Thursday, March 3, 2011

Everything You Wanted to Know About CoEnzymeQ10

Recently a good friend of mine sent me an article on CoEnzyme Q10.  CoQ10 for short.  I've stated before how CoQ10 is depleted when your on a statin drug.  Did you know that in Canada it's required by law that  there be precautionary statement that depletion in this vital nutrient can lead to more cardiovascular disease?  It's currently being reviewed by our FDA.  It's a fact though, that depletion in CoQ10, has been linked to cardiovascular disease since 1972.  It's 38 years later and the FDA is still "thinking about it."

Some key points that I just learned are some of the other ways CoQ10 gets depleted.  These drugs include diabetes, tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotic medications, beta blockers, diuretic drugs.  Also, low B6 levels play a roll in synthesis of CoQ10.

Synthesis starts to decline at 21.  At age of 20, the heart has the most CoQ10 and at age of 80, it's half that. The body needs about .5 grams per day to maintain it's 2 gram supply and its four day turnover.

This is usually accomplished by supplementing with 30 mg a day.  It's can be a hard absorbed nutrient so 100-300mg a day becomes the recommendation.   Dietary sources aren't a realistic avenue.  Think 1lb of sardines.

CoEnzyme Q10 is a very important nutrient for heart health and the Krebs Cycle.  If you're on any medications for the above mentioned conditions, get on a quality supplement.  Your heart will thank you.

1 comment:

Lori Tsutsui said...

Thanks for posting. In Organic Chemistry, we learned the body stops producing as much as it used to no matter what. It is very expensive but I don't recall how else it can be obtained.