Coenzyme
Q10 (also known as CoQ10, Q10, vitamin Q10, ubiquinone,
or ubidecarenone) is a compound that is made naturally
in the body. A coenzyme is a substance needed for
the proper functioning of an enzyme, a protein that
speeds up the rate at which chemical reactions take
place in the body. The Q and the 10 in coenzyme Q10
refer to parts of the compound’s chemical structure.
Studies
on mice showed an increase of 50% extension of
life span with the administration of Coenzyme
Q-10.
Coenzyme
Q10 is used by cells to produce energy needed for
cell growth and maintenance. It is also used by the
body as an antioxidant. An antioxidant is a substance
that protects cells from chemicals called free radicals.
Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that can
damage important parts of cells, including deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA). (DNA is a molecule inside cells that carries
genetic information and passes it from one generation
to the next.) This damage may play a role in the development
of cancer.
Coenzyme
Q10 is found in most body tissues. The highest amounts
are found in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
The lowest amounts are found in the lungs. Tissue
levels of coenzyme Q10 decrease as people get older.
Laboratory
studies of coenzyme Q10 have focused on describing
its chemical structure and how it works in the body.
Animal studies have found that coenzyme Q10 stimulated
the immune system and increased resistance to disease.
Coenzyme Q10 helped to protect the hearts of animals
given the anticancer drug doxorubicin, which can cause
damage to the heart muscle.
The promising
results from animal studies of coenzyme Q10 and the
anticancer drug doxorubicin led researchers to test
coenzyme Q10 in a randomized clinical trial with 20
patients. (A randomized clinical trial is a study
in which the participants are assigned by chance to
separate groups that compare different treatments;
neither the researchers nor the participants can choose
which group.) The researchers examined whether coenzyme
Q10 would protect the heart from the damage caused
by doxorubicin. The results of this trial and others
have confirmed that coenzyme Q10 decreases the effects
of doxorubicin on the heart. However, no report of
a randomized clinical trial of coenzyme Q10 as a treatment
for cancer has been published in a peer-reviewed,
scientific journal.
Three other
small studies were conducted using coenzyme Q10 as
a dietary supplement in patients undergoing conventional
cancer treatment. In these studies, the researchers
explored the potential use of coenzyme Q10 as an adjuvant
therapy for cancer.
The first
study, which was conducted in Denmark, involved 32
breast cancer patients. All of the participants received
coenzyme Q10 and several other dietary supplements,
in addition to their standard treatment. Six of the
patients were reported to show some signs of remission
(disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer).
However, the data were not complete, and information
that suggested remission was presented for only three
of the six patients. All of the participants reported
decreased use of painkillers, improved quality of
life, and absence of weight loss during treatment.
In a followup
study, one new patient and one of the patients who
had a reported remission were treated with high doses
of coenzyme Q10 for 3 to 4 months. Both of the patients
had breast cancer remaining after surgery. After the
period of high-dose coenzyme Q10 supplementation,
both patients appeared to experience complete regression
(decrease in the size or extent) of their remaining
cancer. However, it is not known which of the six
patients with a reported remission in the first study
took part in the followup study.
In a third
study conducted by the same researchers, three breast
cancer patients were given high-dose coenzyme Q10
and followed for 3 to 5 years. One patient had complete
remission of cancer that had spread to the liver,
another had remission of cancer that had spread to
the chest wall, and the third had no evidence of breast
cancer remaining after surgery.
It is important to note that problems with the design
of these studies may have influenced their results.
For example, the studies did not have control groups
(all patients received coenzyme Q10), and there may
have been differences in the characteristics of patients
who were selected for the followup study and those
who were not. Other factors that may have affected
the results include the following: the participants
received a variety of supplements in addition to coenzyme
Q10, and they received standard treatment either during
or just before coenzyme Q10 supplementation. Therefore,
it is impossible to determine whether any of the beneficial
results was directly related to coenzyme Q10 therapy.
There have
also been anecdotal reports that coenzyme Q10 has
increased the survival of patients with cancers of
the pancreas, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate. (Anecdotal
reports are incomplete descriptions of the medical
and treatment history of one or more patients.) The
patients described in these reports also received
treatments other than coenzyme Q10, including chemotherapy,
radiation therapy, and surgery.
No serious
side effects have been reported from the use of coenzyme
Q10. Some patients using coenzyme Q10 have experienced
mild insomnia (inability to sleep), elevated levels
of liver enzymes, rashes, nausea, and upper abdominal
pain. Other reported side effects have included dizziness,
visual sensitivity to light, irritability, headache,
heartburn, and fatigue.
Patients
should talk with their health care provider about
possible interactions between coenzyme Q10 and prescription
drugs they may be taking. Certain drugs, such as those
that are used to lower cholesterol or blood sugar
levels, may reduce the effects of coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme
Q10 may also alter the body’s response to warfarin
(a drug that prevents the blood from clotting) and
insulin.
It is Coenzyme
Q10 that is the coenzyme for at least three mitochondrial
enzymes as well as other enzymes in the cell. The
mitochondrial enzymes are essential for the production
of high-energy adenosine phosphates (ATP).
It has been found to be effective with a variety
of health problems, and great promise has been shown
in assisting with cancer treatment, protecting patients
undergoing chemotherapy. Studies showed that patients
taking 90 mg of this compound experienced less pain
and increase in appetite and decreased metastases.
Studies using 300 -900 mg, reported partial or total
remission. People who stay thin and slim, yet eat
a lot have much higher levels of this compound in
their blood, and it also assists with fuel efficiency
within the cells, which also assists weight loss.
People
suffering from periodontal disease may also be deficient
in this compound, as it has a protective and strengthening
action in all tissues. (This is why it is also beneficial
to the heart muscle.)
