Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential enzyme that is found in almost every cell in the body. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance and a potent antioxidant. CoQ10 a key player in transforming the food you eat into energy. You cannot function without this essential energy nutrient.

CoQ10 is found in many foods. Rich dietary sources are meat, fish, nuts, rapeseed oil and soya oil. It is present in lesser amounts in fruits, vegetables, eggs and dairy products. Organ meats such as heart, liver, and kidneys are highest in CoQ10, which makes sense, as these organs require a large amount of energy. The highest meat source is reindeer but most people don’t eat reindeer, or organ meats very often. Most diets contain less than 10mg/day.[1]

It was discovered simultaneously in the United States and England in 1957 and, by the 1970s, could be produced in large enough quantities to allow more research to be done. The role of CoQ10 in energy production within the body’s cells was better understood after the contribution of 1978 Nobel Prize winning scientist Peter Mitchell. There is now a lot of interesting research being done on CoQ10. There are a number of interesting therapeutic possibilities.

Heart support

The list of CoQ10 benefits is impressive with heart support at the top. Because your heart is your largest energy-using organ. People with heart failure have lower levels of CoQ10. As heart failure severity gets worse, so does CoQ10 deficiency. Other heart failure medications block rather than enhance cellular processes and may have side effects. Supplementation with CoQ10, which is a natural and safe substance, corrects a deficiency in the body and blocks the vicious metabolic cycle in chronic heart failure called the energy starved heart.[2]

People who take statins (cholesterol lowering drugs)

Studies have shown that statins reduce levels of CoQ10 in the body which is why supplementation is often advised for people on statins. Taking CoQ10 supplements can bring levels back to normal. There is some evidence that CoQ10 may reduce side effects from  statins as studies show that CoQ10 may decrease the muscle pain associated with statin treatment.[3][4]

Blood pressure

Studies show that CoQ10 lowers systolic blood pressure by up to 17 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by up to 10 mmHg. However, it may take 4-12 weeks to see any change. For this reason people with low blood pressure or taking blood pressure medications such as warfarin should not take CoQ10.[5]

Summary

Low levels of CoQ10 are common due to low dietary intake and declining body production as you age. The levels found in foods are insufficient to impact on heart failure so taking CoQ10 supplement could help. Certain drugs such as statins deplete CoQ10 levels and supplementation may help curb these depletions.

References

[1] Webb P.G. (2006) Dietary Supplements & Functional Foods. Blackwell Publishing.

[2] S.A. Mortensen, A. Kumar, P. Dolliner, et al. The effect of Coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure. Results from the Q-SYMBIO study (2013).

[3] Belaia OL, Kalmykova VI, Ivanova LA, et al; [Experience in coenzyme Q10 application in complex therapy of coronary heart disease with dyslipidemia]; Klin Med (Mosk). 2006;84(5):59-62.

[4] Bennett WE, Drake AJ 3rd, Shakir KM; Reversible myopathy after statin therapy in patients with normal creatine kinase levels.; Ann Intern Med. 2003 Mar 4;138(5):436-7.

[5] Rosenfeldt, F L; Haas, S J; Krum, H; Hadj, A; Ng, K; Leong, J-Y; Watts, G F (2007). “Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta-analysis of the clinical trials”. Journal of Human Hypertension 21 (4): 297–306