CoQ10 for a healthy heart – Part 1
The Health food industry has never known such boom times, with increasing numbers of “baby boomers” intent on defying the passage of time, seeking youth and vitality in a bottle. Antioxidant formulas abound, each promising protection from premature aging, cancer and heart disease. These antioxidant formulas contain a range of vitamins, minerals and herbs such as vitamins A, C and E, beta carotene, zinc, selenium, grape seed extract, tumeric and pine bark extract. While each of these common antioxidants may offer some degree of protection against “free radical” damage, one of the most powerful antioxidants of all is also the least well known.
CoQ10 was first discovered in 1957 when it was isolated from the heart muscles of cows. It took until 1974 before sufficient quantities of CoQ10 could be produced to begin clinical trials with patients. This fat soluble vitamin like substance is present in every cell of the body, as well as occurring naturally in a number of foods including organ meats, soy oil, sardines, mackerel and peanuts. In theory our body can synthesise its own CoQ10 through through a complex 17-step process. In reality though, this process is often impaired, leading to a decrease in CoQ10 levels in the body. A lack of dietary CoQ10 or biochemical changes which cause an increased requirement of this nutrient can also lead to deficiency.
As well as functioning as a powerful antioxidant , CoQ10 serves as a coenzyme for several of the key steps in the production of energy within every cell. Athletes are often lacking in CoQ10 as their high energy production burns through huge amounts of this nutrient. With the widespread use of pharmaceutical drugs, drug induced CoQ10 deficiency is also increasingly common. Statins, beta blockers and tricyclic antidepressants all effect CoQ10 levels adversely.
Heart Health
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the Western world, accounting for over forty percent of all deaths. Research has repeatedly shown that an improvement in cardiovascular health is one of the most significant benefits of CoQ10 supplementation. The heart muscle never gets a chance to rest and with its never ending energy requirements, CoQ10 levels are especially concentrated in the heart muscle. Low levels of CoQ10 in both the blood and tissues are significantly correlated with congestive heart failure. Sometimes the low levels of CoQ10 themselves become a primary contributing factor to the development of heart failure.
Internationally there have been at least 9 placebo-controlled studies investigating the treatment of heart disease with CoQ10. All of them have shown a remarkable benefit from CoQ10 supplementation, as well as demonstrating a high degree of safety. Over 300 papers presented at nine international symposiums devoted solely to the study of CoQ10 have demonstrated the efficacy of CoQ10 for improving heart muscle function while producing no adverse effects or drug interactions.
Most of the clinical trials have involved the use of CoQ10 in addition to, rather than instead of pharmaceutical drugs. Often though, the CoQ10 supplements have allowed the pharmaceutical medication to be discontinued. In one study involving 109 subjects with high blood pressure, 51% were able to stop between 1 and 3 hypertensive drugs at an average of 4.4 months after starting CoQ10. The largest study involving patients with congestive heart failure was carried out in Italy, with 2664 patients. After three months the majority of patients experienced an improvement in a range of symptoms including circulation, shortness of breath, palpitations and sweating.
(if you or anyone you know is taking a statin drug for cholesterol control, don’t miss part 2 of this blog)
Lynda Wharton
www.lyndawharton.com
The Framingham study evidence underlying the “lipid hypothesis” was never strong to start with. Since then a massive lipid lowering campaign has shown no effect on heart disease rates. While an elegant and seemingly intuitive hypothesis, more and more openly people are rightly questioning the wisdom of the cholesterol lowering campaign.
Cholesterol is an essential component of every cell membrane and important for myriad physiologic functions. When Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD looked at the medical literature he found something quite surprising had been documented there. On average people with higher cholesterol live longer.
http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/2009/10/do-people-with-high-cholesterol-live.html
The side effects of statins are myriad, rhabdomyolysis, (muscle injury), liver damage, in Crestor’s case kidney damage. Dr Duane Graveline an MD and former NASA astronaut has also compiled extensive data on a more rare statin side effect, global transient amnesia, which afflicted him and many others, he has written a book on it, “Lipitor thief of memory”. http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/2009/11/statins-and-global-transient-amnesia.html
Don’t forget co-enzyme Q depletion. All this while the “lipid hypothesis” is falling like a house of cards as decades of intensive lipid lowering efforts have done nothing to improve heart disease rates.
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.
hi. Great blurb. Saved and will visit again soon. bfn