making muscle wasting history

Protandim is used by some families in the UK. However there is no definitive data that shows it has benefit for Duchenne patients or acts as described by Joe McCord below.

It would appear to have no known side effects.

Always check with your clinician before giving supplements or drugs.

"The energy carrier of the biological energy every cell needs is adenosine triphosphate, ATP, which is synthesized in the large number of mitochondria inside the cell. They are about as small as a bacterium, and they are using oxygen to synthesize this
energy-rich ATP, which also powers muscle contractions. But about 1-2% of the oxygen consumed is converted to the very reactive superoxide free radical. The normal cell defends itself against this toxic product with two enzymes: superoxide dismutase, SOD, which converts the radical to hydrogen peroxide, and catalase, which converts the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

Muscles cells without dystrophin produce more than the normal amount of superoxide radicals, they experience oxidative stress, which then contributes to the degeneration of the muscle fibers because the two enzymes are unable to destroy the excess of the radicals fast enough before they cause chronic inflammation, fibrosis, peroxidation of lipids, a slowing of muscle regeneration, which are the symptoms of Duchenne boys at about three years of age.

For a Duchenne therapy, it would be important to interrupt these processes at this age or earlier. Treatment with the antioxidant vitamins E and C has, unfortunately, no effect. Another possibility is to increase the level of the two enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase. And in fact, laboratory experiments have shown that the addition of these enzymes to isolated hearts of mdx mice blocks the oxidative stress by destroying the excess of the free radicals. For this reason, Prof. Joe McCord of the University of Colorado developed, together with the company Life Vantage Corp. in Denver, the natural formulation Protandim® to reduce oxidative stress by upregulation of the two antioxidant enzymes. Protandim contains extracts from five plant species: Bacopa monnieri, Silibum marianum or milk thistle, Withani somnifera also known as ashwagandha, Curcuma longa from which the spice turmeric is derived, and Camellia sinensis or green tea.

In a clinical trial in 2006, 29 healthy, 20-to-78-year old persons were treated daily for 120 days. After the end of the trial the two most important test results were that the activity of superoxide dismutase had increased by 30% and of catalase by 54% on the average, and the peroxidation of lipids was significantly inhibited. Protandim has recently been found to act via the induction of the antioxidant response element (ARE), a genetic mechanism that controls not just the body’s production of superoxide dismutase and catalase, but also about two dozen other important antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, the five active phytochemicals in Protandim act together with strong synergy, such that their combined effect is many times greater than the sum of their individual effects."