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15.07.2011

Creatine-Q10 combination protects brain cells and lengthens lifespan: animal study

Combining two sports supplements may delay the rate at which essential brain cells die off in people with Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. If you extrapolate Cornell neurologists' animal study findings to humans, creatine and Q10 [structural formulas shown below] extend the life expectancy of people suffering from Parkinson's and Huntington's disease – and this may work for healthy people too.

There are no medicines yet for Parkinson's or Huntington's disease. That's why researchers are studying the protective effects of nutrients on nerve cells, in the hope of finding a way of delaying the course of these diseases. At present, trials are being conducted in which people with Parkinson's and Huntington's disease are being given creatine [Amino Acids. 2011 May; 40(5): 1305-13.] or Q10.

This research may also be interesting for people without neurodegenerative diseases. Animal studies have shown that creatine not only extends the lifespan of mice with the equivalent of Parkinson's, but also that of normal mice. One theory is that the course that Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases take is a speeded up form of the aging processes that occur in healthy humans.

Study
In 2010 researchers working under Flint Beal published in the Journal of Neurochemistry results of experiments they did with R6/2 HD mice. A genetic modification makes these mice resemble humans with Huntington's disease, where a genetic defect leads to design errors in key proteins in the brain cells. The researchers also experimented with R6/2 mice whose genes had not been manipulated.

Some of the R6/2 HD mice were given food containing 2 percent creatine; others were given food containing 1 percent Q10. Yet another group got food containing both 2 percent creatine and 1 percent Q10.

Results
The researchers made the animals run on a rotating axle and recorded how long it was before they fell off. The quicker that happens, the worse the state of the brain and nerve cells in the animals. As you can see, the supplements reduce the speed with which the diseases develop.

The lifespan of the R6/2 HD mice that were given creatine increased by 17 percent. Q10 supplements increased the lifespan by 14 percent, and the mice that were given both supplements had a 22 percent increase in lifespan.

Conclusion
"If both Q10 and creatine show efficacy in Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease clinical trials, then future studies of the two compounds in combination may be warranted", the researchers conclude. "A combination of the two compounds would also be a promising approach for treating presymptomatic individuals, since both compounds are natural products and are well tolerated with few side effects."

And just in case you were wondering: the research was funded by the American government, not by a supplements manufacturer.

Source:
J Neurochem. 2009 Jun;109(5):1427-39.