Bill Gates has nothing to do with ‘Brain Honey’ or any other fake Alzheimer’s cure

Rumors about tech billionaire Bill Gates’ supposed involvement in remedies for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia circulated for months in early 2026, prompting readers to email Snopes and search our site for information about online ads and videos promoting products with names like “Brain Honey,” “Mind Boost,” “Memopezil” and “BrainHealth.” Those ads and videos often suggested Gates had developed or endorsed the products.

One reader, for example, shared a screenshot of what looked like a CNN article with the title: “The tech mogul calls this ‘the biggest breakthrough since the MRI,’ claiming it could end the Alzheimer’s crisis.”

(Reader mail)

We received dozens of similar messages and hundreds of users searched our website to verify whether those offers were legitimate.

The answer is no. We found no evidence that Gates created, endorsed or sold products marketed under names such as “Brain Honey,” “Mind Boost” and “Memopezil.” Rather, the ads and landing pages matched a familiar scam pattern of using Gates’ name and image to draw people into long sales pitches for unproven supplements.

There is a small kernel of truth behind the rumor. Gates has publicly discussed Alzheimer’s research for years, written about supporting research into the disease and personally invested money in dementia-related research. But his actions don’t equate to endorsing a consumer product that claims to cure Alzheimer’s disease.

Why and how this rumor spread

Gates has written and spoken about supporting Alzheimer’s research and advances in diagnosis and treatment for years. In a 2018 speech, he said Alzheimer’s research was outside the Gates Foundation’s main scope and that he personally committed $100 million to new approaches to dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Gates’ real interest in Alzheimer’s likely helped make the false ads seem plausible. 

The rumor spread through a cluster of ads, videos and landing pages tied to several different product names. Among the names that surfaced in reader messages and related webpages were “Brain Honey,” “Mind Boost,” “Memopezil,” “BrainHealth” and “Neuro Honey Blend.” But we found no credible evidence that Gates endorsed the products named in the ads. The Gates Foundation also warns that scammers frequently misuse its name, logo, photos and other official materials in fraudulent communications.

How the scam business model works

The campaigns falsely using Gates’ name follow a repeatable pattern. A user first encounters a dramatic ad or video making extraordinary promises about memory loss, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The ad often uses the likeness, name or apparent voice of a celebrity, doctor or public figure to create trust. The user is then directed to a webpage designed to resemble a news report, TV interview or documentary. From there, the webpage directs the user into a long-form sales pitch that eventually reveals a nutritional supplement for sale.

That tactic is well known. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that advertising can be deceptive when it is formatted to resemble news articles, reviews or other non-advertising content. It has also warned about fake reviews and testimonials used to mislead consumers.

Some versions of these campaigns also appear to rotate through different product names while using similar sales tactics. Better Business Bureau records for a payment platform Cartpanda list alternate names including Memopezil, Memo Genesis, MemoBlast, MemoryLift, BrainDefender and MindHero. While that does not prove that the same people run every version of the scam, it does suggest a larger system in which scammers keep changing product names and using fake celebrity videos to sell what looks like the same kind of product through similar payment systems.

A note about the ‘honey’ claim

The broader medical claim in the ads is also false. The Alzheimer’s Association says there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, although some treatments may help with symptoms or slow disease progression in certain patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also warned that companies illegally market unapproved products claiming to prevent, treat or cure Alzheimer’s disease, often using exaggerated claims and unconfirmed testimonials on websites and social media.

Some versions of the rumor specifically claim Gates backed a honey-based treatment for Alzheimer’s or dementia. While some early-stage research has examined whether compounds in honey might have neuroprotective effects, a 2023 review in the journal Nutrients emphasized that more human clinical research is needed. In other words, this line of research does not support social media ads claiming a honey product can reverse dementia or cure Alzheimer’s — nor is there evidence Gates backed any such research.

How to spot this kind of scam

These ads often share the same warning signs, including a supposed miracle cure for a serious disease, a celebrity endorsement with no trace on the celebrity’s official website or verified social accounts, and fake webpages designed to look like legitimate news coverage.

For example, the screenshot below shows a page made to look like an NBC News report that was actually a website promoting supplements:

(memopronow.com)

Another red flag undermining the credibility of the above-mentioned website was its comment section, which appeared to include fake Facebook testimonials. We could not verify that the supposed commenter accounts actually existed on Facebook and several of the comments were displayed as having been posted only minutes before we opened the page:

(memopronow.com)

Other red flags include urgent language, countdown timers, long videos that delay naming the actual product, and disclaimers saying the statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Consumers should be especially cautious when a product claims to treat Alzheimer’s disease while avoiding clear information about who is selling it, what evidence supports it or whether it has been approved for that use. The FDA says consumers should be wary of products marketed online and on social media as supplements that claim to treat Alzheimer’s, because such claims may be illegal and unproven.

A legitimate breakthrough in Alzheimer’s treatment would typically be documented in peer-reviewed research, regulatory announcements and coverage by credible medical and news outlets. It would not be hidden behind a sensational ad, a fake interview or a mystery YouTube video selling bottles of supplements.

Not only Gates

Gates was not the only public figure whose image appeared to be used in this type of advertising. We found similar ads featuring other well-known people, including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, actor Eva Marie Saint, actors Clint Eastwood and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as well as other figures presented as experts. In some cases, the ads appeared to use real source footage that was altered into misleading promotional material for supplements or vague “protocols.”

Therefore, the Gates ads were part of a broader scam ecosystem, not an isolated phenomenon. The names and faces may change, but the structure stays largely the same, with a familiar celebrity spreading dramatic health promises, and advertising an unproven product.

Bottom line

Bill Gates is not selling a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The products marketed online under names such as “Brain Honey,” “Mind Boost” and “Memopezil” are not supported by evidence showing Gates created or endorsed them. The ads instead fit a classic scam pattern built around false authority and unsupported medical claims.

Sources