Deficiency
of Coenzyme Q10
When we are deficient of this compound in our system,
our general health will start deteriorating and
should levels drop 25% below the optimum levels,
many diseases may start progressing, diseases like
high blood pressure, heart attack, angina, immune
depression, periodontal disease, lack of energy
and weight gain.
People
suffering from congestive heart failure and taking
coenzyme Q10 should NOT stop taking it suddenly-
since sudden withdrawal may intensify the symptoms
of congestive heart failure.
Toxicity and symptoms of high intake
Toxicity and side effects are not known, but pregnant
or breast-feeding mothers should not take it in
supplement form.
In extreme dosages, such as 600 - 1200 mg per day
headaches, heartburn, fatigue, diarrhea and skin
reactions have been reported.
Best used with
Since the compounds are fat soluble, it is best to
take it with dietary fat present.
When more may be required
If liver function becomes compromised, it cannot
manufacture Q10 from the other Q coenzymes, and
this production
also diminishes with age.
People
suffering from angina, HIV, male infertility, diabetes,
periodontal disease, high blood pressure,
cancer and those undergoing chemotherapy may all
benefit from an increase in CoQ10.
Food sources of Coenzyme Q10
Good sources are found in beef, soy, mackerel, sardines,
spinach, peanuts, soybeans and vegetable oil.
MECHANISM OF ACTION:
CoQ10 is necessary for adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
production. It has an established role as a mobile
electron carrier in the mitochondrial electron-transfer
process of respiration and coupled phosphorylation,
and has a direct regulatory role on succinyl and
NADH dehydrogenases. CoQ10 is a lipid-soluble antioxidant
and like vitamin C, reduced CoQ10 effectively regenerates
alpha-tocopherol from the alpha tocopheroxyl radical.
CoQ10 has been demonstrated to scavenge free radicals
produced by lipid peroxidation and prevent mitochondrial
deformity during episodes of ischemia, and it may
have some ability to maintain the integrity of
myocardial calcium ion channels during ischemic
insults. Its major mechanism of action is protection
of ischemic tissue from reperfusion damage. CoQ10
appears capable of stabilizing cellular membranes
and preventing depletion of metabolites required
for ATP resynthesis.
SPECIAL DIETARY USEFULNESS:
This product may have special dietary usefulness,
under a physician’s supervision, for patients
diagnosed with congestive heart failure and Parkinson’s
disease.
PUBLISHED RESEARCH STUDIES:
A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled,
double-blind, dose-ranging trial (1), examined
80 otherwise healthy patients with early Parkinson
disease (PD). Patients received placebo or
coenzyme Q10 at dosages of 300, 600, or 1200 mg
daily, split
into 4 doses. The subjects underwent evaluation
with the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale
(UPDRS) at the screening, baseline, and 1,
4, 8, 12, and 16-month visits. They were followed
up
for 16 months or until disability requiring
treatment with levodopa had developed. The primary
response
variable was the change in the total score
on the UPDRS from baseline to the last visit.
The adjusted mean total UPDRS changes were +11.99
for the placebo group, +8.81 for the 300-mg/d group,
+10.82 for the 600-mg/d group, and +6.69 for the
1200-mg/d group. The P value for the primary analysis,
a test for a linear trend between the dosage and
the mean change in the total UPDRS score, was.09,
which met prespecified criteria for a positive
trend for the trial. A prespecified, secondary
analysis was the comparison of each treatment group
with the placebo group, and the difference between
the 1200-mg/d and placebo groups was significant
(P =.04). The researchers found coenzyme Q10 was
safe and well tolerated at dosages of up to 1200
mg/d. Less disability developed in subjects assigned
to coenzyme Q10 than in those assigned to placebo,
and the benefit was greatest in subjects receiving
the highest dosage. Coenzyme Q10 appeared to slow
the progressive deterioration of function in PD.
In a study
published in the journal Clinical Investigation
(2), the authors report the improved cardiac function
in patients with congestive heart failure treated
with coenzyme Q10 supports the hypothesis that
this condition is characterized by mitochondrial
dysfunction and energy starvation, so that it may
be ameliorated by coenzyme Q10 supplementation.
However the authors also report that the main clinical
problems in patients with congestive heart failure
are the frequent need of hospitalization and the
high incidence of life-threatening arrhythmias,
pulmonary edema, and other serious complications.
Thus, they studied the influence of coenzyme Q10
long-term treatment on these events in patients
with chronic congestive heart failure (New York
Heart Association functional class III and IV)
receiving conventional treatment for heart failure.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive
either placebo (n = 322, mean age 67 years, range
30-88 years) or coenzyme Q10 (n = 319, mean age
67 years, range 26-89 years) at the dosage of 2
mg/kg per day in a 1-year double-blind trial. The
number of patients who required hospitalization
for worsening heart failure was smaller in the
coenzyme Q10 treated group (n = 73) than in the
control group (n = 118, P < 0.001). Similarly,
the episodes of pulmonary edema or cardiac asthma
were reduced in the control group (20 versus 51
and 97 versus 198, respectively; both P < 0.001)
as compared to the placebo group. The results demonstrate
that the addition of coenzyme Q10 to conventional
therapy significantly reduces hospitalization for
worsening of heart failure and the incidence of
serious complications in patients with chronic
congestive heart failure.
ADVERSE REACTIONS:
Occasional nausea, diarrhea, and appetite suppression
may occur.
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
Do
not take Coenzyme Q 10 with Warfarin.
RECOMMENDED USE:
Take 1 to 3 softgels daily with meals.
STORAGE:
Store in a cool, dry place.
