Coenzyme Q10, Statins, And Heart Health
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010Coenzyme Q10, Statins, And Heart Health
Coenzyme Q10 is a top cardio-friendly nutrient. Your heart has very high energy requirements and never gets to take any time off. Q10 is required for the proper production of energy at an optimal rate, around your body and specifically for your heart. If you lack it, you will be more tired and you will make free radicals instead of energy. If you lack Q10 within your heart it will speed up the aging process and weaken your heart.
Q10 also operates as a direct antioxidant in cell membranes, meaning that it is highly protective to your overall circulatory system, having a direct benefit to support healthy blood pressure. It also acts as an antioxidant team player, helping vitamins E and C maintain their antioxidant roles which provides additional synergistic cardiovascular protection.
It is very clear from the literature that statins interfere with the natural production of Q10, which is evidenced by lower blood levels of Q10 in patients taking statins. It has been known for over a decade that statin drugs reduce Q10 levels as much as 25% and that 100 mg of Q10 is enough to offset a relatively low dose of statins (20 mg of Zocor.)
Since Q10 is essential for energy production within cells, energy is reduced. This results in fatigue, makes it more difficult to exercise, and is part of the reason for muscle aches and pains in some statin-taking patients. The interference with cell energy production results in an increased production of lactic acid, which contributes to muscle aches. In patients with muscle pain associated with statin use a double blind study showed that 100 mg per day of Q10 reduced pain by 40%.
The medical profession does not endorse the widespread use of Q10 with all statin takers because it cannot be proven