Here’s a company that sold millions of bottles of a supposedly brain-boosting supplement that failed its own clinical trial. Rally digs into the Prevagen story — the jellyfish protein, the data manipulation, the lawsuit — and what a federal court finally said about it. Then he shares five real, mostly free ways to keep your brain sharp, no bottle required.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RALLY:
Hey there, Beautiful People. Hey, it’s Rally Preston here.
And today, fair warning. This is gonna be a little bit of a rant up front here. But no need to hide the children and small pets. I’ll keep it mild.
So what set me off was a TV commercial I saw for the supplement Prevagen – last week, sometime. Maybe you’ve seen one lately.
Now, for those of you blissfully unaware of Prevagen, it’s a supplement. A daily pill that originally claimed to improve your memory within 90 days.
Oh, and that’s not all. So they said pop this pill, and you’ll get clearer thinking and a sharper mind – amazing things like that.
And Prevagen was, well, still is, heavily marketed to us, older adults. And it’s been on the market for 20 years, almost, 19 years. And it’s still out there—30 capsules for $39.95 plus tax. Such a deal. Flying off the shelves, no doubt.
Now, maybe some of you take it. And no judgment here. But I think you’ll see why you might want to use your sharper mind thanks to Prevagen and rethink that.
Now I’m guilty myself of taking dubious supplements I shouldn’t have, for sure. Hydroxycut, for one, comes to mind. That was an energy and fat burner supplement. The old formula had ephedra in it back in the late 1990s, so that wasn’t smart on my part. So just saying, I’m no one to point fingers at anybody else, for sure. You do you.
But back to Prevagen. So what’s the secret ingredient in Prevagen that’s gonna save your brain? Well, it’s jellyfish. Yeah, a protein originally from jellyfish.
And first of all, are jellyfish smart? Do they get good SAT scores? They don’t even have a brain. I looked it up…so what’s going on here with jellyfish?
Anyway, this jellyfish protein is called apoaequorin. Not sure if I’m saying it right, but, you know, who cares? And the funny thing about this protein, it breaks down during digestion and doesn’t get anywhere near the brain. So there’s that little snafu.
But here’s the thing about Prevagen making all these claims. Quincy Bioscience, the company that makes it, they ran exactly one real study, and they funded it themselves. That’s a bit of a red flag right there.
And guess what? It flopped. The study flopped like a spineless jellyfish. Prevagen didn’t work. Not even a little bit. No better than a placebo. Oh, that must’ve stung. Jellyfish reference.
So instead of, you know, being honest about that, they went digging into the data – trying to dig themselves out. So they sliced up that same data 30 different ways. Until they found a few tiny data points that looked like it could be something.
Now data manipulation like that — that’s not science, Beasties. But they got away with it. And slapped “clinically proven” on the bottle for years and years.
And just in the first eight years it was on the market, and that would’ve been 2007 to 2015, Pravagen pulled in at least $165 million dollars.
Three million bottles in eight years. Sold under those bogus claims.
And that’s the last real number anybody’s got. They’re not sharing sales figures these days. And I wonder why? No telling how much more they’ve made since then.
But what gets me is they were coming after us. Every single ad. Aimed right at older folks worried about their memory and trying to get by on a retiree’s budget.
Well, here’s what really gets me going on this, Prevagen.
Turns out, when the company, Quincy, put that jellyfish protein in their pills, the FDA said, “Uhm, no, you can’t do that, it might not be safe.”
So Quincy found a little legal loophole to keep doing it. They snuck it in as a food additive at first. Oh a food additive – why didn’t you say so? No safety review required. None. It’s just a food additive. Ah, it’s okay.
So to make a long story even longer, the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit against Quincy and Prevagen. A jury looked at all this. And they said, nope – claims aren’t backed up with something called real science.
And a federal judge agreed. Told Quincy to stop making these false and misleading claims about Prevagen.
So Quincy and Prevagen, to this day, is still fighting this judgment. Appealing the whole thing.
Meanwhile, what are they still doing? Yeah, they’re still selling Prevagen.
Yeah, they changed their slogan, though. It used to be, “Improves Your Memory.” Now, they’ve tapped that back. Now their tagline is: “For Your Brain,” And that, which, what does that mean? That could be anything. Here, try a deep-fried Twinkie – it’s for your brain.
So yeah, Prevagen’s still on store shelves. Just with a new bow on it. Or as my grandmother used to say, new wrapping paper on the same old fruitcake.
And what’s that price tag? Oh, I said that – thirty-nine ninety-five. For thirty days.
And that’s, if you add it up, over four hundred bucks a year, folks. For something that flopped in their own study.
So I wanted to bring up Prevagen, because it’s miracle claims, again. Targeting older folks worried about aging. We’ve all seen them. I hate that. Zero real proof. And look, they just want the Boomer’s money. You’ve got too much.
Okay. So I said my piece. Let’s pivot here, real quick.
Because here’s the truth.
You don’t need jellyfish juice to juice up your brain.
There’s stuff that actually works. Backed by real research. Not by slicing up old data like a gas station sushi bar.
So let’s talk Silver Beast Action Steps that really benefit your brain. Five of them. Easy things. All free or pretty cheap.
Number one. Move your body. Walking counts. A daily walk does wonders for your brain. Doesn’t have to be far. Around the block is a good start.
Number two. Eat real food. Leafy greens, berries, olive oil, a little fish now and then – just not jellyfish. And limit the processed junk, please; let’s call it what it is. Your grocery store has everything you need – and it doesn’t come in a pill bottle.
Alright, number three. Get your sleep right. Seven to eight hours. Consistent bedtime every night. Very restorative for your brain.
And number four. Get your hearing checked. Now that sounds random, I know. But hearing loss and memory are linked. And if you have or need hearing aids, be sure and wear them.
And number five. Stay social. Call a friend. Join a group. Play cards with the neighbors. Connection with other people helps keep your brain sharp.
Now look, I know some of you take a creatine supplement, creatine monohydrate. I do too. And the early research on this one looks good for your brain. It might help with short-term memory, mental processing speed, and attention. So if you want to do something, you know, take a supplement, I’d look at creatine. Good for keeping your muscles strong, that’s for sure, and might give your brain a boost too. But as always, I’d have a chat with your doc first just to be sure it won’t get you into trouble.
Alright, before I wrap up, I’m not a doctor, clearly. And this isn’t medical advice. If you’ve got questions about your memory or your health, please talk to your doctor.
And hey, if you’re taking Prevagen? That’s fine. Maybe, somehow, it works for you. Like I said, just talk to your doctor about supplements like this, for sure.
Alright Silver Beasties, that’s enough for today. More than enough, probably.
So maybe skip the jellyfish pill. Save your forty bucks and take more free walks instead.
Alright, this is Rally Preston. Hey, go be a beast and I’ll see you on the next episode. Take care!