Hype Vs. Fact About CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10, a compound with an unwieldy name that's often abbreviated to CoQ10, helps cells in the body form another unwieldy-sounding substance, adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Adenosine triphosphate supplies a cell with energy. CoQ10 is found in the mitochondria, the energy-producing center of the cell. Advocates of CoQ10 claim it has a number of health benefits, but most have not been proven in clinical studies. The purpose of CoQ10 supplementation is to increase ATP output. Ask your doctor before taking CoQ10 supplements.

Primary Deficiency

People with familial primary CoQ10 deficiency, an inherited deficiency not caused by other diseases, respond to CoQ10 therapy. A study conducted by researchers from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons that was published in the April 2001 issue of "Neurology" found that CoQ10 decreased seizures, improved ataxia or unsteady gait, and strengthened weak muscles in six patients with cerebellar ataxia who were found to have familial primary CoQ10 deficiency.

Congenital Mitochondrial Disorders

Congenital disorders that affect the generation of ATP in the mitochondria may respond to CoQ10 supplementation. Mitochondrial disorders most often affect high-energy tissues such as the muscles, brain, heart and eyes. Doses ranging from 30 to 300 mg per day of CoQ10, the most commonly used supplement to treat mitochondrial disorders, according to registered dietitian Barbara Marriage, Ph.D., of Abbott Laboratories, have been used in clinical trials. A Tohoku University School of Medicine three-year study published in the May 1998 issue of "Diabetologia" on the effects of CoQ10 in an inherited mitochondrial disorder found that CoQ10 improved some symptoms, such as hearing loss and lactic acid buildup, but did not improve abnormal insulin responses.

Blood Pressure

An Australian study of 74 patients with diabetes assessed the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on blood glucose as well as blood pressure over a 12-week period in a study published in the November 2002 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Subjects received one of four regimens: 100 mg CoQ10 twice daily, 200 mg fenofibrate each morning, both or neither. CoQ10 supplementation resulted in decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings of between -6.1+/-2.6 mmHg and -2.9+/-1.4 mmHg. Hemoglobin A1C levels, a marker for long-term diabetic control, also dropped on average from -0.37+/-0.17 percent in this study.

Unproven Claims

Many as yet unproven claims have also been made for CoQ10 supplementation. Disorders with potential benefit but as yet unclear scientific evidence for use of the supplement include age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart conditions, migraines, muscular dystrophies and Parkinson's disease, according to MayoClinic.com. More research into these areas is needed before definite recommendation on use and dosages of CoQ10 can be made. Preliminary studies show CoQ10 to be ineffective in lowering blood glucose levels and in treating Huntington's disease. Do not take this supplement to treat these disorders without your doctor's approval.