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Sometimes I ask myself why this wonderful antioxidant supplement was given such a technical name, many people feel intimidated by the name alone, thus refusing to take CoQ10. But the truth is that this nutrient is one of the most effective antioxidants and it has been proven to help many serious diseases. In this issue, we will study in depth the benefits and properties that researchers have found in this "vitamin like" substance called Coenzyme Q10. Probably you haven't even heard the name Coenzyme Q10, or if you have, you don't even know what it does or why you should take it. The potential and most of the properties found in CoQ10 have been recognized rather recently. CoQ10 is known to scientists as ubiquinol, this is a naturally occurring nutrient normally present in every cell in the body, so it is only logical to believe that it plays an important part in treating many conditions and preventing them. The body makes CoQ10, but most likely the majority of people don't make it well or enough of it, the good news is that we can absorb CoQ10 from foods, especially fish, and meats (particularly organ meats like liver, kidney, etc., more on this later), the bad news is that most people don't eat these types of meats, plus as we age the body loses it efficiency in manufacturing important nutrients, it has been proven that people suffering from heart diseases and cancer have
lower levels of CoQ10, thus supplementation is recommended.
See:
Statin Drugs & Coenzyme Q10 Depletion
CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10) and Cancer
Coenzyme Q10 Parkinson's disease
1. CoQ10 helps in the energy production within each cell
The body, just like a car, needs fuel. Our primary source of fuel is through fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in our diet. After digestion in the stomach, the nutrients from foodstuffs are absorbed into the bloodstream and circulate to various tissues and cells. The cells have to break down the sugars, fats and amino acids in a form that makes energy. This energy production occurs in organelles, or microscopic organ-like structures, called mitochondria, and CoQ10 plays a key role in this activity.
There are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of mitochondria within each cell. In a sense, they are the factories of your cells, with the final product being energy. The energy that is produced is stored in a chemical called adenosine triphosphate, or simply ATP. It is carried by electrons and protons, which are sub atomic particles. These energetic electrons and protons are moved around in cells to their destinations by numerous compounds. CoQ10 is one of the most important compounds.
2. CoQ10 as an antioxidant
CoQ10 also serves as an antioxidant, which is its second role. By controlling the movement of electrons, CoQ10 limits the production of dangerous free radicals, which are molecules lacking one electron in what should be a pair.
To learn more about free radicals and antioxidants click here.
So far many researches and clinical studies have shown CoQ10 to be an amazing tool that helps us fight and prevent many dangerous conditions.
Among these are:
Congestive heart failure
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Coronary artery disease
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Mitral valve prolapse
Breast Cancer
Periodontitis or Gingivitis
and Fatigue
3. CoQ10 prevents many conditions
Another important aspect in the uses of CoQ10, is the prevention of many conditions, CoQ10 helps maintain normal heart function and preventing serious heart disease. Our heart works 24 hrs a day, using lots of energy, to pump blood though the body, and since CoQ10 plays an important role in energy production, it has shown to be a very valuable heart energizing nutrient.
But why doctors don't recommend more the use of CoQ10?
Hundreds of scientific studies have been published on CoQ10, including many involving humans. CoQ10 has also been the subject of ten international scientific and medical meetings. Furthermore, the role of CoQ10 in energy production was basis of the 1978 Nobel prize in chemistry, given to Peter Mitchell, Ph.D.
Unfortunately, most doctors in the US are not familiar with the published research regarding the potential of CoQ10 because many of the journals they read rarely discuss the benefits of this and many other nutrients. The reason for this is very simple: Nutrients cannot be patented so they are of very little interest to pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturing laboratories and these are the companies that sponsor and publish most of the journals read by [U.S.] doctors. However, traveling around Europe, China, Japan and South America, has shown me that the story is completely different in the rest of the world, where most health-care professionals are treating their patients with heart failure and other conditions by prescribing CoQ10. In fact, CoQ10 is the fifth most commonly prescribed "drug" in Japan.
4. How to get it from food
How much CoQ10 do we get from foods and is it enough?
Dietary intake of CoQ10 normally ranges from 2 to 20 mg a day. Most of this comes from meats and fish. The richest source of CoQ10 is organ meat, like liver, kidney, and heart (so you should eat more paté). If you don't eat these types of meats, chances are that your body does not have adequate level of CoQ10. Supplements in these cases is recommended. Younger people tend to get enough CoQ10 from food and from their own body production, but as we age the ability of the body to make and absorb CoQ10 drops significantly, for people in the middle age group I recommend a dosage of 30mg a day, although people taking 60 to 100 mg a day have reported a significant improvement in alertness, energy level, motivation, mood elevation, and enhanced focus. Fortunately, CoQ10 has no serious side effects, 1.5 percent of people taking 60 to 100 mg a day have reported nausea, and insomnia, due to the energizing effects of CoQ10. Also, this wonderful nutrient can be taken for years non-stop with only positive results. I recommend to start slow, with a dosage of 10 mg a day and gradually increase it to the desired dosage or until satisfactory results have been achieved. (Recommended dosages as provided by Puritan's Pride, Physician's Choice, and Vitamin World are based upon healthy middle aged adults with average active lifestyles. Higher dosages of 400 mg and up are recommended in cases of extreme Co-Q10 depletion. Such conditions can be induced by certain drugs such as statins described above. Ask your personal physician about Coenzyme Q10 and other nutrional therapies as opposed to allopathic orthodox medicine.) |
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CODEX vs DSHEA
