Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is a substance your body manufactures in the energy-producing parts of your cells. CoQ10 is a vital component in the manufacture of energy and also acts as an antioxidant. While Coq10 is not an essential nutrient, supplementation has purportedly provided certain health benefits, including some related to heart health. Consult your doctor before using CoQ10 to treat a heart condition.
Pediatric Benefits
Coenzyme Q10 improved symptoms of cardiac failure in pediatric patients in a study published in the journal "Cardiology in the Young" in September 2009. In the study, 38 patients with a condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy -- characterized by increased size of the part of the heart that pumps blood out to the body and by inefficient heart function -- took coenzyme Q10 for six months and showed improvements in heart function when the heart was in its relaxed phase, before contraction.
Heart Rate
Coenzyme Q10 improved diastolic function -- the relaxation phase of the heartbeat -- in a study published in the 2008 issue of "Biofactors." Participants took 200 mg per day of coenzyme Q10 and showed a 23 percent reduction in thickness of the heart wall -- implying less workload on the heart -- and improved performance in a six-minute walk test. Additionally, none of the patients in the coenzyme Q10 group developed irregular heart rate during the study, while four participants in the control group developed irregular heart rate.
Blood Pressure
The "Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews," October 2009, published a meta-study -- a review of previously published research -- that demonstrated the ability of coenzyme Q10 to reduce blood pressure. A total of 96 participants in three trials showed an average reduction in systolic blood pressure of 11 mmHg and a reduction of 7 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. Participants in the studies used coenzyme Q10 supplementation for at least three weeks. The authors noted that the blood pressure-lowering ability of coenzyme Q10 with long-term use is uncertain on the basis of the studies reviewed.
Variety of Benefits
A variety of benefits derived from coenzyme Q10 improve heart function, according to a study published in the December 2009 issue of "Pharmacologic Therapeutics." Coenzyme Q10 improves cellular energy balance, a particularly important attribute in high-energy-consuming cells such as heart cells. Coenzyme Q10 provides antioxidant and blood vessel dilating effects; and cardiac cells, which are extremely sensitive to coenzyme Q10 deficiency, respond well to coenzyme Q10 supplementation, say the authors. Coenzyme Q10 also decreases pro-inflammatory molecules and has a blood thinning effect. Injury from decreased oxygen supply to the heart, known as ischemia, also responds well to coenzyme Q10.
References
- "Cardiology in the Young"; Coenzyme Q10 Improves Diastolic Function in Children With Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy; A. Kocharian et al.; September 2009
- "Pharmacology and Therapeutics"; Role of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in Cardiac Disease, Hypertension and Ménière-Like Syndrome; A. Kumar et al.; December 2009
- "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"; Blood Pressure Lowering Efficacy of Coenzyme Q10 for Primary Hypertension; M.J. Ho et al.; October 2009
- "Biofactors"; Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in Isolated Diastolic Heart Failure in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), K. Adarsh et al.; 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Dilated Cardiomyopathy
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