Study shows that Coenzyme Q10 may slow progression of Parkinson's
- From: "WAH_master" <befree101@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 7 Nov 2006 09:12:20 -0800
Study shows that Coenzyme Q10 may slow progression of Parkinson's
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For the first time a study has shown strong evidence that a dietary
supplement may slow
the onset of Parkinson's disease. This was the outcome of a clinical
study designed at
Emory University to test the hypothesis that supplementation with
Coenzyme Q10 would
slow the progression of the disease.
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder
characterized by slowness of
movement, tremors and muscular rigidity. It affects roughly 1% of
Americans older than
65 years. While the causes of Parkinson's remain unknown, both
genetic abnormalities
and environmental factors have been associated with the disease.1 2
Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects the cells'
energy-producing
machinery, known as mitochondria, from free radical damage.
Mitochondria are tiny
string-like structures that process food for energy and exist in nearly
all plant and animal
cells. The prevailing supplementation use for Coenzyme Q10 is for the
treatment and
prevention of cardiovascular disease and related disorders that involve
the heart, including
atherosclerosis. 3 4 However, new roles for Coenzyme Q10 in cellular
functioning are
becoming recognized. The key findings suggest that it is an essential
antioxidant that
regenerates other antioxidants and that it stimulates cell growth and
inhibits cell death. 5
The study, conducted under the direction of Dr. Clifford W. Shults, of
the University of
California, San Diego, was reported in the October issue of the
Archives of Neurology
(www.archneurol.com). Eighty subjects with early Parkinson's who were
not taking any
treatment for the disease were randomly assigned placebo or Coenzyme
Q10 at dosages of
300, 600, or 1200 mg/d. During the trial, subjects underwent evaluation
based on the
Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) -- an overall assessment
scale that
numerically quantifies motor and behavioral aspects of the disease --
at intervals up to 16
months after the start of the trial, or until disability had developed
requiring treatment by
Levodopa, the most common drug used for treating Parkinson's.
The conclusions reported were that Coenzyme Q10 was safe and well
tolerated at dosages
of up to 1200 mg/d and that less disability developed in those who were
assigned
Coenzyme Q10 than in those assigned the placebo. The benefits were
highest for those
receiving the highest dosage. 6
While Shults cautioned that there is insufficient proof to formally
recommend that
patients take Coenzyme Q10 supplementation, the findings of the Emory
University study
are, in his words, "tremendously encouraging." He adds, "We
really need to do a
definitive study" to confirm the findings.
This is a view echoed by Ray Watts, M.D., professor of neurology, Emory
University School
of Medicine, who also took part in the study: "This is a very important
study with positive
results for Parkinson's patients but we are not at the stage yet where
we feel comfortable
telling patients to go to their local health food store and purchase
Coenzyme Q10 as a
treatment for the disease. Right now, we know this study shows
vitamin-type therapy may
slow the progression of movement and motor disabilities associated with
the disease, but
more studies are needed to determine the true effects of the
compound." He added: "Emory
will be involved in some larger Coenzyme Q10 studies in the near
future, in hopes of finding
out these specific effects." 7
Ten centers, including Emory, took part in this study, which was funded
by the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National
Institutes of Health. All centers
are members of the Parkinson Study Group, a non-profit, North American
organization
consisting of Parkinson's disease and movement disorder specialists. 8
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References:
1 Tanner CM, Goldman SM. Epidemiology of Parkinson's Disease. Neurol
Clin. 1996;
14:317-335
2 Braak H, Braak E. Pathoanatomy of Parkinson's disease. J Neurol.
2000; 247 (suppl 2):ll3-
ll10.
3 Oda T. Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on Stress-induced Cardiac Dysfunction
in Paediatric
Patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse: A Study by Stress
Echocardiography. Drugs Exp Clin
Res. 1985; 11(8): 557-76.
4 Mortensen SA, Leth A, Agner E, Rohde M. Dose-related decrease of
serum coenzyme Q10
during treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Mol Aspects Med.
1997; 18 Suppl:
S137-44.
5 Crane RL. Biochemical Functions of Coenzyme Q10. J Am Coll Nutr. Vol
20, No 6, 591-
598, 2001.
6 Shults CW, et al. Effects of Coenzyme Q10 in Early Parkinson Disease:
Evidence of
Slowing of the Functional Decline, Arch Neurol, Vol 59, Oct 2002.
7 http://www.emory.edu/WHSC/HSNEWS/releases/oct02/coenzyme_study.html.
8 Ibid.
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