Miracle? No, but Q10 has promise

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Miracle? No, but Q10 has promise

DeAratanha, Los Angeles Times

By Woolston, Special to The Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-

skeptic12nov12,1,609599.story?coll=la-headlines-health

The product: Coenzyme Q10 -- it sounds like an obscure, man-made

chemical, perhaps the final ingredient in a snack food, right behind

yellow No. 5.

Strange name aside, coenzyme Q10 is in fact a vital nutrient for

every cell in your body, not to mention every cell in your dog and

your office ficus tree. All plant and animal cells are powered by

mitochondria, tiny structures that pump out energy for the cells.

Mitochondria, in turn, need a steady supply of the vitamin-like

antioxidant Q10 to keep the power generators running smoothly.

" It's the quarterback of mitochondria, " says Dr. Bonakdar,

director of pain management at the Scripps Center for Integrative

Medicine in La Jolla. " Levels of coenzyme Q10 determine whether

energy is being made efficiently or sluggishly. "

Your body makes its own Q10, and you get a little more from lots of

different foods. But some people have unusually meager supplies of

this must-have nutrient. Bonakdar says that he often finds low

levels in patients with migraine headaches, fibromyalgia and chronic

fatigue syndrome when he does Q10 blood tests.

Studies have found consistently low levels of the nutrient in people

who have congestive heart failure or take statin drugs (such as

Lipitor or Crestor) to lower cholesterol.

Anybody interested in taking Q10 won't have to look far. Most drug

stores and health food stores sell a variety of Q10 pills and

powders. Depending on brand and dosage, the supplements can cost

anywhere from $50 to $200 a month.

The claims: Not surprisingly, this crucial nutrient has spawned some

big claims. Various websites assert that Q10 supplements can speed

weight loss, boost energy and treat an astonishing number of

illnesses, including AIDS, Parkinson's, cancer and heart disease.

One website selling the supplements states that " people across the

world use coenzyme Q10 with phenomenal results. " Another site claims

that most people don't have nearly enough of this " miracle

antioxidant. "

The bottom line: For now, the promise of coenzyme Q10 supplements is

still built largely on hope, assumptions and just a smattering of

science, says Dr. Brent Bauer, director of complementary and

integrative medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Yet Bauer believes there is promise, saying that Q10 supplements

seem extremely safe and the few studies so far have been encouraging.

" We can be fairly confident that there's something to it, " he

says. " I don't recommend it for my patients, but for people who are

interested in trying it, using it for hypertension, heart failure

and for statin treatment makes the most sense. "

A few small, brief studies suggest that coenzyme Q10 supplements can

relieve some cases of hypertension. As reported earlier this year in

the Journal of Human Hypertension, three randomized, placebo-

controlled studies involving a total of 120 patients have found that

Q10 can reduce high blood pressure by an average of 17/8.

A 2004 placebo-controlled Israeli study of patients with advanced

heart failure found that Q10 supplements improved quality of life

but didn't enhance the pumping power of the heart. " Even if the

heart function doesn't improve, a lot of people feel better, " Bauer

says. " They have more energy. "

The widespread popularity of statins has spurred new interest in Q10

supplements, Bauer says. " Boatloads of patients are very excited

about taking it along with their statins, " he says. Some experts

suspect that dwindling levels of Q10 might cause muscle pain, and a

2007 study found that combining Q10 with statins cut pain by 40%

within one month.

Even if Q10 doesn't really prevent side effects, Bauer says, it has

done its job if it encourages more people to stick with their life-

saving medications.

Bonakdar says that Q10 supplements have helped many of his patients

with migraines, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Many --

but not all. " Some people respond really well to small doses, while

others don't respond to even high doses, " he says.

The supplements seem to have a strong effect only in patients who

have low levels of Q10, Bonakdar says. But because few physicians

ever test Q10 levels, most patients who try the supplement are

taking a shot in the dark. Still, " if someone is at wit's end, it's

not a bad idea to give it a try, " he says.

As for healthy people, there's no reason to believe that the

supplement does anything -- and that includes speeding weight loss

and boosting energy, Bonakdar says. " A lot of advertising is geared

toward people who don't need it, " he says.

Coenzyme Q10 is very fragile, and only a small percentage survives

the trip from supplement to bloodstream. Products labeled " crystal

free " are good choices because crystals can block absorption, he

says. He also recommends patience. " You have to give it three to

four months to see any effect, " he says.

Nobody knows which dose works best, and the effects on any

particular patient are completely unpredictable, says Dr. Domenic

Sica, professor of medicine and pharmacology at Virginia

Commonwealth University and a board member of the American Society

of Hypertension.

" It's probably going to reduce blood pressure in some people, but

for the life of me nobody knows why, " he says. " There are a lot of

unknowns, too many to recommend it with regularity. It definitely

can't be a substitute for seeing a doctor or taking medications. "