June 4, 2001
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) - a popular antioxidant often promoted for heart health - was shown effective in a small, preliminary study for treating a rare group of genetic conditions that attack muscles and nerves.
Known as hereditary ataxia, these disorders affect speech, disrupt balance and interfere with coordination of arms and legs, often leaving sufferers severely disabled and suffering from seizures.
There is no known treatment.
Researchers from Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons report in the journal Neurology that high daily doses of CoQ10, normally found in nearly every human cell, reversed ataxia symptoms in six patients. Some who had been using wheelchairs were able to stand and move using walkers. One woman was able to work outside her home.
Participants took from 300milligrams to 3,000milligrams of CoQ10 daily with no reported side effects.
But the study, which was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, should not give a green light to widespread use of CoQ10, says Salvatore DiMauro, professor of neurology at Columbia University and lead author of the journal report. The findings hold promise for treatment of hereditary ataxia as well as a few other neurological diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which CoQ10 deficiencies are suspected.