Physical Exercise *Reduces* Blood Levels of CoQ10

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Physical Exercise *Reduces* Blood Levels of CoQ10

JoAnn Guest

Dec 12, 2003 18:40 PST

 

 

What does congestive heart failure, gum disease and obesity have in

common? Very often, a deficiency of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

 

A lack of CoQ10 has also been implicated in arrhythmias, strokes,

hypertension, heart attacks, atherosclerosis, muscular dystrophy and

AIDS and many of these diseases can be prevented and treated

successfully with CoQ10.

 

Since its discovery and isolation 40 years ago hundreds of clinical

research studies have been done on CoQ10 and it is now abundantly

clear

that this nutrient is absolutely vital to health.

 

Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone/ubiquinol) is a fat-soluble quinone with a

structure similar to that of vitamin K. It is a powerful antioxidant

both on its own and in combination with vitamin E and is vital in

powering the body's energy production (ATP) cycle.

 

CoQ10 is found throughout the body in cell membranes, especially in

the

mitochondrial membranes and is particularly abundant in the heart,

lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas and adrenal glands. The

total

body content of CoQ10 is only about 500-1500 mg and decreases with

age.

 

CoQ10 was first isolated from beef heart mitochondria by Dr.

Frederick

Crane of Wisconsin, U.S.A., in 1957. The same year, Professor Morton

of

England defined a compound obtained from vitamin A deficient rat

liver

to be the same as CoQ10. Professor Morton introduced the name

ubiquinone, meaning the ubiquitous quinone.

 

In 1958, Professor Karl Folkers and coworkers at Merck, Inc.,

determined the precise chemical structure of CoQ10: 2,3 dimethoxy-5

methyl-6 decaprenyl benzoquinone, synthesized it, and were the first

to

produce it by fermentation.

 

In the mid-1960's, Professor Yamamura of Japan became the first in

the

world to use coenzyme Q7 (a related compound) in the treatment of

human

disease: congestive heart failure.

 

In 1966, Mellors and Tappel showed that reduced CoQ6 was an

effective

antioxidant. In 1972 Gian Paolo Littarru of Italy along with

Professor

Karl Folkers documented a deficiency of CoQ10 in human heart disease.

 

By the mid-1970's, the Japanese perfected the industrial technology

to

produce pure CoQ10 in quantities sufficient for larger clinical

trials.

 

Peter Mitchell received the Nobel Prize in 1978 for his contribution

to

the understanding of biological energy transfer through the

formulation

of the chemiosmotic theory, which includes the vital protonmotive

role

of CoQ10 in energy transfer systems.

 

Coenzyme Q10 has received particular attention in the prevention and

treatment of various forms of cardiovascular disease.

 

It is highly effective in preventing the oxidation of low-density

lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) which leads to atherosclerosis.

 

Several studies have shown that patients with congestive heart

failure

and other cardiovascular diseases have significantly lower levels of

CoQ10 in their heart tissue than do healthy people and

supplementation

with as little as 100 mg/day has been shown to markedly improve

their

condition.

 

CoQ10 is now approved in Japan for the treatment of congestive heart

failure.

 

Nutritional factors play an important role in the development and

treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

 

However, health care professionals may overlook, or even disregard,

some

of these factors for several reasons, including inadequate training

and

conflicting reports in the biomedical literature.

 

This review provides a synopsis of more than two-dozen nutritional

approaches to primary and secondary prevention and therapy of CVD.

 

Favorable cardiovascular effects have been reported with the use of

unsaturated fatty acids, vegetarian and semi-vegetarian diets,

dietary

fiber, plant sterols, alcoholic beverages, vitamins (niacin, E, C,

B6,

B12, folate),

minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium),

conditionally-essential nutrients (coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine,

taurine)

and botanical agents (garlic, hawthorn, gugulipid).

 

In contrast, trans-fatty acids, oxysterols, homocysteinemia,

carbohydrate intolerance, and excessive sodium chloride and iron

have

been associated with undesirable cardiovascular effects.

