High Profile Studies of Vitamin K2 Provide Hope for Parkinson's Patients

TITLE: High Profile Studies of Vitamin K2 Provide Hope for Parkinson's Patients SUMMARY A study from the laboratory of Patrik Verstreken published in the prestigious journal Science describes an exciting discovery in relation to Parkinson’srelated PINK1 deficiency. Specifically, they discovered that vitamin K2alleviates the negative effects of the Parkinson’s specific PINK1 mutations in fruit flies. Author: Katie Jodscheidt, NASMCPT, FNS Founder of Innerzyme Article: Parkinson’s disease (PD) isa common neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system. This devastating disease affects part of the brain associated with critical functions, such as vision, hearing and movement (1). With an absence of definitive markers for Parkinson’s, diagnosis is made on a clinical basis. With 60,000 new cases every year in the U.S. there are nearly one million American’s living with PD, costing an astounding $25 billion per year (2). The most obvious symptoms of PD are shaking, rigidity and slow movement, exemplified by the famous PD patient, actor Michael J. Fox (3). The symptoms are a result of the death of a specific type of cell in the aforementioned midbrain that produces dopamine, resulting in lower levels of this neurotransmitter that is crucial for regulation of movement and other functions.