A wide variety of studies support the role of free radicals as the underlying cause. There is actual cell death in the area of the brain called the substantia nigra, which leads to decreased production of dopamine. Studies have shown that oxidative stress causes this damage. Patients with early Parkinson's disease who received high doses of vitamin C and vitamin E slowed the progression of their disease. Some studies have not shown improvement of Parkinson's disease with various antioxidants.
Several antioxidants have difficulty getting into the tissues around the brain.
A drug called selegiline that has an antioxidant affect but not vitamin E has been shown to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. With these serious illnesses, the synergistic effect of several different antioxidants along with their supporting nutrients is necessary to obtain the best results. Most antioxidants have a very difficult time getting into the fluid around the brain where antioxidant levels are traditionally low. We need to use very potent antioxidants that have the ability to get into the brain tissue to have any significant affect on this disease process. Studies need to be done that use multiple antioxidants with their supporting nutrients.