April 22, 2007 by mike.

 A new study has confirmed a relationship between consuming large amounts of dairy products and an increase in the rate of Parkinson’s disease in men, but the reason for this relationship remains a puzzle. Researchers found that among more than 130,000 U.S. adults followed for 9 years, those who ate the largest amount of dairy foods had an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a disorder in which movement-regulating cells in the brain die or become impaired. There was a clear pattern seen among men, whose Parkinson’s risk increased in tandem with consumption of diary, particularly milk. The results were more ambiguous among women, however. The findings, which appear in the American Journal of Epidemiology, echo those of earlier studies that found a link between dairy consumption and Parkinson’s in men, but not women. For now, it’s not clear what effect, if any, dairy foods might have on women’s risk of the disease. Nor is it known why there is a relationship seen in men, lead study author Dr. Honglei Chen, a researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, told Reuters Health. Larger studies are needed to find out which dairy products might be responsible, and why, according to Chen. The findings are based on detailed dietary and lifestyle information collected from 57,689 men and 73,175 women who took part in a cancer prevention study. Over 9 years, 250 men and 138 women were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease Men with the highest levels of dairy consumption were 60 percent more likely to develop the disease than those who consumed the least amounts of dairy, the study found. Men in the highest-intake group consumed an average of 815 grams of dairy per day, which is roughly equivalent to three to four glasses of milk; those in the lowest-intake group consumed 78 grams of dairy per day, on average. Milk, rather than dairy products like yogurt and cheese, explained most of the association, according to Chen’s team. This study and previous ones indicate that calcium, vitamin D and fat are not responsible for the link between dairy foods and Parkinson’s disease. One theory is that pesticides or other nerve-damaging toxins present in milk could contribute to Parkinson’s disease over time. However, dairy foods would likely be only a small part of most people’s exposure to these chemicals, according to Chen. Furthermore, pesticide residues may also be present in other foods, but no other foods were related to Parkinson’s disease risk in this study, the researcher noted. For now, Chen said there is no reason to shun dairy because of the potential relationship to Parkinson’s disease. “Given some of the potential health benefits of dairy foods, people can still enjoy their moderate amounts.” However, the researcher added, since the dairy-Parkinson’s link has now been seen consistently in different studies, further research is needed to understand why. 

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April 22, 2007 by mike.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

The NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and is the nation’s primary supporter of biomedical research on the brain and nervous system.

1. Shults CW, Oakes D, Kieburtz K, Beal F, Haas R, Plumb S, Juncos JL, Nutt J, Shoulson I, Carter J, Kompoliti K, Perlmutter JS, Reich S, Stern M, Watts RL, Kurlan R, Molho E, Harrison M, Lew M, and the Parkinson Study Group. “Effects of coenzyme Q10 in early Parkinson disease: evidence of slowing of the functional decline.”  ‘Archives of Neurology’, October 2002, Vol. 59, No. 10, pp. 1541-1550.

Results of the first placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial of the compound coenzyme Q10 suggest that it can slow disease progression in patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD). While the results must be confirmed in a larger study, they provide hope that this compound may ultimately provide a new way of treating PD.The phase II study, led by Clifford Shults, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, looked at a total of 80 PD patients at 10 centers across the country to determine if coenzyme Q10 is safe and if it can slow the rate of functional decline. The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and appears in the October 15, 2002, issue of the ‘Archives of Neurology’. (1)“This trial suggested that coenzyme Q10 can slow the rate of deterioration in Parkinson’s disease,” says Dr. Shults. “However, before the compound is used widely, the results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients.”

Animal studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 can protect the area of the brain that is damaged in PD.  Dr. Shults and colleagues also conducted a pilot study with PD patients which showed that consumption of up to 800 mg/day of coenzyme Q10 was well-tolerated and significantly increased the level of coenzyme Q10 in the blood.All of the patients who took part in the new study had the three primary features of PD — tremor, stiffness, and slowed movements — and had been diagnosed with the disease within 5 years of the time they were enrolled. After an initial screening and baseline blood tests, the patients were randomly divided into four groups. Three of the groups received coenzyme Q10 at three different doses (300 mg/day, 600 mg/day, and 1,200 mg/day), along with vitamin E, while a fourth group received a matching placebo that contained vitamin E alone. Each participant received a clinical evaluation 1 month later and every 4 months for a total of 16 months or until the investigator determined that the patient needed treatment with levodopa. None of the participants or the study investigators knew which treatment each patient had received until the study ended. The investigators found that most side effects of coenzyme Q10 were mild, and none of the patients required a reduction of their dose. The percentage of people receiving coenzyme Q10 who reported side effects was not significantly different from that of the placebo group. During the study period, the group that received the largest dose of coenzyme Q10 (1,200 mg/day) had 44 percent less decline in mental function, motor (movement) function, and ability to carry out activities of daily living, such as feeding or dressing themselves. The greatest effect was on activities of daily living. The groups that received
300 mg/day and 600 mg/day developed slightly less disability than the placebo group, but the effects were less than those in the group that received the highest dosage of coenzyme Q10. The groups that received coenzyme Q10 also had significant increases in the level of coenzyme Q10 in their blood and a significant increase in energy-producing reactions within their mitochondria.The results of this study suggest that doses of coenzyme Q10 as high as 1,200 mg/day are safe and may be more effective than lower doses, says Dr. Shults. The findings are consistent with those of a recently published study of patients with early Huntington’s disease — another degenerative neurological disorder — that showed slightly less functional decline in groups that received 600 mg/day of coenzyme Q10.Dr. Shults and his colleagues strongly caution patients against taking coenzyme Q10 until a larger, definitive trial can be conducted. Because coenzyme Q10 is classified as a dietary supplement, it is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The versions of the supplement sold in stores may differ, they may not contain potentially beneficial amounts of the compound, and taking coenzyme Q10 over a number of years may be costly, says Dr. Shults. In addition, the current study included only a
small number of patients, and the findings may not extend to people in later stages of PD or to those who  are at risk but have not been diagnosed with the disorder, he notes. Finally, if many people begin taking coenzyme Q10 because of these early results, it might make it impossible for investigators to find enough patients to carry out definitive studies of the compound’s effectiveness and the proper dosages, since patients must not be taking any treatments in order to be considered for enrollment in a definitive trial.