Nutrimed Labs: CoQ10 and Heart Disease

Regardless of the type of heart problem, research over the past 25 to 30 years has shown that at least 80% of heart patients can improve dramatically with supplements of CoEnzyme Ql0. More CoQ10 is found in heart tissue than in any other muscle and most heart patients show a significant deficiency of CoQ10.

CoQl0 Supplies the Energy to Sustain Life
The mechanical pumping action of the heart requires a constant supply of energy. CoQlO is essential for production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic energy molecule of all cells. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in this country. In addition to energy production, many other aspects of this disease and other degenerative conditions have been related to CoQ10 deficiency.

Reducing Cholesterol at All Costs
For years now, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease has focused primarily on reducing serum levels of LDL cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol is oxidized it can damage the lining of arteries. Mineral and fat deposits collect in the area and blood flow is blocked.

While reducing cholesterol can certainly be beneficial, it is also important to protect cholesterol from oxidation. CoQ10 increases resistance to LDL oxidation by increasing plasma and lipid levels of CoQH2. Vitamin E, which is the major antioxidant in LDL lipids, does not effectively prevent lipid oxidation in the absence of CoQH2.(3) The drug Lovastatin effectively lowers cholesterol; however, researchers have now discovered that it also inhibits liver synthesis of CoQl0.(7) Since CoQ10 is essential to heart function, using Lovastatin to lower cholesterol makes about as much sense as cutting off your head to stop a headache.

Preventing Heart Attack and Stroke
By maintaining healthy levels of CoQ10, the risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as a number of other degenerative conditions, may be significantly lessened or avoided. In addition to its energy-producing and antioxidant properties, CoQ10 reduces blood viscosity which allows it to flow more easily through the arteries and veins. The heart doesn't have to work as hard and clots which can cause heart attacks or strokes are less likely to form.(5) Research has shown the ability of CoQ10 to reduce hypertension even in patients who had been taking blood pressure medications for over nine years. With CoQ10 therapy, elevated ratios of sodium to potassium decrease...much like the beneficial effect seen when hypertensive patients remove salt from the diet.

Surviving Heart Attack and Stroke
Normally, when a blocked coronary artery cuts off the blood supply to the heart, the heart muscle suffers irreversible damage. In a laboratory experiment, animals were given CoQ10 prior to blocking the blood supply to the heart. Heart failure and permanent damage occurred in as little as 60 minutes in the control group. In the CoQ10 group, heart failure and muscle damage didn't occur until after 90 minutes.

To test the effectiveness of CoQ10 for stroke, researchers blocked the carotid artery in laboratory animals. All the untreated animals died within 28 hours while 45% of the CoQ10 treated group were still alive after 4 weeks. When researchers at the University of Texas tried CoQ10 supplements on 11 heart transplant candidates, all of them improved...some to the point of no longer even needing medication.(8) CoQ10 supplements given before and after heart surgery can also provide enormous benefits to the patient.

In Indianapolis, the effects of CoQ10 were compared to a placebo in 20 high-risk heart patients requiring surgery. Half of the patients were given 100 mg. of CoQ10 for two weeks prior to surgery and for one month after. Some improvement was seen in the CoQ10 group before surgery, but after the surgery the CoQ10 group recovered in 3-5 days without complications while the placebo group took 15-30 days to recover and experienced a variety of complications.(9)

Health Problems Related to CoQlO Deficiency . . . The List Continues to Grow
A growing list of health problems have been linked to low levels of CoQ10 or have responded favorably to CoQ10 supplementation. When supplemental CoQ10 has been given to deficient patients, symptoms have improved. When CoQ10 deficient obese patients were given supplements and placed on a controlled reducing diet, they lost more than twice as much weight as patients on the same diet with the same supplements who were not deficient. In several studies using patients with diabetes mellitus, CoQ10 supplementation was found to stimulate insulin synthesis and secretion. Muscular dystrophy, periodontal disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, breast cancer, allergies and a variety of other conditions have also responded to CoQ10 supplementation.(1)

In many cases, improvement may be due to the Stipulatory effect CoQ10 has on the immune system. A series of experiments has shown that CoQ10 supplementation can double the immune system’s ability to clear invading organisms from the blood, double antibody levels, protect against chemically induced cancer, increase resistance to viral infections, reduce the toxicity of immunosuppressive drugs and quench free radicals associated with arthritis and other chronic degenerative diseases.(1)

CoQ10 has also been recommended as an anti-aging supplement. In early animal studies, mice fed CoQ10 lived as much as 50% longer...and they maintained their youthful appearance until they died.(l)

Who Needs Supplementary CoQlO?
Normal blood level of CoQ10 is considered to be 2.97 mg/ml. CoQ10 is found in many foods. In fact, the compound has been called by the name ubiquinone from the word ubiquitous which means...it’s everywhere. However, it's everywhere only in very small quantities.

