A North American study is set to investigate whether the dietary supplement, creatine, used by athletes and bodybuilders to boost their energy levels and build muscle could stop Parkinson’s disease in its tracks.
Creatine is already being investigated for treatment of other neurological disorders and neuromuscular problems, including Lou Gehrig’s disease and muscular dystrophy. According to Kapil Sethi, who is director of the Movement Disorders Program at the Medical College of Georgia, it might help Parkinson’s patients by giving the dying brain cells causing PD symptoms an energy boost too.
“We think it may help cells that are damaged or overworked,” explains Sethi. Sethi is a site principal investigator on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke study. The study will enroll 1720 patients from 51 sites in the US and Canada.
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