Coenzyme Q10

September 19, 2008 – 4:32 pm

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100,000 Times A Day

That’s how many times your heart will beat today. That adds up to over 36 million beats per year. Inside this marvelous creation is a microscopic energy factory that uses electrical charges and chemicals to keep the blood flowing throughout the body. One of the important elements in this process is coenzyme Q10.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or ubiquinone has been used extensively in Japan, Europe, western Asia, and North America to treat heart conditions and as a powerful antioxidant to protect the body against the damages of free radicals. CoQ10 is a member of the quinines family and works in partnership with enzymes (thus the name “coenzyme”) to facilitate chemical reactions throughout the body.

CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance that occurs naturally in the cells and plays an essential role in keeping the body systems running smoothly. It is fat-soluble and is found in virtually every cell in the human body. The mitochondria, the area of the cells that converts the raw materials in dietary carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into energy, contain the most coenzyme Q10. This process of energy production is dependent on CoQ10 and a shortage at the cellular level is harmful to the life of the cell. Energy demanding cells such as those in the heart and liver contain the greatest amount of coenzyme Q10 since they contain the most mitochondria per cell. The lungs contain the lowest concentration of CoQ10.

Meat, poultry, and fish are rich sources of dietary CoQ10. Soybeans and canola oils and nuts are good sources also. Dairy products, eggs, fruits, and vegetables provide only small amounts of CoQ10. These food sources can provide some of the CoQ10 needed by the body.

Although most living organisms have some form of coenzyme Q10, only humans have the ability to produce it naturally. For humans, the production of coenzyme Q10 is highest around age 20. As we age, our CoQ10 levels begin to decline and the organs needing it have to do with less. Serious deficiencies can result in symptoms that include fatigue, muscle weakness, and seizures. This can be especially important for the heart as the muscle fibers become weak and die. Without 100% function, the most important muscle in the body becomes compromised and begins to fail. This is usually proceeded by noticeable changes in heart activity. Generally, the greater the CoQ10 deficiency, the more severe the health condition.

Health Benefits
CoQ10 is an essential chemical needed by the cells for the production of energy. Low levels of it have been linked to various unfavorable health conditions.

CoQ10 is as an antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect the body from unstable molecules called free radicals. Free radicals can occur when the body is exposed to external pollutants or even when food is converted to energy. As these free radicals accumulate over time, the potential damage to the cells increases. The process, called oxidative stress, can lead to premature aging and a general decline of the immune and nervous systems. Author and researcher Lester Packer, Ph.D. suggests that coenzyme Q10 can be combined with antioxidants like vitamin C and E. He believes the coenzyme Q10 helps boost the antioxidant power of these vitamins.

Supplements provide a natural alternative to guard against coenzyme Q10 deficiencies and help neutralize cell-damaging free radicals that are believed to contribute to pre-mature aging and degenerative health conditions. Numerous studies have shown that CoQ10 appears to help with a variety of health conditions.

Scientific Studies
In a study reported in Cardiovascular Drugs Therapy in 1998, 144 heart attack patients were divided into two groups. The first group of 73 subjects was given 120 mg of CoQ10 for 28 days. The second group of 71 subjects was given a placebo. The CoQ10 group experienced significant cardiac protection during the study. The CoQ10 group had two to three times less severe chest pain than the placebo group. They had improvement in heart function and fewer subsequent heart attack deaths and nonfatal heart attacks. They also had less oxidative stress and improved levels of antioxidant vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Researchers concluded that when CoQ10 was given to a heart patient within three days of cardiac symptoms, increased cardiac protection was possible.

An article Archives of Neurology reported on the results of a placebo controlled, multi-center clinical trial in which 80 patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease were studied. Three equal groups of patients were given CoQ10 either 300 mg per day, 600 mg per day, or 1200 mg per day doses along with vitamin E. A fourth group was given a placebo that included vitamin E. The study lasted 16 months. Clinical reviews on each patient were performed after the first month and every four months thereafter. The group receiving 1200 mg of CoQ10 per day had 44% less of a decline in mental and motor functions and their ability to perform daily activites (such as dressing and feeding themselves). The other two CoQ10 groups experienced slightly less disability than the placebo group.
The level of CoQ10 in the blood was significantly higher for the three group supplementing with CoQ10. They also experienced significant increases in energy-producing reactions within their mitochondria. Researchers concluded that supplementing with CoQ10 as high as 1200 mg/day was safe and may help slow the disease progression for patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.

In animal studies conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, researchers wanted to determine how CoQ10 supplements would influence animals with defective mitochondria. For two months, researches gave both young rats (1-2 months) and older rats (12-24 months) 200 mg CoQ10/kg body weight. In the older group, the blood levels of CoQ10 doubled and the CoQ10 levels in the brain increased by 30 to 40% to comparable levels of the younger group. The younger group recorded increased CoQ10 levels in the blood, but no change in the brain levels. Researchers concluded that the older group could absorb more CoQ10 and that the CoQ10 level of the brain for the younger group was probably at a level where it couldn’t be increased further. This study clearly showed that CoQ10 supplements can improve the levels of CoQ10 in the brain mitrochondria and in the blood where there is a deficiency.

References:
Russel T. et al. “Coenzyme Q10 administration increases brain mitochondrial concentration and exerts neuroprotective effects.” Proceedings of National Academy Science (95, pg 8892-7): ; 1998.

Shults C.W. , et al. (Effects of coenzyme Q10 in early Parkinson’s disease: evidence of slowing of the functional decline.” Archives of Neurology (59:10, pg 1541-1550): ; October 2002.

Singh R.B., et al. “Randomized double blind placebo-controlled trail of coenzyme Q10 in patients with acute myocardial infraction.” Cardiovascular Drug Therapy (12:347-53). ;1998.

Resources:
Monograph “Coenzyme Q10.” Alternative Medicine Review (3:1): Thorne Research Inc.; 1998.

Sinatra, MD Stephen T. “Coenzyme Q10 and the Heart.” McGraw-Hill: Ohio; 1999.

Sinatra, MD Stephen T. “Coenzyme Q10 Phenomenon.” McGraw-Hill: Ohio; 1998.