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Creatine Benefits Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(Lou Gehrig's Disease):
Creatine
has proved so beneficial to patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),
also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, that the FDA has granted orphan drug
status to creatine. The Avicena Group, Inc is sponsoring clinical trials on
creatine and requested that the FDA approve creatine as an orphan drug.
Creatine,
a natural substance, is critical for cellular energy production and
modulation. It helps prolong the lives of cells and protects the cells from
injury and death. This protective effect may be why creatine has been so
beneficial in treating ALS, a progressive and fatal disease that disables
motor neurons, the nerve cells that send signals from the brain to the
skeletal muscles.
Researchers began conducting ongoing Phase II/III studies in 1999 at
multiple centers coordinated by the Carolinas Neuromuscular ALS/MDA Center
in Charlotte North Carolina and the North East ALS Consortium. The
researchers are studying more than 300 patients at 29 sites. Preliminary
data from these studies indicate creatine can indeed benefit ALS patients.
According
to Dr. Jeffrey Rosenfeld, lead researcher of the Carolinas Neuromuscular ALS
study, ALS patients treated with carnitine experienced increased muscle
strength and decreased deterioration.
In
addition to the above studies, Avicena has conducted numerous pre-clinical
animal studies that show creatine, in mouse models, can prevent neurologic
damage in ALS, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
References:
(1) The Avicena Group literature
(2) Mazzini L, Balzarini C, Colombo R, Mora G, Pastore I, De Ambrogio R,
Caligari M. Effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance and
muscular strength in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: preliminary results. J
Neurol Sci. 2001 Oct 15;191(1-2):139-44.
(3) Vielhaber S, Kaufmann J, Kanowski M, Sailer M, Feistner H, Tempelmann C,
Elger CE, Heinze HJ, Kunz WS. Effect of creatine supplementation on
metabolite levels in ALS motor cortices. Exp Neurol. 2001 Dec;172(2):377-82.
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