CoQ10

February 2019

Advertisements for CoQ10 suggest the supplement offers significant benefits for everyone ranging from normal individuals to those suffering from heart ailments and blood pressure issues.  Scientific evidence supporting these statements remains sketchy at best.

Heavy promotion of these supplements skyrocketed the number of users to as many as 16 million while the choice of brands rose from fewer than 20 to more than 120.  Interestingly the raw material present in the various preparations originates from a very small number of companies located principally in Japan and China.

Lost in all of the hype is the reality that product has not been cleared by the FDA as a treatment or preventive agent for any disease or condition.  No satisfactory formal safety studies exist nor are manufacturing regulations in place to guarantee what’s on the label is actually in the pill.

Discovered in the 1950s, the chemical moves electrons around inside the cells and appears involved in the production of  energy.  Levels are highest in the heart, liver and kidney.  While low concentrations occur in cancerous tissues, boosting intake with supplements fails to alter the disease course.

Two major forms exist within the cells: ubiquinol and ubiquinone.  The former accounts for 95% of the circulating CoQ10 and up to 95% of its concentration in most tissues.  Less than 25% of CoQ10 in the brain and lungs is ubiquinol.  

Cells manufacture CoQ10 with the quantity decreasing significantly with increasing age.  The building blocks are the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine (also the key ingredient in Equal, NutraSweet) and a chemical involved in the body’s synthesis of cholesterol.  The idea that people receiving statins need CoQ10 supplements remains a marketing tool unsupported by evidence.

Foods with plentiful CoQ10 include tuna, salmon and sardines.  CoQ10 also is present in avocado, cauliflower, broccoli, olive oil and whole grains.  

Overall studies demonstrate no benefit on LDL levels or total cholesterol, no change in blood pressure, and lack of improvement in muscle symptoms among people receiving statins.  One poorly controlled, biased cardiovascular study suggested some benefit but the actual helpful agent appeared to be a diuretic – water pill.  

Many of the studies suggesting the worth of CoQ10 supplements originated in Moscow and Tehran – neither of which ranks as pillars of scientific investigation.  

Even assuming a person opts to take CoQ10 supplements, there is no consensus on dose. Suggestions range from 100 mg to 2400 mg; none is needed.