2002-10-25
James Heffley, Ph.D.

Q. I've been considering adding coenzyme Q-10 to my supplement program, which is already rather lavish. The cost prompted me to do some research but I couldn't really decide if CoQ is an essential nutrient or not. How does CoQ help, if it does?

A. Since its discovery as an important link in mitochondrial energy production, coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ) has been increasingly recognized as a vital body component. Mitochondria, the cellular "powerhouses" of the body, use CoQ to produce most of the energy we require. It is relatively expensive as a food supplement because it is imported from Japan, where it is available only by prescription and thus commands "prescription drug" prices even when exported.

CoQ is made in our bodies but under some circumstances we cannot make enough. The organ with the highest concentration of CoQ, and presumably the highest need, is the heart, with the liver a close second. For many years Dr. Karl Folkers at the University of Texas was the leader in CoQ research. His special interests were the use of CoQ supplements in heart disease and cancer, but thankfully you need not suffer from cancer or heart disease to benefit from CoQ supplements. Among the reported benefits:

CoQ stimulates the immune system, leading to higher antibody levels and thus increased resistance to infection.

CoQ is also an antioxidant that stabilizes cell membranes and prevents free radical damage to mitochondria and other important cellular components, so that we can live longer.

Studies have shown that some overweight people have low levels of CoQ and supplementation may help to control body weight.

In another study, CoQ reduced incidence of migraine headaches by about 50%, probably by increasing blood flow to the brain.

New data hints at a possible role of CoQ in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson and Huntington's diseases.

Heart disease and cancer continue to be the most studied afflictions that respond to CoQ supplements. In people with coronary heart disease, supplementation increases the amount of physical exercise that a person can perform before developing angina pain. People who use "statin" drugs to lower cholesterol will also lower the production of CoQ. This is most unfortunate since, more than most muscles, the heart needs mitochondrial energy to contract. CoQ facilitates the production of that energy. To reduce CoQ production in order to reduce cholesterol may be a poor tradeoff.

Relating to cancer, in a clinical study of 32 people with metastatic breast cancer, where cancer cells had spread from the breast to lymph nodes, the patients were treated with an aggressive food supplement program emphasizing CoQ in addition to standard therapy. The combined therapy resulted in 100% survival rate for 18 months, when four deaths would have been expected. Low blood levels of CoQ have been reported with several malignancies other than breast cancer and CoQ supplements are beneficial in these situations also.

Tissue levels of CoQ decrease with age. A person who would not need CoQ supplements when young and healthy might benefit greatly from CoQ supplements later in life or if certain diseases develop.

Columns: October 25, 2002

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