COENZYME COQ10

What do congestive heart failure, gum disease and obesity have in common? More often than not a lack of coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10.

Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q10, and abbreviated often to CoQ10 was first discovered by Professor Fredrick L. Crane and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Enzyme Institute in 1957.

It is a naturally sourced fat-soluble antioxidant, essential to the functioning of every cell in our bodies. It's present naturally in foods and sometimes is also synthesized in the body. Our bodies would not survive without it.  If Q10 levels start dropping, so does our general health.  Low levels can result in high blood pressure, heart attack, angina, immune system depression, periodontal disease, lack of energy and obesity.  The organs with the highest energy requirements-such as the heart, liver and kidney, have the highest CoQ10 concentrations.  Our body regenerates Q10 levels until age 25-30, but after its level start decreasing. The loss of Q10 levels may lead to the creation of a heart and vascular system illnesses, high blood pressure and a number other illness

Coenzyme Q10 is the 3rd most sold dietary ingredient in the United States after omega-3 and multivitamins. It has also earned a Nobel Prize in 1978 by Dr. Peter Mitchell for elucidating how Coenzyme Q10 works and describing the energy transfer processes.

 What are the Possible health benefits of CoQ10?

• Congestive heart failure – There is no evidence that taking coenzyme Q-10 alone can help heart failure. But there is some evidence that it can be helpful when taken in combination with other heart failure medications and treatments

• Preventing migraine headache – Taking coenzyme Q-10 orally seems to help prevent migraine headaches. Studies show it can decrease the frequency of headaches by about 30% and the number of days with headache-related nausea by about 45% in adults. Taking coenzyme Q-10 also appears to reduce migraine frequency in children who have low levels of coenzyme Q-10. It can take up to 3 months for significant benefit. Unfortunately, coenzyme Q-10 doesn’t seem to be effective in treating migraines, once they have developed

• Decreasing the risk of additional heart problems in people who have had a recent heart attack – When started within 72 hours of heart attack and taken for one year, coenzyme Q-10 appears to significantly lower the risk of heart related events

• Preventing blood vessel complications caused by heart bypass surgery – There is some evidence that taking coenzyme Q-10 orally for one week before surgery may help to reduce blood vessel damage

• Improving blood sugar control in people with diabetes – There is conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of coenzyme Q-10 for diabetes

• Lowering high blood pressure – Using coenzyme Q-10 in combination with other medications that lower blood pressure might permit decreasing the dose or discontinuing the use of some high blood pressure medications. Any adjustment to high blood pressure medications should be made by your doctor

• Lowering blood pressure when only “the top number” is too high – Taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth appears to lower systolic blood pressure by about 26% in some people with isolated systolic hypertension after 12 weeks of treatment

• Parkinson’s disease – Some research shows that taking coenzyme Q-10 supplements might slow decline in people with early Parkinson’s disease. But taking a coenzyme Q-10 supplement in people with mid-stage Parkinson’s disease does not seem to improve symptoms

• Muscular dystrophy, an inherited disorder involving muscle wasting – Taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth seems to improve physical performance in some patients with muscular dystrophy

• Breast cancer – There is preliminary evidence that taking coenzyme Q-10 orally might be helpful in advanced breast cancer, along with surgery and conventional treatment plus other antioxidants and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids

• Male infertility – There is some evidence that coenzyme Q-10 treatment can improve the movement and density of sperm in men with certain types of infertility

• Chest pain – Early research suggests that taking coenzyme Q-10 orally might improve exercise tolerance in patients with angina

• A heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – Taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth seems to decrease the thickness of the heart wall, and decrease symptoms of shortness of breath and fatigue

• Prevention of pre-eclampsia – Is a condition that some women get during pregnancy. Some research shows that women who are at risk for developing this condition have a lower chance of getting it if that take coenzyme Q-10 from week 20 of pregnancy until the baby is delivered

What is the recommended dosage for CoQ10?

Our body can synthesize coenzyme Q10 and it is also found in several dietary sources, notably organ meats. The level of CoQ10 in human organs peaks around the age of 20 years and then declines fairly rapidly. The decrease in CoQ10 concentration in the heart is particularly significant with a 75-year-old person having 60% per cent less CoQ10 in the heart muscle than a 20-year-old. Some researchers believe that many people engaging in vigorous exercise may be deficient in CoQ10 and may benefit from supplementation. The recommended daily dosage for health maintenance is 30 mg; however, considerably higher amounts are needed in the treatment of the various diseases for which supplementation has been found beneficial. CoQ10 should be taken with a meal containing some fat or with soy or vegetable oil which boosts its absorption quite significantly. The body readily absorbs CoQ10 supplements and no toxic effects have been reported for daily dosages as high as 300 mg. The safety of CoQ10, however, has not been established in pregnancy and lactation, so caution is advised here until more data becomes available.

To find out which Q10 supplements work best please visit our CoQ10 product review page.