 

A nutritional approach to CVD provides a pivotal adjuvant to

traditional pharmaceutical and/or surgical interventions by

maximizing

the likelihood of success in decreasing CVD morbidity and mortality

and

minimizing the economic and social costs associated with this

disease.

 

Possible undesirable consequences of long term nutritional

supplementation with vitamin E and of adverse drug-nutrient

interactions

between the statins and CoQ10 are also considered.

 

Although additional intervention studies are needed, current

scientific

evidence generally supports nutritional supplementation with these

nutrients as an effective adjunctive strategy for CVD control.

 

Coenzyme Q10 is a redox component in the respiratory chain.

 

CoQ10 is necessary for human life to exist; and a deficiency can be

contributory to ill health and disease.

 

A deficiency of CoQ10 in myocardial disease has been found and

controlled therapeutic trials have established CoQ10 as a major

advance

in the therapy of resistant myocardial failure.

 

The cardiotoxicity of adriamycin, used in treatment modalities of

cancer, is significantly reduced by CoQ10, apparently because the

side-effects of adriamycin include inhibition of mitochondrial CoQ10

enzymes.

 

Models of the immune system including phagocytic rate, circulating

antibody level, neoplasia, viral and parasitic infections were used

to

demonstrate that CoQ10 is an immunomodulating agent.

 

It was concluded that CoQ10, at the mitochondrial level, is

essential

for the optimal function of the immune system.

 

Heart attacks and strokes produce a burst of free radicals (ischemia-

 

reperfusion) which can result in extensive tissue damage.

 

Patients with high CoQ10 levels suffer less damage from these events

and Japanese researchers have found that CoQ10 supplementation prior

to

and immediately following open heart surgery is highly beneficial in

preventing reperfusion injury - a common complication in heart

surgery.

 

Supplementation with CoQ10 has also been found beneficial in

patients

with chronic stable angina, mitral valve prolapse and irregular

heart

beat (arrhythmias).

 

Several studies also indicate that CoQ10 may be beneficial in the

treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure).

 

A study of 109 patients with long-standing, essential hypertension,

who

were on antihypertensive drugs, concluded that supplementation with

an

average of 225 mg/day of CoQ10 improved functional status,

 

allowed about half the patients to discontinue most of their blood

pressure medications and resulted in an average decrease of systolic

blood pressure from 159 to 147 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure

decrease

from 94 to 85 mm Hg.

 

Smaller, more recent Japanese studies have confirmed these findings.

 

Reports from several research groups--including two small double-

blind

clinical studies--indicate that supplemental coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) is

moderately effective as a treatment for hypertension, in humans and

in

animals.

 

Its efficacy is associated with a decrease in total peripheral

resistance, and appears to reflect a direct impact of CoQ on the

vascular wall.

 

A reasonable interpretation of these findings is that CoQ is acting

as

an antagonist of vascular superoxide--

either scavenging it, or suppressing its synthesis.

 

By improving the efficiency of shuttle mechanisms that transfer

high-energy electrons from the cytoplasm to the mitochondrial

respiratory chain,

 

CoQ may decrease cytoplasmic NADH levels and thereby diminish the

reductive power that drives superoxide synthesis in endothelium and

vascular smooth muscle.

 

If CoQ therapy does indeed lower vascular superoxide levels, it can

be

expected to decrease the atherothrombotic risk associated with

hypertension, and may have broader utility in the management of

disorders characterized by endotheliopathy.

 

Coenzyme Q10 is a great boost to heart health, but it has many other

beneficial effects.

 

Physical exercise *reduces* blood levels of CoQ10 and

supplementation

with 60 mg/day has been found to improve athletic performance.

 

Administration of CoQ10 alone or in combination with vitamin B6

(pyridoxine) boosts the immune system and may be useful in the

treatment

of AIDS and other infectious diseases.

