The "common" name for CoQ10 - we can
safely assume this is some scientific "in" joke, I think - is
Ubiquinone (the oxidized form) or Ubiquinol (the reduced form), words
which have their roots in the Latin word for everywhere. The implication
is that it is present everywhere in our bodies, and certainly this is true
anywhere that energy production is a factor, i.e. at the cellular level.
This is where oxidative damage can also be the
most destructive, therefore the presence of CoQ10 at this level where it can
protect against oxidation and support the processes of cellular
regeneration, which need energy to take place, may be important not only in the
prevention of disease, but in guarding against the acceleration of the aging
process itself.
I quote from nutritional pioneer Abram Hoffer
"Coenzyme Q 10. Dr. Karl Folkers
discovered this substance, also called ubiquinone; toward the end of
his long and distinguished career he regretted that he had not called
it a vitamin. It is an odd vitamin since young people are able to make
enough from the lower numbered ubiquinones such as Q 6 or Q 8 whereas
older people and anyone ill is not able to make enough. It thus
becomes a vitamin later in life and when one becomes ill. A few
clinical studies have shown that in large doses it has anticancer
properties especially for breast cancer. These range from 300
milligrams to 600 milligrams daily. "
This nutrient is an important player in the
health of the heart. CoQ10 is present in high concentrations in the cells of the
heart, and its major role is enabling the cell to synthesize ATP, which is
its main source of energy.
In other words, and put at its
simplest, high levels of CoQ10 help the heart to keep on beating. Some
significant studies using CoQ10 have been done in patients with cardiomyopathy,
a chronic disorder which affects the muscles of the heart: it may cause
enlargement of the heart, arrhythmias, and other serious problems. One study
using a group of patients who were steadily worsening, and expected to die,
showed significant clinical improvement on being supplemented with CoQ10. (Proc.
Nat'l. Acad. Sci. 1985).
As research advances, different forms of CoQ10
are being offered with differing claims for absorbability. I would
characterize them thus:
The powder CoQ10 or Ubiquinone, the fully
oxidized form and the most commonly available. This kind of CoQ10 is
serviceable if taken with some accompanying fatty acids to help
bio-availability.
Such brands as Q-Sol, Q-Absorb, which contain
the necessary lipids for better absorption
The newest and potentially best absorbed
form, Ubiquinol,
the active form Ubiquinone is converted to in the body, and which
constitutes 90% of CoQ10 circulating in the body.
To paraphrase Orwell, they are all active, but
some are more active than others. Generally, they are priced accordingly.
You
can compare here.
Dr. Robert J. Barry, of National Institute of Health repute,
characterizes them thus: up to the age of approximately 45, unless you are
addressing a chronic or serious health condition, then the Ubiquinone form is
perfectly adequate. After that age, when absorption is to a certain extent
compromised by age and ill health, the Ubiquinol form may provide more benefit.
Research
in 2005 is shedding more light on how CoQ10 may help. Clay
Semenkovich of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis,
Missouri does not accept the cholesterol/heart disease connection, but suggests
that with age, the energy producing mechanisms in the mitochondria of the cells
become less efficient. This allows highly re-active oxygen species to leak
into the blood stream, causing damage to the walls of the blood vessels.
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050523/full/050523-7.html
One of the original
clinical researchers into CoQ10's role in cardiovascular health Dr. Per
Langsjoen of Tyler TX, went so far as to speak of it as
"thecrucial factor in cellular bioenergetics and free
radical quenching".
In another study, the strength of the heart,
along with other parameters of cardiac function, was greatly improved using
CoQ10. It is a fact that most patients with cardiovascular problems are, when
tested, found to be deficient in CoQ10. This appears to be the case in
people with high blood pressure also, both that they are initially found to be
deficient in, and eventually benefit from supplementing with, CoQ10.
Now comes evidence to suggest that CoQ10 is possibly
inhibited by certain antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs (particularly the
beta-blockers) oral diabetic drugs and some psycho-therapeutic drugs, and certainly
by all the Statin cholesterol lowering medications . In fact, the higher the
dose of the statin drug, and the bigger the drop in your cholesterol, the
greater the deficiency of CoQ 10 will be.
Any substance that lowers CoQ10 levels in the
cell will affect the performance of the heart, and and cause the fatigue that is
often a side-effect of these medications. Dr. Peter Langsjoen, who writes for www.redflagsdaily.com,
states: " I see people who have previously normal hearts who had high
cholesterol and who were on statins for varying periods of time and have heart
failure that cannot be explained by anything else."
One
cardiac website states (heart failure) is the leading cause of hospital
admissions in the United States. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
estimates that over 4.7 million Americans have CHF and that about 400,000 new
cases are diagnosed each year. Over 200,000 Americans die of heart failure
annually.) http://www.advancedcardiac.com/hfclinic.htm#Some%20Facts%20And%20Figures
I
remember CoEnzyme Q10 being attacked in Dr. Gott's newspaper
column some years ago, and would like to quote
Dr. Julian Whitaker's reply to that attack:
Dear Dr. Gott,
At first I was incredulous, then alarmed by your comments on CoQ10.
I have been practicing medicine in California for twenty years, and
have been dispensing, prescribing and recommending CoQ10 daily for
over a decade ...
CoQ10 is not a "non traditional" treatment of cardiomyopathy:
it is the most powerful treatment of cardiomyopathy available.
It increases the survival rate of cardiomyopathy patients tenfold
compared to the combined therapies of ACE inhibitors, diuretics and
Lanoxin ...
