More Benefits of CoQ10, Heart, Lung, and Brain Health, Cancer Prevention
My goal for this series is to help you understand the vast array of health benefits CoQ10 offers as well as the plethora of studies which attest to its effectiveness. In the first article, I began by exploring the association between CoQ10 and headaches and Parkinson’s. In the second article, I examined further associations of CoQ10 and aspects of health such as fertility, skin health, exercise performance, and diabetes. This final examination of CoQ10 will inspect the links between CoQ10 and heart health, lung health, brain health, and cancer prevention.
Before reading this article, I would recommend reading at least the first article which explains CoQ10’s role in the body because that information is prerequisite knowledge for this article. To access that article, please click here.
Heart Health
In general, heart failure is often a consequence of other heart conditions, such as coronary artery disease or high blood pressure [1], and those conditions can lead to an increase in oxidative damage and inflammation of veins and arteries [1] [2]. As a result of the oxidative damage, the heart may experience problems with contraction, relaxing, or pumping blood throughout the body [1]. To exacerbate, some medication and treatments for heart failure have adverse side effects such as low blood pressure and other treatments could even lower the amount of CoQ10 in your body [3].
In a randomized, double-blind, 2014 study, which included 420 patients, researchers gave one group 100mg of CoQ10 three times a day and the other group a placebo for a year. The researchers found those who were in the CoQ10 group had been hospitalized less frequently for worsening heart failure, and the researchers concluded: “long-term CoQ10 treatment of patients with chronic HF [heart failure] is safe, improves symptoms, and reduces major adverse cardiovascular events” [4].
In an older, 1993 study entitled “Effect of coenzyme Q10 therapy in patients with congestive heart failure: a long-term multicenter randomized study,” researchers came to a similar conclusion and stated that those in the CoQ10 group experienced “significantly [less frequent] hospitalization for worsening of heart failure and the incidence of serious complications in patients with chronic congestive heart failure” [5].
With these studies, it seems CoQ10 treatment could assist in restoring optimal energy production within the heart cells because of CoQ10’s link to mitochondria, which results in reduced oxidative damage and improved heart function - All of which could help improve heart health and aid in the treatment of heart failure [1].
Lung Health
As with most links between a benefit of CoQ10 and an aspect of health, the underlying point is CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant to prevent oxidative damage. The same point is true for the association between CoQ10 and lung health. When compared to the rest of your organs, your lungs have the most contact with oxygen, and as a result, they are very vulnerable to oxidative damage.
Further, it has been shown with the combination of increased oxidative damage and decreased antioxidant protection – remember, CoQ10 is an antioxidant – can result in complications such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [6]. Further, studies have shown that these individuals have decreased CoQ10 levels [7] [8].
In a 2005 study, researchers discovered that asthma patients who have a dependency on steroid medication have low CoQ10 levels which may contribute to the patient’s antioxidant imbalance and increased oxidative stress. The researchers stated that when the patients were on CoQ10 supplementation, they needed less of their steroid medication which resulted in less adverse side-effects of the drug and less oxidative stress in the patient’s lungs [9].
In summary, research shows that CoQ10 supplementation can decrease oxidative damage and inflammation that can result in lung disease.
Brain Health
Since mitochondria are the main energy generators of brain cells, there is research which claims CoQ10 can support brain health.
Moreover, as we age, mitochondrial function tends to decrease, and total mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain can lead to the death of brain cells which can translate to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s [10].
Also, as we age, our bodies produce less CoQ10, and because of this, there is the potential for increased oxidative damage in the brain. In the brain, explicitly, oxidative damage can produce harmful compounds that could affect memory, cognition, and physical functions [11] [12].
I found two studies which show CoQ10 may help to decrease the harmful compounds in your brain created by oxidative damage, and this could slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, one study noted that oral CoQ10 “may be a viable antioxidant strategy for neurodegenerative disease” [13].
Cancer Prevention
As with everything else CoQ10 related, CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant to reduce oxidative damage [15]. If your body is unable to defend itself against oxidative damage, the structure of its cells can become damaged, and this could increase the risk of cancer [15] [16].
Since CoQ10 may protect cells from oxidative stress and promote cellular energy production through its relationship with mitochondria, CoQ10 may be able to promote the cell’s health and survival [16] [17]. Also, studies have shown that cancer patients have lower levels of CoQ10, and low levels of CoQ10 have been linked with up to a 53.3% higher risk of cancer and a poor prognosis for various types of cancer [17] [18] [19].
Interestingly, in a 2007 study, researchers found that supplementing with CoQ10 may help to reduce the chance of cancer recurrence [20].
In synopsis, CoQ10 may be able to prevent cancer through its role in the protection of cell DNA and assisting cells in their survival.
Supplementation
As noted in the first article about CoQ10, there are two forms: ubiquinol and ubiquinone. The ubiquinol form accounts for 90% of the CoQ10 in the blood, and it is the most absorbable form [21] [22]. 400 mg, which is 2 softgels of Healthmasters CoQ10 Ubiquinol, is our recommended dose, but always contact your healthcare provider. CoQ10 seems to be well-tolerated by humans [22], and participants in some studies took doses up to 1,200 mg for 16 months and showed no major side-effects [14].
We also recommend taking it with food because your body can absorb CoQ10 up to three times more effective taking it with food versus without because it is a fat-soluble supplement [23] [24].
Also, Healthmasters’ CoQ10 Ubiquinol is solubilized in medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil which also improves its absorption [25] [26] [27].
If you have any questions about Healthmasters’ CoQ10 Ubiquinol, please feel free to call us at 800.726.1834.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26512330
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27012265
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26199309
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25282031
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8241697
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16289557
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21080098
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12169177
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16873952
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9974149
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20673763
[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20702843
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18560133
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12374491
[15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24969860
[16] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22126471
[17] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21467235
[18] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9177262
[19] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21297042
[20] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17505263
[21] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27064932
[22] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27128225
[23] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25126052
[24] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16551570
[25] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17482886
[26] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40005-013-0101-4
