CoQ10

Statin drugs have become very popular and are being widely prescribed in recent years to lower high blood cholesterol and thus reduce the risk for heart disease. These drugs block cholesterol production in the body by inhibiting the enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase in the early steps of its synthesis in the mevalonate pathway. This same biosynthetic pathway is also shared by CoQ10. Therefore, one unfortunate consequence of statin drugs is the unintentional inhibition of CoQ10 synthesis.

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.

In the long run, statin drugs could predispose the patients to heart disease by lowering their CoQ10 status, the very condition that these drugs are intended to prevent.

Coenzyme Q10 is an essential component of cells and is utilized by the mitochondria in the normal process of energy production. Coenzyme Q10 is produced exclusively in Japan through a fermentation process.

                                                       What does it do?

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals and helps preserve vitamin E, the major antioxidant of cell membranes and blood cholesterol. CoQ10 is also called ubiquinone, a name that signifies its ubiquitous (widespread) distribution in the human body. CoQ10 is used by the body to transform food into the energy on which the body runs, ATP.

The role of CoQ10 in energy formation also relates to how the body uses carbohydrates. Preliminary research suggests that a close relative of this nutrient lowered blood sugar levels in a group of people with diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes have been found to have significantly lower blood levels of CoQ10 compared with healthy people.

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.

                                                     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.

Coenzyme Q10 has been used in connection with the following conditions:

•  Angina
•  High blood pressure
•  Cardiomyopathy
•  Congestive heart failure
•  Diabetes
•  Gingivitis (periodontal disease)
•  Halitosis (if gum disease)
•  Heart attack
•  Alzheimer’s disease
•  Athletic performance
•  Breast cancer