The US government, in conjunction with the National Insititutes of Health (NIH) and The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), is beginning a new study testing the efficacy of creatine as a treatment to slow Parkinson's disease progression.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurological disorder that results from destruction of specific cells in the brain. The condition results in lower production of dopamine, one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain. Scientists do not fully understand the disease, what causes it, or how to treat it.
Creatine is a commonly used supplement to improve muscle performance and increase muscle mass. Previous research has suggested that it may be able to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, with very few side effects.
The current treatments for Parkinson's disease do slow the progression initially, but often lose effect over time and come with a laundry list of side effects.
In the study more than 1,500 persons with Parkinson's disease will be randomized to receive creatine or placebo for a period of about 5 years.
The researchers are hoping that this human study will mimic a past animal study that showed creatine prevented the loss of dopamine producing cells in the body. They believe the effect may be due to creatines effect on the mitochondria of the brain cells.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on April 2, 2007 03:58 PM
