Please see my comment at the end of the article.

Science Daily

Small doses of the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 appear to increase blood levels of this naturally occurring compound in patients with Parkinson’s disease, but does not improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms, according to an article that will appear in the July 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors and difficulty with walking or other movements. The biological mechanisms underlying the condition are not fully understood, but researchers suspect a malfunction of the mitochondria, parts of the cells that help convert food to energy, according to background information in the article.

Coenzyme (CoQ10), an antioxidant sold as a dietary supplement, is also involved in mitochondrial processes. “Because of these functions, CoQ10 has attracted attention concerning neuroprotective actions in neurodegenerative disorders linked to mitochondrial defects or oxidative [oxygen-related] stress, such as Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,” the authors write. Previous studies indicate that high doses of CoQ10 (1,200 milligrams) may slow the deterioration associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Alexander Storch, M.D., of the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, and colleagues conducted a randomized clinical trial of a 300-milligram dose of CoQ10 in 131 patients with Parkinson’s disease who did not have changes in motor functions and were on stable treatment for their condition. Those assigned to the treatment group took 100 milligrams of CoQ10 three times daily for three months, followed by a two-month “washout” period. The researchers assessed Parkinson’s disease symptoms before treatment began, each month during treatment and again after the washout period. Blood tests were performed at the beginning of the study, after three months of treatment and after the washout period.

A total of 106 patients completed the full three months of the study–55 in the CoQ10 group and 51 in the placebo group. The compound was well tolerated overall, and the percentage of patients who experienced adverse effects–including viral infection, diarrhea and hearing loss–did not differ between the two groups. Blood levels of CoQ10 increased in the treatment group from an average of 0.99 milligrams per liter to an average of 4.46 milligrams per liter after three months.

“Although we demonstrated a significant increase in plasma levels of CoQ10 toward levels observed with high doses of standard CoQ10 formulations in Parkinson’s disease and other disorders, our study failed to show improvement of Parkinson’s disease symptoms and did not meet its primary or secondary end points,” which were changes on scales that measured Parkinson’s disease symptoms and their effects on physical and mental functioning, the authors write. “Our study further demonstrated that 300 milligrams per day of nanoparticular CoQ10 is safe and well tolerated in patients with Parkinson’s disease already taking various antiparkinsonian medications.”

“Since we did not find symptomatic effects of CoQ10 in Parkinson’s disease, our study does not support the hypothesis that restoring the impaired energy metabolism of the diseased dopaminergic neurons leads to symptomatic benefits in Parkinson’s disease,” the authors conclude. “Future studies will need to explore the protective effects of CoQ10 at the highest effective dose (equivalent to about 2,400 milligrams per day of a standard formulation) over a long treatment period and in a large cohort of patients both sufficient to clearly define the protective potential of this compound in Parkinson’s disease.”

Dr. Perlmutter’s comment:

And nobody said it would. We have never expected CoQ10 to affect symptoms of PD. Nevertheless, the studies showing a dramatic slowing of progression are quite sound thank you very much. Again, let’s focus on treating the fire, not just the smoke. Renegade Neurologist

Slowing the Decline in Parkinsons Disease

From

International Health News Database

One of the key features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is loss of motor control, that is, difficulty in walking and moving muscles as instructed by the brain; even turning over in bed can become increasingly difficult as PD progresses. The degree of motor function in a PD patient is often evaluated using the Hoehn and Yahr scale where 0% means that the patient requires assistance just to stand up while 100% means that the patient has full, normal motor control.

Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo now report that supplementing with riboflavin (vitamin-B2) and avoiding all red meat can markedly improve motor function in PD patients. Their study involved 31 PD patients and 10 dementia patients with no PD symptoms. Blood analysis showed that all 31 PD patients were deficient in riboflavin while only 3 of the 10 dementia patients exhibited a deficiency. The researchers also observed that the intake of red meat among the PD patients (2044 grams/week) was almost 3 times higher than that of 19 healthy random controls matched for age and similar social and cultural backgrounds (789 grams/week).

Other research has shown that a low riboflavin status is found in about 10-15% of the population and is associated with low activities of two important enzymes, erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EGR) and pyridoxin(pyridoxamine)-phosphate oxidase. Low EGR activity may be associated with the glutathione depletion and impaired antioxidant defense observed in PD patients even before their disease becomes clinically evident. Glutathione depletion would be particularly deleterious if accompanied by a high heme iron intake from red meat.

Based on the above theoretical considerations the researchers decided to supplement the PD patients with 30 mg of riboflavin every 8 hours while at the same time removing all red meat from their diet. The results were quite astounding. After just 3 months motor function had improved markedly and after 6 months the average motor capacity (Hoehn and Yahr scale) had increased from 44% to 71%. The treated patients also reported better sleep at night, improved reasoning, higher motivation, and reduced depression after as little as 2 weeks of treatment. Some very disabled patients were able to change body positions in bed as early as on the third day of treatment.

