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Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 is an extremely important nutrient that every cell in your body must have in order to produce energy. Although present in food, CoQ10 is not considered a vitamin because the body is able to make it from raw materials contained in food.

Nevertheless, the body often cannot make enough for optimal functioning and therefore CoQ10 supplements may be very helpful. Because CoQ10 is involved in basic energy production by every cell in the body, optimal amounts can be beneficial for a wide variety of complaints, symptoms and diseases. To give you a brief idea about what types of complaints or disorders I am referring to, Co Q10 has been used successfully for periodontal disease, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, angina pectoris of the heart, cardiomyopathy of the heart, protection of the heart from the damaging effects of the chemotherapeutic drug Adriamycin, immune disorders such as AIDS and most recently cancer.

Levels of CoQ drop with age and are lower in people with heart disease. In fact, the more severe the heart disease, the lower CoQ levels are thought to be. Moreover, some commonly prescribed medications, such as lovastatin prescribed for high cholesterol, and beta-blockers, such as propranolol for high blood pressure and angina, can lower CoQ levels in the body as well.CoQ10 also helps preserve vitamin E, which is thought to prevent oxidation of cholesterol. People who take these medications should consult with a healthcare provider to see if CoQ supplementation is advisable.

Supplemental CoQ may help raise the body's reserves that have dropped due to age, illness, or medications. Although CoQ has been promoted as a wonder supplement for everything from increasing endurance to reversing aging, it holds the most promise for the heart. It appears to be especially helpful in treating heart-muscle disorders (cardiomyopathy) and congestive heart failure, disease in which the heart is unable to pump out enough blood. This results in blood collecting in the lungs and pooling in the legs and other body tissue. Studies indicate that CoQ may also lower high blood pressure, steady an erratic heartbeat, lessen attacks of angina, and reduce the formation of blood clots, a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. Some people with Raynaud's disease-reduced circulation to the hands and feet- report that CoQ lessens symptoms.

CoQ is also a powerful antioxidant and may help prevent free-radical damage to tissues throughout the body. There is also some evidence that it may slow the progression of such nerve disorders as Parkinson's disease. Several well-regarded studies indicate that adding CoQ supplements to the conventional regimen for treating cardiomyopathy andcongestive heart failure show more improvement than with medication alone. In a study involving more than 2,500 heart patients in Italy, 80 percent experienced reduced symptoms (shortness of breath, swelling of the legs and feet, difficulty sleeping) after three months of taking CoQ. It is also a standard treatment of congestive heart failure in Japan. In any event, CoQ should not be taken as a substitute for prescribed medication to treat heart failure or any other cardiovascular disease, and if you do take it as part of an overall treatment program, be sure to tell your doctor that you are using it.

Though claims abound concerning CoQ's ability to slow aging, reduce fatigue and improve the quality of life for AIDS patients, promote healing of periodontal disease, and even aid weight loss, more study is needed to document whether it really works in these disorders.