Coenzyme Q10 Doesn’t Help Parkinson’s

Small doses of the anti-oxidant coenzyme Q10 do not improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms, says a study by the Technical University of Dresden, Germany.

Dr. Alexander Storch and colleagues conducted a randomized clinical trial of a 300-milligram dose of coenzyme Q10 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 coenzyme Q10 three times daily for three months, followed by a two-month wash-out period. The researchers assessed Parkinson’s disease symptoms before treatment began, each month during treatment and after.

A total of 106 patients completed the full three-month study — 55 in the coenzyme Q10 group and 51 in the placebo group.

The study failed to show improvement of Parkinson’s disease symptoms and did not meet its primary or secondary end points, according to the study published in the July print issue of Archives of Neurology.

Future studies will need to explore the protective effects of the supplement at the highest effective dose over a long treatment period and in a large number of patients both sufficient to clearly define the protective potential of this compound in Parkinson’s disease, the study added.

Previous studies posited that high doses — 1,200 mg. — of coenzyme Q10 may slow the deterioration that comes of Parkinson’s disease.