The riboflavin level in the treated patients increased from 106 ng/mL prior to treatment to 179 ng/mL after 1 month. Withholding riboflavin supplementation for a few days did not reverse the observed improvements indicating that some beneficial permanent changes had occurred due to the supplementation and total avoidance of red meat. The researchers conclude that riboflavin supplementation and red meat avoidance may be highly effective in halting and even reversing the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Perlmutter’s comment:

This is important research. So often my patients seem perplexed when I tell them that their Requip, Mirapex, or Sinemet medications are not treating their Parkinson’s disease. In reality, these drugs only treat the symptoms. That is, they treat the smoke, not the fire. Here is more evidence that there are indeed ways to treat the underlying disease, and put the fire out.

From ScienceDaily.com:

Workers exposed to tricholorethylene (TCE), a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

“This is the first time a population-based study has confirmed case reports that exposure to TCE may increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” said study author Samuel Goldman, MD, with the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, California, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “TCE was once a popular industrial solvent used in dry cleaning and to clean grease off metal parts, but due to other health concerns the chemical is no longer widely used.”
For the study, researchers obtained job histories from 99 pairs of twins in which only one of the twins had Parkinson’s disease. All of the twins were men and identified from the World War II-Veterans Twins Cohort study. Scientists used twins in the study because they are genetically identical or very similar and provide an ideal population for evaluating environmental risk factors.
The study found workers who were exposed to TCE were five and a half times more likely to have Parkinson’s disease than people not exposed to the chemical. Those who were exposed to TCE had job histories including work as dry cleaners, machinists, mechanics or electricians.

Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson’s disease

Robert A. Hauser, MD 1 2 *, Kelly E. Lyons, PhD 3, Terry McClain, ARNP 1, Summer Carter, MSPH 1, David Perlmutter, MD 4
1Department of Neurology, University of South Florida and Tampa General Healthcare, NPF Center of Excellence, Tampa, Florida
2Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida and Tampa General Healthcare, NPF Center of Excellence, Tampa, Florida
3Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, NPF Center of Excellence, Florida
4Perlmutter Health Center, Naples, Florida

email: Robert A. Hauser (rhauser@health.usf.edu)

*Correspondence to Robert A. Hauser, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, University of South Florida, 5 Tampa General Circle, Suite 410, Tampa, Florida 33606

Potential conflict of interest: All authors have indicated that they have nothing to disclose regarding Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals or glutathione. Dr. Robert Hauser has received honoraria or consulting fees from Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Bertek, Boehringer Ingelheim, Centopharm, Eisai, Genzyme, GlaxoSmithKline, Impax, Kyowa Pharmaceutical, Merck KgaA, Ortho McNeil, Novartis, Pfizer, Prestwick, Schwarz Pharma, Schering, Solvay, Synosia, Teva Neuroscience, Valeant, and Vernalis. Dr. Kelly Lyons has received honoraria or consulting fees from Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Teva Neuroscience, UCB Pharma, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Terry McClain has received honoraria or consulting fees from Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Kyowa Pharmaceutical, Solvay, Teva Neuroscience, Serono, and Vernalis. Summer Carter has received honoraria or consulting fees from Solvay and Asubio Pharmaceuticals. Dr. David Perlmutter reports nothing to disclose.

Funded by:
Wellness Health and Pharmaceuticals (Birmingham, Alabama)

Keywords
glutathione • Parkinson’s disease • treatment • antioxidant • neuroprotection • UPDRS

Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, pilot trial in subjects with PD whose motor symptoms were not adequately controlled with their current medication regimen. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive intravenous glutathione 1,400 mg or placebo administered three times a week for 4 weeks. Twenty-one subjects were randomly assigned, 11 to glutathione and 10 to placebo. One subject who was assigned to glutathione withdrew from the study for personal reasons prior to undergoing any postrandomization efficacy assessments. Glutathione was well tolerated and there were no withdrawals because of adverse events in either group. Reported adverse events were similar in the two groups. There were no significant differences in changes in Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores. Over the 4 weeks of study medication administration, UPDRS ADL + motor scores improved by a mean of 2.8 units more in the glutathione group (P = 0.32), and over the subsequent 8 weeks worsened by a mean of 3.5 units more in the glutathione group (P = 0.54). Glutathione was well tolerated and no safety concerns were identified. Preliminary efficacy data suggest the possibility of a mild symptomatic effect, but this remains to be evaluated in a larger study. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society

From About.com:

A Hawaiian study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that of 8,000 Japanese/American men, those who drank 3+ cups of coffee per day were 5 times less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. The study took place over a 30-year period.
The theory is that caffeine is reducing the amount of neuro-transmitters produced by the brain, transmitters that may actual do damage to surrounding brain tissue. The actual action of caffeine in the brain is not known. It may also interfere with uptake of other transmitters, allowing the levels of dopamine to increase.

The polyphenols in green tea may also have a preventative effect with regards to Parkinson’s disease. These chemicals act within the brain to improve the flow of dopamine between portions of the brain. Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine in one part of the brain, and these polyphenols could prevent that depletion.

Studies with Parkinson’s and polyphenols have been conducted in labs with mice, but there have been no actual tea-drinking studies done with humans.