Supplement could be the first therapy to slow Parkinson's

A vitamin supplement you can buy in pharmacies and health stores could be one of medicine’s ‘holy grails’ – it may slow the progress of Parkinson’s, the neurodegenerative disease.

Researchers are going to test if the supplement, coenzyme Q10, will be the very first therapy to actually fight the disease, instead of just masking the symptoms, which every drug at the moment does.

The Rush University Medical Center is keen to test the supplement after earlier studies found that Parkinson’s sufferers have low levels of the coenzyme, which is usually produced by the body naturally.  Other research has shown that the coenzyme also protects the area of the brain that is normally damaged by Parkinson’s.

The researchers have already discovered that 1200 mg doses of the coenzyme, given to Parkinson’s sufferers, showed ‘promising results’ after 16 months.

In the new trial, the researchers will be testing the 1200 mg and a 2400 mg dose, again over a 16-month period.

(Source: Rush University Medical Center).