“It is being hailed by scientists as one of the brightest new antioxidants around for postponing aging and preventing or treating age-related diseases, namely heart disease. It’s unsure how much you need, but it seems certain that taking in more than your body produces may help defeat the ravages of aging and even prolong life. Thus you may be aging far too rapidly because your cells don’t get enough coenzyme Q10.”¹ – Jean Carper in Stop Aging Now.

Can such claims be substantiated? Many think so. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is required by every cell in our bodies and is key to the chemical reactions that produce cellular energy. An automobile engine with poor spark plugs will sputter and choke with carbon. Like a cellular spark plug, CoQ10 ignites the cells’ oxygen to produce energy. If our cells don’t burn oxygen properly, damaging compounds such as free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) are formed. A misfiring automobile will eventually break down. Similarly, insufficient CoQ10 can cause health breakdown, contributing to cardiovascular disease, cancer or other degenerative diseases. An antioxidant and free radical quencher, CoQ10 protects health while maintaining cellular energy.

Coenzyme Q10 is also called ubiquinone, from ubiquitous, which means ‘everywhere at the same time’, because every cell in the body requires CoQ10 for optimum health. As we age our body stores of CoQ10 diminish. Some experts suggest that reduced CoQ10 levels might be responsible declining for health and susceptibility to degenerative diseases as we grow older.

CoQ10 Cardiovascular benefits

Renowned CoQ10 researcher, Dr Karl Folkers, had observed that low CoQ10 levels contributed to heart disease. He found that heart disease patients had 25% less CoQ10 than healthy people. Many studies show that CoQ10 helps strengthen heart muscle and can improve a variety of heart conditions.

Improving Congestive Heart Failure

More than 640 cardiac patients with congestive heart failure received either CoQ10 or placebo throughout a one-year double-blind trial. There were 38% fewer patients who needed to be hospitalized for worsening heart failure in the CoQ10 group. Episodes of pulmonary edema (fluid build up in the lungs) or cardiac asthma were reduced by 60% and 50% respectively in those receiving CoQ10 and their heart muscle strength increased dramatically. The survival-rate of the CoQ10 group increased threefold.²

A large study of 2664 patients with congestive heart failure showed that CoQ10 supplements improved many symptoms. They received from 50 to 150 milligrams of CoQ10 per day, with the majority getting 100 milligrams per day. After three months their symptoms were evaluated. Patient improvements (by percent) included reductions in:

• Cyanosis (purple hue of the skin) 78.1%
• Fluid retention, 78.6%
• Pulmonary edema, 77.8%
• Enlargement of the liver, 49.3%
• Shortness of breath 52.7%
• Heart palpitations, 75.4%
• Subjective arrhythmia, 63.4%
• Sweating 79.8%
  

The researchers “observed a contemporary improvement of at least three symptoms in 54% of patients; this could be interpreted as an index of improved quality of life.”³

CoQ10 to Ease Hypertension

In a study of 109 patients with essential hypertension, blood pressure was reduced in 85 percent of the patients using an average dose of 225 mg of CoQ10 daily. The authors noted: “A definite and gradual improvement in functional status was observed with the concomitant need to gradually decrease antihypertensive drug therapy within the first one to six months. Thereafter, clinical status and cardiovascular drug requirements stabilized with a significantly improved systolic and diastolic blood pressure.”⁴

CoQ10 and Healthy gums

CoQ10 also supports healthy gums. “In numerous studies between 1970 and 1975, scientists working with CoQ10 and gum disease came to these important conclusions: Since CoQ10 is an essential factor in cellular energy formation, and is essential for the health of tissues, it would logically follow that increased availability of CoQ10 to deficient tissue should improve the bioenergetics of the tissue. With periodontal diseased tissue, it appears that CoQ10 does exactly that.”⁵

Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological disorders

Research shows high doses of CoQ10 may help Parkinson’s disease. A recent study on early-onset Parkinson’s patients, who had tremors, stiffness and slowed movements, showed that those given the largest dose of CoQ10 (1200 mg daily) had 44% less decline in mental function, motor movement and ability to carry out activities of daily living. Those patients given 300 mg/day and 600 mg/day also had less decline than the placebo group, but their decline was not as pronounced as those given 1200 mg daily.⁶ High dosages may help other neurological disorders including ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Can we get CoQ10 from our diet?

The body manufactures CoQ10 from the food we eat, but the body needs B vitamins, especially B6, B12, niacin and folic acid, to do it well. Good food sources of CoQ10 are fatty fish, organ meats and peanuts. However, you would have to eat a pound of sardines or two pounds of peanuts to get 30 mg of CoQ10. Researchers have used high doses of supplemental CoQ10 in studies to achieve dramatic results. As a fat-soluble molecule, supplemental CoQ10 is better absorbed if taken with meals where some fat is present. 

Safety Issues

CoQ10 is remarkably safe, even at high doses over a long period of time. In a recent study 31 subjects with ALS were given up to 3,000 mg of CoQ10 daily for eight months. The authors noted that this dose was safe and well tolerated.⁷

Is all CoQ10 the same?

Unfortunately, some products contain only a fraction of the CoQ10 amount stated on the label, while others use synthetic forms that have not been proven in scientific research. To protect yourself, buy only natural CoQ10 from a reputable supplier that meets the highest quality standards.

The intense focus of international clinical studies, CoQ10 continues to amaze researchers with its ability to improve a wide variety of health conditions, especially as we age. CoQ10 benefits the heart, protects your gums and may enhance immune function. It even shows promise in cancer therapy. CoQ10 is your nutritional ‘spark plug’ to help slow aging while it supports a healthy cardiovascular system.

References:

1. Carper, Jean, “Stop Aging Now,” Harper Collins, 1995
2. Morisco C., et al., “Effect of coenzyme Q10 therapy in patients with congestive heart failure: a long-term multicenter randomized study,” Clin. Investig., 1993, 71: S134-S136 
3. Baggio E., et al., “Italian multicenter study of the safety and efficacy of coenzyme Q10 as adjunctive therapy in heart failure,” CoQ10 Drug Surveillance Investigators, Molecular Aspects of Medicine, 1994, 15 S287-294 
4. Langsjoen P.H., Folkers K., et al., “Treatment of essential hypertension with coenzyme Q10." In: Eighth International Symposium on Biomedical and Clinical Aspects of Coenzyme Q10 (1994); The Molecular Aspects of Medicine, 1994, vol. 15, S287S294 
5. Bliznakov, Emile G., Gerald Hunt, “The Miracle Nutrient Coenzyme Q10,” Bantam, 1986
6. Schults, C.W., et al., “Effects of coenzyme Q10 in early Parkinson disease: evidence of slowing of the functional decline,” Archives of Neurology, October 2002, v.59 no. 10: 1541-1550 
7. Ferrante, K.L., et al., “Tolerance of high-dose (3000 mg/day) coenzyme Q10 in ALS,” Neurology, 2005, 65: 1834-1836