In young people the liver is able to synthesize CoQ10 from other coenzymes, but that ability gradually declines with age. Liver disease, excessive use of alcohol and acetaminophen can also affect the liver’s ability to synthesize CoQ10. The body then becomes more susceptible to heart disease and a variety of other ailments unless the diet is supplemented.

Bioavailability is another factor. CoQ10 is a large fat soluble molecule that is best absorbed when it is first chewed and swallowed along with an oily substance.(10) Enhanced absorption allows blood levels to normalize and beneficial effects to be seen more quickly.

Beneficial Effects May Be Dose Dependent
In heart patients, the severity of CoQ10 deficiency correlates with increasing symptoms. Projections, based on autopsies of diseased human hearts and biopsies from healthy hearts and other organ and tissue samples, indicate that, once internal levels of CoQ10 drop below 25% of normal, disease is likely to ensue. If levels drop to a 75% deficiency, death will probably follow.(l)

In many studies, relatively low doses (30-100 mg. daily) have been used. Many researchers have now realized that the most effective therapeutic dosage for CoQ10 would then be the amount needed to return blood and tissue levels to normal as quickly as possible. To accomplish this, much higher doses (200-400 mg. daily) may be needed.

A clinical trial published in 1994 clearly shows a dose dependent relationship in the effects of CoQ10 treatment for women with high-risk breast cancer. In one patient, during therapy for about one year with 90 mg. of CoQ10 daily, the tumor "stabilized". When the dose was increased to 390 mg. daily, after one month the tumor was no longer palpable. After another month, mammography confirmed the tumor was no longer present.(6)

Another recent study completed by researchers at the University of Texas study confirmed the success of CoQ10 therapy for 424 patients with various forms of cardiovascular disease. In this study, dosage ranged from 75-600 mg. daily, added to the patients' existing medical regimen. The researchers adjusted the doses to keep blood levels of CoQ10 above 2 mg./ ml. Over 85% showed significant improvement and many were able to eliminate or reduce their heart medications.(9)

1. Bliznakof, E. and Hunt, G., The Miracle Nutrient Coenzyme Q1O, Bantam, 1987.
2. Folkers, K, et al, Biomedical and Clinical Aspects of Coenzyme Q (Vols 1-4) Elsevier Science Publishers, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984.
3. Mohr, Detlef, et al, "Dietary Supplementation with Coenzyme Q10 Results in Increased Levels of Ubiquinol-10 within Circulating Lipoproteins and Increased Resistance of Human Low-Density Lipoprotein to the Initiation of Lipid Peroxidation", Biochimica Et Biophysica ACTS, 1992;1126:247-254.
4. Langsjoen, P., et al, "Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of CoEnzyme Q10 Therapy for Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy", Amer. Jrnl. of Cardiology, 2/5/90; (65)521-523.
5. Kato, T., et al, “Reduction of blood viscosity by treatment with coenzyme Q10 in patients with ischemic heart disease Int. J. Clin. Pharmacol. ther. Toxicol., 28(3):123-126, 1990
6. Lockwood, K., Moesgaard, S., Flokers, K., "Partial and Complete Regression of Breast Cancer in Patients in Relation to Dosage of CoEnzyme Q10" Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 199, No. 3:1504-1508, 1994.
7. Coghlan, A., "Vitamin E Could Reduce Heart Disease", New Scientist, May 25, 1991;24.
8. Folkers, K., "Therapy with coenzyme Q10 of patients in heart failure who are eligible or ineligible for a transplant", Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Jan. 15, 1992;182(1):247-253.
9. Folkers, K., Judy, W., Baggio, E., Lamperitico, M., Langsjoen, P., et al, "Coenzyme Q10", Clinical Investigator, 1993; 71 (8 Suppl.).
10. Carper, Jean, Stop Aging Now! Harper Collins, New York, 1995.