CoQlO is found in the myocardium. It supplies the energy to sustain life. The mechanical pumping action of the heart requires a constant supply of energy and CoQlO is essential for production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic energy molecule of all cells.

Cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States, has been related to CoQ10 deficiency. For years, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease has focused primarily on reducing serum levels of LDL cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol is oxidized it can damage the lining of arteries. Mineral and fat deposits collect in the area and blood flow is blocked. While reducing cholesterol is important, it is also important to protect cholesterol from being oxidized in the first place.

CoQ10 can help prevent LDL oxidation by increasing plasma and lipid levels of CoQH3. CoQH3 helps Vitamin E, the major antioxidant in LDL cholesterol, do its job more efficiently.

The common drug Lovastatin effectively lowers cholesterol. However, researchers are finding that it also inhibits liver synthesis of CoQl0. Since CoQ10 is essential to heart function, using Lovastatin to lower cholesterol makes about as much sense as cutting off your head to stop a headache.

Research has shown that CoQ10 can reduce hypertension even in patients who had been taking blood pressure medications for over nine years.

CoQ10 is useful in the prevention and treatment of:

• Cardiovascular Disease
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Thyrotoxic Heart Failure
• Cardiomyopathy
• High Blood Pressure
• And a variety of other conditions

Normally, when a blocked coronary artery cuts off the blood supply to the heart, the heart muscle suffers irreversible damage. In a laboratory experiment, animals were given CoQ10 prior to blocking the blood supply to the heart. Heart failure and permanent damage occurred in as little as 60 minutes in the control group. In the CoQ10 group, heart failure and muscle damage didn't occur until after 90 minutes.

To test the effectiveness of CoQ10 in stroke cases, researchers blocked the carotid artery in laboratory animals. All the untreated animals died within 28 hours while 45% of the CoQ10 treated group were still alive after 4 weeks. When researchers at the University of Texas tried CoQ10 supplements on 11 heart transplant candidates, all of them improved...some to the point of no longer even needing medication.

CoQ10 supplements given before and after heart surgery can also provide enormous benefits to the patient. In Indianapolis, the effects of CoQ10 were compared to a placebo in 20 high-risk heart patients requiring surgery. Half of the patients were given 100 mg. of CoQ10 for two weeks prior to surgery and for one month after. Some improvement were seen in the CoQ10 group before surgery, but after the surgery the CoQ10 group recovered in 3-5 days without complications while the placebo group took 15-30 days to recover and experienced a variety of complications.

A growing list of health problems have been linked to low levels of CoQ10. When CoQ10 deficient obese patients were given supplements and placed on a controlled reducing diet, they lost more than twice as much weight as patients on the same diet with the same supplements who were not deficient. In several studies using patients with diabetes mellitus, CoQ10 supplementation was found to stimulate insulin synthesis and secretion. Muscular dystrophy, periodontal disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, breast cancer, allergies and a variety of other conditions have also responded to CoQ10 supplementation.

In many cases, improvement may be due to the Stipulatory effect CoQ10 has on the immune system. A series of experiments has shown that CoQ10 supplementation can double the immune system�s ability to clear invading organisms from the blood, double antibody levels, protect against chemically induced cancer, increase resistance to viral infections, reduce the toxicity of immunosuppressive drugs and quench free radicals associated with arthritis and other chronic degenerative diseases.

So who needs supplemental CoQlO? After all CoQ10 is found in many foods. In fact, the compound has been called ubiquinone from the word ubiquitous which means...it�s everywhere. However, it's everywhere only in very small quantities. In young people the liver is able to synthesize CoQ10 from other coenzymes, but that ability gradually declines with age. Liver disease, excessive use of alcohol and acetaminophen can also affect the liver�s ability to synthesize CoQ10. The body then becomes more susceptible to heart disease and a variety of other ailments.

The usual dosage of Co!10 is 30 mg/day. However, in some special cases, higher doses may be required, For example:
A clinical trial published in 1994 shows a dose dependent relationship in the effects of CoQ10 treatment for women with high-risk breast cancer. In one patient, during therapy for about one year with 90 mg. of CoQ10 daily, the tumor "stabilized". When the dose was increased to 390 mg. daily, after one month the tumor was no longer palpable. After another month, mammography confirmed the tumor was no longer present.

Another recent study completed by researchers at the University of Texas study confirmed the success of CoQ10 therapy for 424 patients with various forms of cardiovascular disease. In this study, dosage ranged from 75-600 mg. daily, added to the patients' existing medical regimen. The researchers adjusted the doses to keep blood levels of CoQ10 above 2 mg./ ml. Over 85% showed significant improvement and many were able to eliminate or reduce their heart medications. The best advice is to check with a doctor to find the most appropriate dose for you.