Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation Does Not Slow Progression of Parkinson's Disease

Treatment of Parkinson's disease patients with creatine monohydrate, compared with placebo, for at least 5-years in early and treated cases has failed to slow clinical progression of the disease, revealed researchers of the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y. The study findings do not support the use of creatine monohydrate in patients with Parkinson disease.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately 6 million people worldwide and more than 1.5 million individuals in the United States, and its incidence is expected to increase over the next decade. There is neither a cure nor a treatment that has been proven to slow progression of the disease. Previous study evidence indicates that creatine, an amino acid, plays an important role in cellular energy production, which may be impaired in Parkinson disease; and oral creatine supplementation in mice has suggested a neuroprotective effect.