According to reviewers reporting in the January 2007 issue of the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews," free radical accumulation and subsequent oxidative stress contributes to the death of motor neuron cells in ALS. Oxidative damage occurs when oxygen cells lose an electron and become free radicals that repair themselves by stealing electrons from motor neurons, killing them in the process. While vitamin supplements seem to help in some cases, the results are by no means conclusive, and it's essential to seek your doctor's advice.
About ALS
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is also known as motor neuron disease and Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a progressive motor neurodegenerative disease, meaning that it destroys nerve cells but only those associated with voluntary and skeletal muscle movements. Symptoms generally arise between the ages of 40 and 70, and they first manifest in limb weakness. The average length of time from the first symptoms to death is about four years, and death is most frequently due to respiratory failure. However, the ALS Association reports that in many cases, ALS "burns itself out," and the disease stops its progression.
Vitamins for ALS
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals either by providing the extra electron needed to repair the molecule, or by breaking down the free radical molecule to render it harmless. According to the "Cochrane Database" reviewers, the antioxidant vitamins most frequently prescribed by doctors for ALS patients are vitamins C and E, as well as coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10. Although the antioxidant activity of these vitamins has not been proven to benefit ALS patients, vitamin E and CoQ10 have additional properties related to protecting motor neurons from damage that warrants further investigation.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E comes in two forms: tocopherols and tocotrienols. In a study published in the March 2001 issue of "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disorders," researchers supplemented 228 ALS patients with either 500 mg tocopherols or placebo twice daily for one year. While the tocopherols had no effect on survival, they did slow down the disease's progression. In research published in the December 2004 issue of the "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences," scientists reported that tocotrienols can protect motor neurons in the brain from toxic damage.
Coenzyme Q10
In addition to being a powerful free radical scavenger, CoQ10 can reduce cellular membrane damage, DNA damage and lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress. This panoply of benefits prompted researchers reporting in the August 2009 issue of the "Annals of Neurology" to test the nutrient for possible drug benefits. For nine months, 110 patients were randomized to receive 1,800 mg of CoQ10, 2,700 mg of CoQ10, or placebo every day. While the researchers concluded that results did not warrant CoQ10's use for drug therapy, it did slow progression of the disease in both CoQ10 groups.
References
- "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"; Antioxidant Treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Motor Neuron Disease; Richard Orrell, et al.; January 2007
- ALS Association: What Is ALS?
- "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Other Motor Neuron Disorders"; A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Randomized Clinical Trial of Alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) in the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Claude Desnuelle, et al.; March 2001
- "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences"; Tocotrienol: the Natural Vitamin E to Defend the Nervous System?; Chandan Sen, et al.; December 2004
- "Annals of Neurology"; Phase II Trial of CoQ10 for ALS Finds Insufficient Evidence to Justify Phase III; Petra Kaufmann, et al.; August 2009
