Supplement May Help Parkinson's

Napoli, Maryann

Posted December 15, 2002

High doses of the popular dietary supplement called coenzyme Q10 will slow the progression of Parkinson disease in many people who are in its very early stages. This new preliminary finding, reported last month in Archives of Neurology, is significant because the drugs currently prescribed for Parkinson disease will reduce symptoms, but they do not affect the progressive deterioration. And coenzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant, can be purchased over the counter at pharmacies and health food stores.

The 80 study participants had been randomly assigned to take either coenzyme Q10 at doses of 300, 600, 1200 mg or a placebo (sugar pill). All were within one to three years of diagnosis and had not taken any of the standard drugs for Parkinson disease. They were instructed to take their pills four times a day-at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime-for 16 months. The multi-center research team headed by Clifford W. Shults, MD, found that lower levels of disability had developed in the people who had taken coenzyme Q10, and the greatest benefit was shown for those had taken the highest dose: 1200 mg, four times daily.

Doctors do not know what causes Parkinson disease, which is a slowly progressive disorder of the central nervous system. The most helpful drug, levodopa, also known as L-dopa, will reduce some of the symptoms like rigidity and slowness of movement, but it is not usually administered right away. Some experts believe that L-dopa treatment, if started too early in the phase of the disease, might actually hasten the appearance of certain symptoms. That is why the people who participated in this new study had not yet been treated with any drugs. Nor had any of the participants taken an antioxidant, such as vitamin E or C, within 60 days of the start of this study.

Questionnaires and a battery of tests given before, during, and at the conclusion of the study determined the participants' mood and level of activity. Halfway through the 16-month study, those taking the highest doses of coenzyme Q10 began to show better results than the people in the other three groups, and the improvement continued until the end of the study. Ultimately, the high doses of coenzyme Q10 slowed deterioration by 44%. The greatest benefits were shown in movement and motor skills, as well as mental function and mood.

The body produces coenzyme Q10 in fact, virtually every cell of the human body contains this nutrient. It is known that mitochondria, the area of cells where energy is produced, contain the most coenzyme Q10. Earlier research had already identified a reduced level of coenzyme Q10 in the mitochondria of people with Parkinson disease.

This preliminary study is the first to show that a nutrient might play a role in slowing the degenerative process involved in Parkinson disease. The researchers did not find any safety or tolerability problems associated with high doses of coenzyme Q10. But they stressed the need for another trial with a larger number of participants and a longer follow-up period to fully determine the value of coenzyme Q10 to people with early Parkinson disease.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health funded this preliminary clinical trial, and the Vitaline Corp. of Ashland, Oregon provided the coenzyme Q10 supplements.

Date: December 9, 2002

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