Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a powerful natural antioxidant supplement that in numerous clinical trials has been shown to provide significant benefits for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, periodontal disease and Parkinson’s disease.
People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) have a nervous system disorder that results in muscular weakness and tremors. People with PD have been shown to have low CoQ10 levels. Without sufficient CoQ10, the cells of the basal ganglia in the brain are more susceptible to damage by circulating toxins. Damage to the basal ganglia is thought to be one of the principal causes of the development of Parkinson’s disease.
A study published in the journal Archives of Neurology suggests that coenzyme CoQ10 may be able to accomplish what current treatments for Parkinson’s disease cannot; slow its progression. The ailment afflicts between one-million and 1½ million Americans with 50,000 new cases reported every year.
Parkinson’s disease causes tremor, muscle rigidity and movement problems. The underlying cause is the slow loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a brain chemical involved in movement. It usually starts with small tremors, then progresses to a shuffling gait and increasing weakness. There is no cure, and drug therapy tends to lose effectiveness over time.
Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring compound produced within the body. CoQ10 (also known as Vitamin Q10) is biosynthesized from the amino acid Tyrosine and eight vitamins, which are tetrahydrobiopterin, vitamins B6, C, B2, B12, folic acid, niacin, and pantothenic acid. CoQ10 works by neutralizing molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals are present in high levels in the energy-producing components of cells and can cause cell damage and death.
In Parkinson’s disease, research has shown that this free radical damage is greater in the area of the brain responsible for movement control, which leads to cell death and development of the disease.
In the latest research, 80 Parkinson’s sufferers were randomly assigned to receive coenzyme CoQ10 at three different doses of 300, 600, or 1200 mg/day, or a placebo. The progressive deterioration in movement that characterizes the disease was slowed by 44% in those who took the highest doses.
“There’s really no treatment that has been shown unequivocally to slow the progression of the disease,” says Dr. Clifford Shults, lead author of the study and professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego. “Our data suggests that coenzyme CoQ10 may, but it clearly needs to be confirmed and extended.”
Source: Arch Neurol 2002 Oct;59(10):1541-50
With the introduction of the superior, more absorbable forms of Coenzyme Q10 in 2006, far lower doses may very well provide these same benefits. The Hansen Clinic CoQ10 MAX 50mg is an all-natural, proprietary, patent-pending, crystal-free, solvent-free, lipid-stabilized CoQ10 shown in recent clinical trials to be over eight times more absorbable than powdered forms of CoQ10 and more than twice as bioavailable as other oil-based products. For more information click here….