Nearly 1 million people in the U.S. live with Parkinson’s disease, the illness that afflicts actor Michael J. Fox, with about 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Now hope is coming from a surprising source.
In a 2013 study, researchers at the Rush University Medical Center found that lower levels of the male sex hormone testosterone increased Parkinson’s-like symptoms.
Both men and women have testosterone, but males have significantly more. It peaks in their mid-30s and drops every year by 1 percent. Low testosterone can contribute to Parkinson’s symptoms due to excess nitric oxide, an important molecule that transmits signals throughout the body but in high levels causes neurons to die off.
Gino Tutera, MD, FACOG, has seen testosterone improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients. “They have improved mobility, more energy, more tolerance for exercise,” Tutera said, “as well as being able to increase their flexibility and help decrease the amount of tremor they feel.”