 

An adequate level of CoQ10 in the body is essential to proper muscle

functioning and several studies have indeed shown that

supplementation

with 100-150 mg/day of CoQ10 markedly improves the condition of

people

suffering from muscular dystrophy.

 

Many overweight people have very low levels of CoQ10 and

supplementation

may enable them to lose weight due to the effect of CoQ10 in

speeding up

the metabolism of fats.

 

CoQ10 has been used with success in combatting periodontal diseases,

especially gingivitis (gum disease). Tissue affected by gingivitis

is

deficient in CoQ10 and experiments have shown that supplementation

with

as little as 50 mg/day can decrease inflammation.

 

More recent research has shown that topical application of CoQ10

dissolved in soya oil (85 mg/ml) to affected areas (periodontal

pockets)

reduces bleeding and the depth of the pocket.

 

Research carried out in Denmark has provided some tantalizing

evidence

that CoQ10 may also be effective in the fight against certain

cancers.

 

A trial involving the treatment of 32 breast cancer patients with

megadoses of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and coenzyme

Q10

(90 mg/day) in addition to conventional therapy showed a highly

beneficial effect of the supplementation.

 

Two of the patients in the trial whose tumours had not regressed had

their CoQ10 dosages increased to 390 mg/day and 300 mg/day

respectively

with the result that their tumours disappeared completely within

three

months.

 

CoQ10 supplementation is also very important for cancer patients

undergoing chemotherapy with heart toxic drugs such as adriamycin

and

athralines.

 

Recent research has also shown that certain cholesterol-lowering

drugs

(lovastatin, etc.) block the natural synthesis of CoQ10 so

supplementation with 100 mg/day is recommended for patients taking

these

drugs.

 

Despite considerable worldwide efforts, no single etiology has been

identified to explain the development of chronic fatigue syndrome

(CFS).

It is likely that multiple factors promote its development,

sometimes

with the same factors both causing and being caused by the syndrome.

 

A detailed review of the literature suggests a number of marginal

nutritional deficiencies may have etiologic relevance. These include

deficiencies of various B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, sodium,

zinc,

L-tryptophan, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, and essential fatty acids.

 

Any of these nutrients could be marginally deficient in CFS

patients, a

finding that appears to be primarily due to the illness process

rather

than to inadequate diets. It is likely that marginal deficiencies

not

only contribute to the clinical manifestations of the syndrome, but

also

are detrimental to the healing processes.

 

Therefore, when feasible, objective testing should identify them and

their resolution should be assured by repeat testing following

initiation of treatment. Moreover, because of the rarity of serious

adverse reactions, the difficulty in ruling out marginal

deficiencies,

and because some of the therapeutic benefits of nutritional

supplements

appear to be due to pharmacologic effects, it seems rational to

consider

supplementing CFS patients with the nutrients discussed above, along

with a general high-potency vitamin/mineral supplement, at least for

a

trial period.

 

The body can synthesize coenzyme Q10 and it is also found in several

dietary sources, notably organ meats. The level of CoQ10 in human

organs

peaks around the age of 20 years and then declines fairly rapidly.

 

The decrease in CoQ10 concentration in the heart is particularly

significant with a 77-year-old person having 57 per cent less CoQ10

in

the heart muscle than a 20-year-old.

 

Some experts involved in CoQ10 research believe that many people,

especially older people and people engaging in vigorous exercise may

be

deficient in CoQ10 and may benefit from supplementation.

 

The recommended daily dosage for health maintenance is 30 mg;

however,

considerably higher amounts are required in the treatment of the

various

diseases for which supplementation has been found beneficial.

 

CoQ10 should be taken with a meal containing some fat or even

better, in

combination with extra virgin olive oil which enhances its

absorption

quite substantially.

 

CoQ10 supplements are readily absorbed by the body and no toxic

effects

have been reported for daily dosages as high as 300 mg.

 

The safety of CoQ10, however, has not been established in pregnancy

and

lactation, so caution is advised here until more data becomes

available.

 

 

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