claim to have benefits such as improving digestive transit and increasing the body's defences.

Over 200 people who were suffering from mild Alzheimer's disease took part in the test which involved half drinking a cocktail of three special nutrients and the other half drinking a placebo. The two groups were given a memory test at the beginning and end of the experiment and after 12 weeks 40 per cent of the group recorded improved test results.

Researcher Professor Richard Wurtman told the Daily Mail: "This is something that has no toxicity that gives you better function than you started with. If it works in the follow-up studies, it is very exciting."

However, the MIT researchers warned that results from the larger tests could be less successful than those experienced by the small sample.