Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone)

Dr. Frederick Crane isolated this orange-colored powder from beef heart in 1957. The next year Dr. Karl Folkers, then a research scientist at Merck, identified Coenzyme Q10's molecular structure. When a professor at the University of Texas, Dr. Folkers was the most prominent advocate for using Coenzyme Q10 to treat congestive heart failure and other diseases. Although scientists show considerable interest in Coenzyme Q10, most practicing physicians are not aware of its potential.

In Japan and other countries, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an approved treatment for several cardiovascular conditions. Considerable evidence suggests that it may be useful in treating congestive heart failure as well as other heart conditions. For these purposes, it is often combined with conventional medications. CoQ10 has also been proposed as a treatment for high blood pressure.

One small Japanese study found that angina patients given Coenzyme Q10 felt better and had improved results on a stress test compared to patients given a placebo. An encouraging result which needs to be repeated before a conclusion can be made.

CoQ10 was first identified as an orange-colored substance present in heart muscle cells of cows. Eventually, it was found to exist in many human organs, including the heart, kidney, liver, and pancreas. It is made by the body and also is ingested from foods such as meats, fish, and soybean oil. It turns out that CoQ10 helps cells turn food into energy, so it's found almost everywhere in your body. For that reason, it's also called ubiquinone, a name derived from the word ubiquitous (existing everywhere). Since the body can synthesize CoQ10 from other substances, it is not classified as an essential nutrient.

CoQ10 has antioxidant effects, working like vitamin E to neutralize free radicals and thus prevent the cell damage caused by them.8 It may also help recycle used-up vitamin

It's been suggested that CoQ10 may lower your blood pressure by reducing the resistance of blood vessels to the flow of blood. However, there is little actual research evidence. Most of the studies performed lacked a control group.

One placebo-controlled trial of CoQ10 has been performed, but it was very small, involving only 18 hypertensive patients.10 They received either 100 mg of CoQ10 daily or placebo for 10 weeks. In the CoQ10 patients, systolic and diastolic pressures fell by 10.6 mm and 7.7 mm, respectively. The placebo group showed no changes in blood pressure. These are promising results that need to be confirmed in larger studies.

In a small non-placebo trial, 26 people with hypertension received a 50-mg dose of CoQ10 twice a day for 10 weeks. The results showed about a 10% improvement in blood pressure.11 Another non-placebo trial of 109 patients treated with CoQ10 also showed a significant improvement in blood pressure over a period of 1 to 6 months.12 However, because many studies have shown that even placebo pills can lower blood pressure (as well as inspire participants to make lifestyle improvements), we really need double-blind placebo-controlled trials to know whether CoQ10 really works.

As promising as CoQ10 supplementation might seem, the research evidence for its blood pressure-lowering effects must be regarded as preliminary only.

The dose of CoQ10 for treating hypertension, congestive heart failure, and other conditions has been 30 to 150 mg daily or more, divided into two or three doses at the higher levels. Duration of therapy has lasted as long as 6 years. CoQ10 is fat-soluble and is better absorbed when taken in oil-based soft-gel form rather than in a dry form such as tablets and capsules.

No serious side effects have been reported with CoQ10 therapy. Infrequent side effects have included gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, diarrhea, and appetite loss. But since it's been studied only in small trials, we can't be certain it's entirely safe.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors—such as the lipid-lowering statin drugs may lower body levels of CoQ10 and lead to a deficiency in it.

Taking supplemental CoQ10 may be a good idea if you are taking one of these medications. Drug interaction studies have not been done. Maximum safe doses in young children, pregnant or breast-feeding women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been established.