The research team at Emory University has reported that coenzyme Q10, a naturally occurring nutrient, slows progressive decline in Parkinson's disease. The results of this landmark study was published in the Oct. 15 issue of the American Medical Association's Archives of Neurology (2002), and discussed at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in New York City, also on Oct. 15.

In the first study of its type, researchers at Emory University and nine other centers nationwide have determined that a naturally occurring compound called coenzyme Q10 can slow progressive deterioration associated with the early stages of Parkinson's disease up to 44 percent. This is the first time a study has shown that any nutrient or vitamin might play a role in slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease. The greatest benefits were seen in motor skills and activities of daily living, such as walking, dressing, feeding and bathing. The drug is readily available in health food stores, and is being tested over a longer period with a larger group of patients to confirm this result.

Parkinson's disease affects approximately 1% of people over the age of 65. While certain medications can reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's, they do not slow the progressive deterioration in function, which the study suggests can be achieved with coenzyme Q10. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder in which patients develop tremor and muscle stiffness because they have too little dopamine - a brain and neuronal signalling chemical. Until now, drugs such as levodopa have concentrating on supplementing the amount of dopamine available day by day - but the disease still gets progressively worse. Now there is a possibility that a nutrient like coenzyme Q10, could be the first to actually hold back the advance of the disease.

In the study, four doses (0, 300, 600, and 1,200 millgrams) of coenzyme Q10 were given daily to Parkinson's disease patients: Doctors then waited to see how the physical symptoms of their disease progressed. By the eight month mark, there was a clear pattern, with those on the highest dose of coenzyme Q10 faring much better than those given a "placebo" sugar pill. Even those on lower doses of Q10 were better able to carry out simple "daily living" activities such as washing or dressing, and had better mental function and mood. Lead researcher Professor Clifford Shults, from the University of California in San Diego, said: "While it is tremendously encouraging that our results indicate that it is likely that coenzyme Q10 slows the progression of Parkinson's disease, our study did not have sufficient numbers of patients to unequivocally prove that it does."

Coenzyme Q10 appears to play a key role in the function of mitochondria, a subcellular organelle responsible for turning nutrients into energy. Previous research has suggested that mitochondrial function is impaired in Parkinson's patients - and that Q10 appears to be lacking in their mitochondria.