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What do congestive heart failure, gum disease, breast cancer and obesity all have in common? Very often it is a deficiency of CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Since its discovery and isolation 40 years ago, hundreds of clinical research studies have been done on CoQ10 and it is now abundantly clear that this nutrient is absolutely vital to health. The level of CoQ10 in human organs peaks around the age of 20 and then declines fairly rapidly. The decrease in CoQ10 concentration in the heart is particularly significant with a 77 year-old person having 57% less CoQ10 in the heart muscle than a 20 year-old. Experts involved in CoQ10 research believe that many people, especially older people and people engaging in vigorous exercise may be deficient in CoQ10 and may benefit from supplementation.
What Does it Do?
CoQ10 is an extremely important nutrient that every cell in your body must have in order to produce energy. If you think of the cell as a little engine, which uses oxygen to burn the fuel that comes from food, you may think of CoQ10 as the sparkplug that drives this process.2 CoQ10 is present in most tissues, but the highest concentrations are found in the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas and those levels decrease as people age, due to increased requirements, decreased production, or insufficient intake of the materials needed for the body to make it. CoQ10 has been used successfully for vascular disease, protection of the heart from the damaging effects of drugs such as Adriamycin, periodontal disease, immune disorders such as AIDS, and most recently cell regeneration.
As an Antioxidant:
In addition to its role as an energy carrier, CoQ10 plays another vital role in cellular function as an antioxidant.5 Oxygen free radicals easily combine with other substances to damage cell membranes, which can lead to disease.6 As an antioxidant, CoQ10 helps to correct dietary deficiencies of Vit. E,7 protects against the toxic effects of drugs used for heart disease, protects against low oxygen status, which results in large amounts of free radical formation and reduces the oxidative distress that often results from surgery.
Uses in Heart Health Maintenance:
CoQ10 is one of the most widely used therapies in Japan, where most of the research has been done. Japanese scientists, as early as 1976, showed that CoQ10 is helpful for heart conditions.9 Heart attacks and strokes produce a burst of free radicals, which can result in extensive tissue damage and patients with high CoQ10 levels suffer less damage from these events. Japanese researchers have found that CoQ10 supplementation prior to and immediately following open heart surgery is highly beneficial.10 In one study, patients with mild congestive heart failure were given 30mg a day of CoQ10. Every patient improved in 4 weeks and 53% became symptom free. Patients with life threatening cardiomyopathy have reduced levels of CoQ10 in their heart muscles. When CoQ10 was given to a group of these patients, the strength of the heart muscle increased significantly, and their survival time increased three-fold.
- Angina pectoris - In a double-blind study, treatment with 150mg a day for only 4 weeks, reduced the episodes of chest pain by 52%. Exercise tolerance was also increased.
- Blood pressure -In one study, 16 people were given 60 mg a day of CoQ10 for 5 to 16 weeks. In all cases there was a drop in either systolic or diastolic blood pressure or both, after the patients had been on the CoQ10 for 4-12 weeks.
- Athletic performance - Strenuous physical exercise reduces blood levels of COQ10 and supplementation with 60mg a day has been found to improve athletic performance.
- Many overweight people have very low levels of CoQ10 and supplementation may enable them to lose weight due to the effect of CoQ10 in speeding up the metabolism of fats.
- Periodontal disease - As early as 1971, doctors have reported that gum tissue taken from patients with periodontal disease was often deficient in CoQ10.15 Dosages of 50 to 75 mg a day often halted the deterioration of the gums with healing sometimes occurring within days.
Qualities:
Since CoQ10 is fat soluble and not water soluble Dr. Folkers, recipient of the prestigious Priestly Medal of the American Chemical Society for his research into CoQ10, recommends using only supplements such as CoQMax, which contain CoQ10 dissolved in oil such as flax seed, to greatly improve absorption. |
