CoEnzyme Q10
CoQ10 is a vitamin-like compound that is produced naturally in
the human body and is also found in most living organisms. It is
also called ubiquinone, a combination of quinone, a type of
coenzyme, and ubiquitous, meaning it exists everywhere in the
human body. CoQ10 plays an important role in your body's energy
production and is an essential component of the mitochondria,
where it helps to metabolize fats and carbohydrates and maintain
cell membrane flexibility. CoQ10 is also involved in the
production of several key enzymes that are used to create ATP,
which is burned by your body for energy, and in the energy
transfer between mitochondria and cells. Without CoQ10, you
would not be able to function!
What is its history?
CoQ10 was first discovered by Dr. Frederick Crane of the
University of Wisconsin in 1957. One year later, Professor Karl
Folkers and others at Merck Incorporated identified and recorded
CoQ10's chemical structure, and were the first to produce it
through fermentation. Intermittent research led to its use in
Japan for cardiac insufficiencies during the 1960's. Dr. Folkers
championed more intensive research into CoQ10's role in
cardiovascular health in 1972, after he and an Italian
scientist, Gian Paolo Littarru, discovered that persons with
cardiac insufficiencies had very low levels of CoQ10, and
supplementation increased CoQ10 levels and positively affected
heart health. Soon afterwards, the Japanese developed a method
that allowed pure CoQ10 to be produced in quantities large
enough for significant clinical trials. During the 1980's this
method was perfected in Japan, and medical technology finally
allowed scientists to measure CoQ10 levels in blood and tissues,
leading to a surge in further research. It was during this time
that a Swedish researcher, Lars Ernster, drew attention to
CoQ10's role as a free radical-scavenging antioxidant. Today a
multitude of research supports CoQ10's health benefits.
As a result of the overwhelmingly positive reports from studies
conducted since CoQ10's discovery, the Japanese were the first
to approve widespread use of CoQ10, granting market approval for
it in 1974. From 1974 to 1982, CoQ10 use in Japan grew rapidly
until it was one of the most widely used products in the
Japanese pharmaceutical industry. It is still widely used today,
and has a long history of safe use. In "An Introduction To
Coenzyme Q10" by Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D., F.A.C.C., he lists
the substantial amount of scientific evidence that supports
CoQ10's benefits. "Internationally, there have been at least
nine placebo controlled studies on the treatment of heart
disease with CoQ10: two in Japan, two in the United States, two
in Italy, two in Germany, and one in Sweden. All nine of these
studies have confirmed the effectiveness of CoQ10 as well as its
remarkable safety. There have now been eight international
symposia on the biomedical and clinical aspects of CoQ10 (from
1976 through 1993). These eight symposia comprised over 3000
papers presented by approximately 200 different physicians and
scientists from 18 countries." "The majority of the clinical
studies concerned the treatment of heart disease and were
remarkably consistent in their conclusions: that treatment with
CoQ10 significantly improved heart muscle function while
producing no adverse effects or drug interactions."
How does it help?
Virtually every cell of the human body contains CoQ10. The
mitochondria, the area of cells where energy is produced,
contain the most CoQ10. The heart and liver contain the greatest
amount of CoQ10. It has helped some people with congestive heart
failure(CHF) an effect reported in an analysis of eight
controlled trials and found in some, though not all,
double-blind studies. The beneficial effects of CoQ10 may not be
seen until after several months of treatment. Discontinuation of
CoQ10 supplementation in people with CHF has resulted in severe
relapses and should only be attempted under the supervision of a
doctor.
Similar improvements have been reported in people with
cardiomyopathies a group of diseases affecting heart muscle.
Research (including double-blind studies) in this area has been
consistently positive.
Also, due to its effect on heart muscle, researchers have
studied CoQ10 in people with heart arrhythmias. Preliminary
research in this area reported improvement after approximately
one month in people with premature ventricular beats (a form of
arrhythmia) who also suffer from diabetes.
Angina patients taking 150 mg per day of CoQ10 report a greater
ability to exercise without experiencing chest pain. This has
been confirmed in independent investigations.
CoQ10 appears to increase the heart's tolerance to a lack of
oxygen. Perhaps as a result, preliminary research has shown that
problems resulting from heart surgery occurred less frequently
in people given CoQ10 compared with the control group.
Muscle mitochondria lack adequate CoQ10 in people with muscular
dystrophy, a problem that could affect muscle function. In a
double-blind three-month trial, four of eight people with
muscular dystrophy had improvements in heart function and sense
of well-being when supplementing CoQ10.
Mitochondrial function also appears to be impaired in people
with Alzheimer's disease. Due to CoQ10's effects on
mitochondrial functioning, one group of researchers has given
CoQ10 (along with iron and vitamin B6) to several people with
Alzheimer's disease and reported the progression of the disease
appeared to have been prevented for one and a half, to two
years.
CoQ10 also modulates immunity. Perhaps as a result, a few cases
have been reported in which women with metastatic breast cancer
(cancer that had spread to other tissues) had a regression of
their cancer after treatment with a very large amount of CoQ10
(390 mg per day).
CoQ10 appears to modulate blood pressure by reducing resistance
to blood flow. Several trials have reported that supplementation
with CoQ10 significantly reduced blood pressure in people with
hypertension, usually after ten weeks to four or more months of
treatment.
Where is it found?
CoQ10 is found primarily in fish and meat, but the amounts in
food are far less than what can be obtained from supplements.
Who is likely to be deficient?
Deficiency is poorly understood, but it may be caused by
synthesis problems in the body rather than an insufficiency in
the diet. Low blood levels have been reported in people with
heart failure, cardiomyopathy, gingivitis(inflammation of the
gums), morbid obesity, hypertension, muscular dystrophy,
diabetes, AIDS, and in some people on kidney dialysis. People
with phenylketonuria(PKU) may be deficient in CoQ10 because of
dietary restrictions. CoQ10 levels are also generally lower in
older people. The test used to assess CoQ10 status is not
routinely available from medical laboratories
An isolated test tube study reported that the anticancer effect
of a certain cholesterol-lowering drug was blocked by addition
of CoQ10. So far, experts in the field have put little stock in
this report because its results have not yet been confirmed in
animal, human, or even other test tube studies. The drug used in
the test tube is not used to treat cancer, and preliminary
information regarding the use of high amounts of CoQ10 in humans
suggests the possibility of anticancer activity.
Benefits
* may beneficially affect the aging process
* improves heart muscle function
* reduces blood pressure in people with hypertension
* boosts overall immune function