CoQ10 – Coenzyme Q10

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Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a naturally occurring compound produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and has therefore been an additive in anti-aging creams. While we can’t guarantee it will make you younger, it has been shown to have potential treating or preventing a number of diseases.

CoQ10 levels are also reported to be  low in patients including some heart conditions, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS, as well as people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, making coQ10 a potential treatment for many of those diseases.

Heart Disease

CoQ10 functions as an antioxidant, protecting cells against the effects of free radicals, which damage cells, and plays an important role in maintaining normal heart function. CoQ10 is also an important co-factor in energy production, which helps with myocardial (heart) contraction. Insufficient levels of CoQ10 can weaken the heart causing it to pump blood through the body less efficiently.

A recent Russian study following 76 patients showed CoEnzyme Q10 to have a positive impact on blood flow, exercise tolerance, and blood lipid profiles for heart patients.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of age-related dementia. Although there have been more than a thousand clinical trials on different drugs and treatments of Alzheimer’s, there is no cure for this disease, which places great strain on the sufferer and particularly on the caregivers.

Although some studies show that long-term CoQ10 use beginning in young adulthood is actually detrimental to age-associated neurodegenerative disorders, other researchers have found that taking CoQ10 in relatively high doses when symptoms of cognitive decline have already begun can reverse those impairments can reduce the damage and improve brain function. Therefore, it may be beneficial to Alzheimer’s sufferers to supplement with CoQ10 once symptoms have begun.

Parkinson’s Disease

After Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common age-related disorder in the world. There is no cure for Parkinson’s, and treatments thus far have been to delay and relieve the symptoms of the disease.

CoEnzyme Q10 is one of the supplements that has been found to have the potential to alleviate the major risk factors of Parkinson’s Disease, namely  oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby preventing or delaying the onset of the disease.

Diabetes

Clinical studies have shown that taking coenzyme Q10 as a supplement has the effect of improving insulin secretion in type 2 diabetics , and in type 1 diabetics led to “relief of hyperglycemia, decrease in the concentrations of glycosylated hemoglobin and LDL cholesterol, and improvement of nitrogen metabolism.”(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22803087)

Migraines

Some recent research has been pointing to the a metabolic abnormality as a root cause of at least some  chronic migraines, which may explain why coenzyme Q10 has been found to be an effective preventative supplement for migraine headaches in many cases.  A double-blind random study found that migraine sufferers supplementing their diets with coenzyme Q10 was successful in preventing migraine attacks by 50% when taken over time.

As a supplement, CoQ10 is best taken along with a fat or oil as it is fat soluble. Consider consuming along with coconut oil.

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3 Comments

  1. Letha Half on June 17, 2013 at 2:38 am

    people with a higher ratio of CoQ10 to total cholesterol also had significantly higher vitamin B6 levels, and people with higher levels of CoQ10 had a significantly lower risk of CAD even after adjusting for potential confounding factors. It remains unclear whether low levels of B6 and CoQ10 are actually a cause of CAD, but researchers believe that boosting levels of the chemicals would help protect the heart regardless.,.:..

  2. admin on August 8, 2013 at 6:27 pm

    Thanks, Letha – there are probably a number of causes for coronary heart disease (CAD), but your point is well taken that B6 and CoQ10 may be very helpful in prevention and/or treatment.

  3. Joey on November 5, 2013 at 8:56 pm

    I am holding out hope for Alzheimer’s and that COQ10 will be helpful. There is some interesting results from studies but thus far my doctor says it’s not totally convincing. Probably there is no harm though in trying and taking it.

    I hope you will keep updating this if there is more news.

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