Spotlight on Supplements: CoQ10
Supporting good health with the knowledge and
use of supplements.
CoQ10 plays
an essential role in all our cells for energy
production. In every cell, we have many
mitochondria—the engines that take calories from
our food and turn it into energy that supports
our cells. An electron transport chain that
performs this amazing feat requires the CoQ10
and an amino acid (protein building block)
called L-carnitine to function. Cells that work
hard, like our muscles and especially our heart
muscle, have more mitochondria in them and
require more CoQ10.
We make CoQ10 in
our livers. Some of us do that better than
others and genetics plays a role here. The
statins (cholesterol lowering medications like
lipitor, crestor, mevacor, zocor, lescol, and
pravachol) work by blocking the production of
cholesterol in our livers. Unfortunately CoQ10
and cholesterol share a common mother compound
called mevalonic acid that is blocked by the
statins. This means that while the statins work
great to reduce overall cholesterol, they also
reduce one’s internal production of CoQ10.
Replacing the lowered CoQ10 by oral
supplementation is a way to assure a continued
normal amount for your cells.
Widely used in
Japan and Europe, there is evidence that CoQ10
is helpful for congestive heart failure and
cardiomyopathies (200 mg/day-especially in
association with L-carnitine 500-1000 mg 2-3
x/day), lowering blood pressure (50-100 mg/day),
reducing angina (preventing the muscle
inflammation/aching that can come with statins
(50-60 mg/day), preventing the progression of
Parkinson’s Disease (1200 mg/day), reducing
periodontitis (100-200 mg/day), preventing
migraines (100-200 mg/day), improving muscle
function in muscular dystrophy, reducing the
heart toxicity of some chemotherapies, and if
started with in 72 hours of a heart attack and
continued for a year, reduction in the
recurrence of other heart attacks.
Vitaline brand of
CoQ10 is that most used in the published
research. It is available at the resource
center in The Maple Center.
--Submitted by
Kathleen A. Stienstra, MD
