Coenzyme Q-10, also called ubiquinone, is a natural fat-soluble substance produced in the body and found in throughout nature in plants and animals. Similar to vitamin K, CoQ10 is classified as a non-vitamin nutrient that acts as an antioxidant to protect cell membranes from free radical activity. While long overlooked by the medical community, recent research has just begun to outline the role coenzyme Q-10 plays in maintaining life.
Early in the 60’s scientists had already found that CoQ10 played an essential role in cell respiration and electron transfer. Then researchers began to notice that they only found coenzyme Q-10 deficiencies in patients suffering cardiovascular disease. They soon discovered that when coenzyme Q-10 levels fell below 25 percent of normal they began to notice major symptoms of disease. When coenzyme Q-10 fell to 75 percent below normal levels, all life activity stopped and death was inevitable. New research has also discovered coenzyme Q-10 depletion in those suffering from diabetes mellitus, periodontal disease, and muscular dystrophy.
A recent study published in The Journal of Optimal Nutrition documented the life-enhancing effects of co-enzyme Q-10 as a treatment for patients suffering from heart failure so severe that no further conventional therapy was available, except possibly heart transplants. The study compared the blood levels of 154 patients for levels of co-enzyme Q-10, and several other nutrients. At the beginning of the study almost 50% of the patients were close to dying, yet after only 12 months of treatment with coenzyme Q-10, 97% of the patients were alive.
Monitoring the patients evidenced high long-term survival rates of 96% of all patients still alive after 24 months, and 95% alive after 36 months. This survival data on co-enzyme Q-10 must be compared to traditional data that report survival rates of 35-65% after 12 months of treatment with conventional drugs. This extraordinary survival rate for patients taking coenzyme Q-10 is clearly superior to conventional drug treatments and provides evidence of coenzyme Q-10’s indispensable role as a mandatory energy cofactor of myocardial function and contractility.
Patients with less severe heart disease were treated with 100-150 mg. a day of CoQ10, while dying patients were given 150-225 mg. a day. Dosages for patients increased whenever blood levels failed to reach 2 micrograms per milliliter and whenever new medications were added. All patients were followed for up to 58 months. These 154 cases included coronary artery disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, rheumatic cardiomyopathy, chemotherapy induced cardiomyopathy, and congenital cardiomyopathy.
94% of these patients improved by one class when treated with dosages of Co-Q-10 ranging from 100 to 255 mg. a day. In studies published in the major medical journals, FDA approved cardiac drugs produce only 50% improvements after 12 months and these studies are the basis for which cardiologists prescribe these medications. Yet none of these FDA approved drugs addresses the underlying cause of these various forms of heart disease, and none of these FDA approved drugs compares to the 97% success rate using high doses of Co-Q-10.
There are no known contraindications for use of Coenzyme Q-10 is available as a supplement. Foods highest in coenzyme Q-10 include beef, spinach, sardines, albacore tuna, and peanuts. Coenzyme Q-10 is also available as a supplement, generally in capsules ranging in size from 10 to 60 milligrams.