For your reader with cardiomyopathy, you need to set the record
straight ... to withhold this information from her is unreasonable,
unethical and will facilitate her demise and potentially that of many
others
signed, Dr. J.W.
Researchers are also alarmed by a
connection between these statin drugs and painful conditions of neuropathy - see RESOURCES.
Interestingly,
our ability to synthesize CoQ10 appears to diminish with age, and
abnormally low levels of it have been found in the
thymus glands of aging mice:
this is significant because the
thymus is essential to the functioning of the immune system. When the mice
received supplemental CoQ10, the shrinking ceased, levels of antibodies rose,
and the life span of the mice was extended. Studies of aging patients with heart
problems, diabetes and cancer have shown alarmingly low levels of CoQ10 and the
link with the immune system would, in my opinion, certainly merit supplementing
with it, particularly in view of the fact that no side effects or toxicity have
ever been encountered. In Denmark, they have reported really encouraging
responses in patients with breast cancer using as high an amount as 390 mg
daily, with no negative effects reported at all.
There is a study using 600 to 1200 mg per day for Huntington's
disease patients, at which level there were some reports of headache, heartburn,
fatigue, and increased involuntary movements (Feigin et
al., 1994) . If you have diabetes, it might be wise
to be cautious, since CoQ10 may change requirements for insulin. About one
person in a hundred may experience diarrhea,
appetite loss, and nausea, and if that is the case,
lowering the dose reverses the problem.
Dr. Judy, of the
Southeastern Institute of Biomedical Research in Bradenton, FL, has been
conducting research into CoQ10 for nearly two decades. He reports that
studies on over 4200 people show that CoQ10 reduced heart problems in those
already suffering from them, improved pumping and heart contraction, and reduced
heart volume in almost 90% of those tested within between 24 and 90 days of
starting to supplement them with from 100 to 250 mg per day.
In another study of
240 people with ischemic heart disease, 85% of those taking from 30 to 600 mg
per day ( Lynn's note - 600 is a VERY high dose!) showed results with lessening
of resting angina and exercise induced ischemia. Arrhythmias were also
reduced by 50 to 100%.
Dr. Judy's latest research has been in the area of cancer prevention: this
research was sparked because he and a fellow researcher noted that while they
were treating patients for heart problems with CoQ10, a significant number of
them had their cancer go into remission or tumors disappear. They used
an existing group of 32 prostate cancer sufferers. During the period of
the study, no conventional treatments were administered. 600mg of CoQ10 daily
was used, and while it takes some time for results to be noted, after 120 days
PSA levels began to fall, and after a year, in 14 out of 20 volunteers, PSAs had
dropped by 75% and prostate mass was decreased by 64%.
A 2005 study at the
University of Miami ( sees RESOURCES for more) finds that CoQ10 in
high doses restores the normal life cycle to cancer cells . In
other words, it restores programmed cell death. To quote from their
press release: “It is amazing that a
benign compound, CoQ10, can cause the cancer cells to selectively kill
themselves without harm to normal cells. Moreover, we have a novel
topical delivery system that offers cancer patients an improved
quality of life with a boost of energy. Indeed, our team looks
forward to one day bringing the benefit and hope of this technology to
many cancer patients.”
Dr. Whitaker's book,
Guide to Natural Healing, gives a number of other study examples and a
search will turn them up in the hundreds: this is a much researched and
highly effective heart nutrient.
CoQ10
is naturally present in our cells, where it is essential for
cellular respiration and energy production.
However, our
supplies become depleted as we age, and replacing them from food is marginally
practicable. As an example, it would require two gallons of chopped
spinach daily to provide 30 mgs of CoQ10. Not only do we have less CoQ10
in our bodies as we age, but since it is a potent antioxidant, under conditions
of oxidative stress - for example, pollution, smoking - available supplies of
CoQ10 are used first to answer that need, and less of it is therefore available
to supply the needs of the cell. This sequence of events, where our body
contains less of the nutrient through the natural process of aging,
increasing demands for it in its antioxidant role deplete our remaining
supplies, and therefore less of it is available for essential energy production
in the body's cells, illustrates the vital role CoQ10 plays in heart disease.
It is the energy produced in the cells of our hearts that literally determines
the efficiency of our heartbeat!
One of the original
clinical researchers into CoQ10's role in cardiovascular health Dr. Per
Langsjoen of Tyler TX, went so far as to speak of it as the "crucial factor
in cellular bioenergetics and free radical quenching". At this stage, I'm
sure no one will be surprised to learn that 100 mg of CoQ10 is the first thing I
would supplement with if I had heart problems of any kind. to include high blood
pressure. A minimum dose of CoQ10 would be 30 mg. It appears to be even
more effective if taken in conjunction with Vitamin E, but should in any event
always be taken in conjunction with a form of fatty acids for maximum
absorption. There are CoQ10 products on the market now that are combined
with the lipids necessary for best absorption, and while they cost a little more
they may be the solution for people who do not wish to supplement with
additional EFAs.
Note: Dr. Judy
is also doing research with CoQ10 and Willi Prader babies that is showing
promise. This devastating neonatal problem has been virtually impossible
to help. See RESOURCES.
No serious side effects have been reported with CoQ10 therapy. Infrequently,
some gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, diarrhea, and appetite loss have been
reported with high doses. There is also some evidence that it may act as a
blood thinner in very high doses. As yet, however, there have been no
actual studies on the safety of the substance, so the usual caution in pregnancy
and lactation applies.
Study
Progress on therapy of breast cancer with vitamin Q10 and the regression
of metastases. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7612003&dopt=Abstract
Co-Enzyme
Q10 and Migraine - http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_2003_Jan/ai_95676502
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