Supplements for Parkinson's by Dr. Oz

Q. I am a 68-year-old upbeat grandmother (with 13 grandkids) who has Parkinson’s. I’m confused about possible brain-boosting supplements, specifically acytl-l carnitine, alpha lipoic acid and phosphatidylserin. My doctors can’t seem to agree on which, if any, are beneficial.

A: One reason your doctors can’t agree is because most of the research on these supplements has been done in Petri dishes or elderly rats. And the doses that work in the lab are often so large that the average human would spend all day swallowing capsules to achieve the same results. How safe is that? Nobody knows. That’s why we medical types like to wait for people studies before we recommend pill-popping to our patients.

The supplements you mention have shown some promise: Acetyl-L carnitine, an amino acid, and alpha lipoic acid, an oxidant, give old rats a new lease on life. Phosphatidylserine, which is mainly fatty acids, makes mice act smarter. You could take them (tell your doctor if you do), but we don’t know about long-term effects or whether, like elderly rodents, you’ll be able to find your way through a maze because of them.

There’s one supplement in the can’t hurt/may help department that actually has some human studies with good results: co-enzyme Q10 — 1,200 mg a day improved motor function in people with Parkinson’s. And you might consider green tea extract, too; its polyphenols protect nerve cells. And don’t forget intense exercise three times a week for 30 minutes, ending with one minute working as hard as your doctor says you can. Small human studies at the Cleveland Clinic show this kind of workout released a brain growth factor that prompted regrowth of certain neurons in nearly 40 per cent of exercisers.

Your Health and Mine