The Cell's Powerhouses
Deep inside the inner recesses of your cells are tiny units called mitochondria. These vital structures are the powerhouses of the cell. Their job is to manufacture a chemical called ATP, from which the energy that fuels your body is created. CoQ10 plays a very important role in this manufacturing process. Its job is to shuttle minute, electrically charged particles back and forth inside the mitochondria, supplying the three enzymes that generate energy. Without CoQ10, the entire process comes to a standstill.
CoQ10 and Your Heart
Heart muscle contains more mitochondria than any other tissue in the body. This reflects the enormous amount of energy required by the heart to keep beating hour after hour, day after day, year after year, for an entire lifetime. Significantly, people with heart failure frequently have low levels of CoQ10. The condition often improves as soon as they start taking oral doses of this vital substance¹.
CoQ10 In Foods
CoQ10 is found naturally in many foodstuffs, most notably sardines, organ meats and broccoli. Unfortunately, it is easily destroyed by processing and cooking. (The average person ingests between 5 and 10 mg of CoQ10 a day through foods.) Although the liver manufactures CoQ10, its production slows down as we age. For this reason, doctors recommend supplementing with CoQ10. (CoQ10 supplements range from 30 to 400 mg per capsule.)
CoQ10 and Statin Drugs
If you are taking prescription statin drugs such as lovastatin (Mevacor®) or simvastatin (Zocor®) for elevated cholesterol, you should also take supplementary CoQ10. This is because some of the processes that are blocked by statin drugs are the same processes that are needed to manufacture CoQ10². Many health professionals now recommend a minimum of 100 mg daily for people using statin drugs.
Other Heart Benefits
CoQ10 benefits the heart in many ways. Not only does it help increase energy within the cells, it also helps reduce the risk of clotting and lowers blood pressure.
Platelets are tiny cells that help the blood to clot. By reducing the stickiness of platelet cells, CoQ10 may reduce the risk of a clot forming in the arteries and causing a heart attack. (Research in this area is ongoing. At the present time, taking extra CoQ10 is not considered a reliable way to prevent a heart attack.)
CoQ10 also appears to reduce blood pressure in many people. By increasing your heart’s energy output, the heart beats more effectively, helping the blood pressure go down.3 Your doctor will be able to advise you on the appropriate use of CoQ10 for your particular condition.
Choosing the Right Supplement
CoQ10 produces no negative side effects and has no known toxicity. However, it is relatively expensive and you will want to make sure that your supplement is formulated for maximum absorption. The body’s ability to utilize CoQ10 is greatly enhanced by the addition of oil.4 Many supplements are therefore in the form of a gelcap containing oil in which the CoQ10 is suspended. Alternatively, if you choose a dry supplement (yellow powder in capsule form), you should make sure you take it with an oil, or that your accompanying meal or snack contains oil of some kind.
For further information on CoQ10 supplements, please consult your London Drugs pharmacist.
i Langsjoen, P.H., et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of coenzyme Q10 therapy for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 65, 1990, pp. 521-23.
ii Laaksonen, R., Ojala, J.P., Tikkanen, M.J., Himberg, J.J. Serum ubiquinone concentrations after short- and long-term treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1994;46:313-7.
iii Greenberg, S., Frishman, W. H. Co-enzyme Q10: A new drug for cardiovascular disease. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Vol. 30, 1990, pp. 596-608.
iv Murray, M. T., Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements, Rocklin, CA, Prima Publishing, 1996, pp. 296-308.
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