CoQ10 helps heal neurodegenerative disease: Study

Friday, January 11, 2013 by: PF Louis
Tags: CoQ10, neurodegenerative disease, prevention

(NaturalNews) Most of us know the value of CoQ10 for heart health. Now a recent case report has demonstrated that CoQ10 may be of value for reversing even extreme neurodegenerative diseases. This case report involved a 75-year-old with what is considered one of the most irreversible progressive neurodegenerative diseases known: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Lou Gehrig was a New Yankee star who was forced to retire at age 35 due to his ALS. His farewell speech in completely-filled Yankee stadium in 1939 is one of sport's most touching moments. Of course soon after that memorable farewell speech, Lou died.

Though ALS occurs rarely, the life expectancy for those afflicted with ALS is two to five years for most.

Why this case study is important

ALS affects the skeletal muscular nerve impulses that control contraction and function. It may start with chronic twitching, cramping, and muscular weakness. Then it spreads to total muscular atrophy including the inability to eat, swallow, or breathe, and slurred speech.

A Japanese medical scientist, unnamed in the reports, allowed colleagues to do a clinical evaluation of CoQ10 for ALS on him. The 75-year-old scientist had been diagnosed with onset ALS in the year 2000. By 2005, it had progressed to the point of interfering with his most common mundane activities.

Excerpt from the Vitasearch.com report: "(He) ... was treated with a highly bioavailable form of coenzyme Q10 (solubilized ubiquinol, Tishcon Corp., NY), starting at 200 mg, twice daily for 4 weeks (at which point he already experienced improvements), followed by 500 mg, twice daily, and then back down to 200 mg twice daily..."

His improvements were significant with most of his voluntary motor activity returning along with restoring his grip. The rate of muscular weakening was lowered as well. The unnamed scientist patient was still surviving and managing when the CoQ10 study was reported in The Open Nutraceuticals Journal of September 2012.

That's pretty impressive for a progressive neurological disease diagnosed when he was 70 and treated with CoQ10 when he was 75. He passed the 80-year mark in 2012. If CoQ10 treatment can do this for ALS, what might it do for other neurological diseases such as MS (multiple sclerosis), Parkinson's or Alzheimer's diseases?

Other CoQ10 neurodegenerative studies

Studies performed on mice and dogs proved that CoQ10 protected and reversed chemically induced brain and nervous system damage by restoring brain and nerve cell metabolism.

It would be a little more humane to experiment using a harmless supplement on humans already afflicted with a neurological disorder than inducing those disorders on helpless animals, but that's science for you. The complete report with medical details can be linked from source (2) below.

The potent antioxidant capabilities of CoQ10 are worthy of application for both heart and brain/nerve health. Just make sure it's in a very bioavailable form.

Taken as directed it will help protect against neurological disorders. And CoQ10 can be taken safely with larger doses for therapeutic interventions on existing neurological maladies.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/40512

(2) http://benthamscience.com/open/tonutraj/articles/V005/187TONUTRAJ.pdf

(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALS