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Co-Enzyme
Q10
Co-Enzyme Q10 is a natural product
which is used by some Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeders as a supplement
when their dogs develop heart murmurs. While there has been little testing of
this product in dogs, there is empirical evidence that it is helpful in
managing Mitral Valve Disease. There is considerable on-going study into
Co-Enzyme Q10 in humans and so far the research is showing that it is helpful
in treating cardiac problems as well as peridontal problems. It is now being
prescribed as a medication in the treatment of cardiac disease in humans.
I have
included some research that I have found on the subject and hope that it may be
found to be useful to some.
Q-10 is an essential component of the mitochondrial
membranes. The mitochondria are intracellular structures that manufacture ATP
(Adenosine Triphosphate) the basic energy molecule. They extract about 95% of
the total energy from foods you eat, use the food molecules' stored chemical
energy to pump protons across the mitochondrial membrane, and produce energy
from carbohydrates and lipids in nearly every cell of your body. Since coenzyme
Q-10 plays a critical role in this process, sufficient amounts must be
available to sustain life itself.
More CoQ-10 is found in the heart
tissue than in any other muscle of the body. Dr. Karl Folkers, University of
Texas (Austin), recognized as the father of CoQ research in the U.S., together
with Japanese co-worker Tatsuo Watanabe compared blood samples from 100
patients suffering from CHD (coronary heart disease) with a control group of
the general population with no diagnosed heart problems. The CoQ levels for the
cardiac sufferers were significantly lower: 25% less than those of healthy
subjects. Through time Dr. Folkers conducted his own thorough studies and
reviewed Japanese studies. He found that heart tissue was deficient in CoQ-10
in about 75% of all heart victims and that therapeutic effects were reported in
at least 70% of all people using the supplement.
Your heart beats 70
times a minute, 100,000 times a day, and pumps the equivalent of 2,500 - 5,000
gallons of blood per day through some 60,000 miles of blood vessels. With each
beat, blood travels as far as your big toes and back again, nourishing
trillions of cells within your body. Since the demands upon your hearts' energy
are so great, current research supports the supposition that heart disease may
be connected to insufficient CoQ-10.
According to Dr. Roger Williams of
the University of Texas: "It has been found that Co-Enzyme Q-10, a vital link
in the metabolic machinery of living cells, is often deficient in the heart
tissues of cardiac patients, while in the tissues of patients who's hearts are
healthy (biopsy specimens), this deficiency does not exist.
" High blood
pressure, the "silent killer" because its victims often have no symptoms, kills
over 60,000 people a year and is directly related to more than 250,000 deaths
from stroke and cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure contributes to
conditions such as arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and
atherosclerosis (cholesterol plaques on the artery walls), both of which are
major causes of heart attack. By helping bring blood pressure down, CoQ-10 may
significantly reduce the risk of heart at tack and cardiovascular
disease.
It appears that this wonderful nutrient is not only useful for
treating heart disease and high blood pressure but it can also be utilized to
protect the heart from further damage, improve the effects of heart surgery,
protect the heart from potentially toxic drugs, and even work as a
preventative. In addition, as far back as 1975 experiments showed CoQ-10 to be
effective in reversing gum disease. An amazing 30-40% of all Americans have
chronic gum disease. As many as 32 million will lose teeth, face pos sible
facial disfigurement and worse.
At the forefront in CoQ-10 periodontal
research is Dr. Edward G. Wilkinson, an Air Force dentist. In his research, Dr.
Wilkinson and his team took tissue samples from over 120 dental patients with
periodontal disease. These showed a marked deficiency of CoQ-10. Supplements
not only stopped the progress of the disease but initiated what the scientists
described as "extraordinary healing tissue healing in five days which would
ordinarily be expected in 10-15 days.
Dr. Wilkinson states, "Periodontal
tissues are deficient in CoQ-10 when they are diseased and appear to require
more CoQ-10 to heal. I believe persons suffering from periodontal disease could
benefit from coenzyme Q-10 as an adjunct to routine periodontal therapy."
Recent research has shown that periodontal disease is not localized in the gums
but is a generalized disease with a heavy involvement of the immune system.
Another reason for the success of CoQ-10 treatment of gum disorders is its
proven ability to stimulate immune response. Our bodies retain extra supplies
of CoQ-10 where they are needed most. Major repositories are the heart, the
liver and immune system.
CoQ-10 is an immunostimulating agent that
brings extra energy to the cells of the immune system. The extra energy
revitalizes the cells so that they can do a better job defending our bodies.
Specifically CoQ-10 does not stimulate the production of new cells in the
immune system nor does it attack microorganisms. It increases the
immunocompetence of the existing cells.
There is an unrefutable link
between immune system health and the individual aging process. It is the
staying power of the immune system which makes it possible for some people to
"age better" than others. Scientific studies have linked decreasing levels of
CoQ-10 with human aging. These studies have also lead researchers to believe
natural aging's decreasing levels of CoQ-10 may actually play a causative role
in the process of aging itself, and correcting these deficiencies by taking
supplements can be considered valid anti-aging therapy.
"You're only as
young as your immune system," as Bliznakov and Hunt put it. A decrease in
immonocompetence is a major symptom of aging and, as scientist are discovering,
so is a CoQ-10 deficiency.
NEW STUDY ON CoENZYME Q-10
In a
recent issue of The Journal of Optimal Nutrition (Vol. 2, Number 4), a study
was published on 154 patients with heart failure so severe that no further
conventional therapy was available (except possibly heart transplants). The
researchers carefully monitored blood levels of coenzyme Q10, B vitamins and
carnitine in these patients and found that deficiencies of vitamin B1 and B6
specifically caused cardiovascular dysfunctions. The levels of carnitine were
significantly reduced in patients with dilat ed cardiomyopathy (50% below
normal) and inflammatory myocarditis (80% below normal). In the study, coenzyme
Q10 was supplemented and almost all of the 154 patients clinically improved.
About half of the 154 patients were dying, but after 12 months 97% of them were
alive, after 24 months 96% were alive and after 36 months 95% were alive. This
survival data on coenzyme Q10 may be compared to data obtained from nine
publications on conventional drugs that reported survival of 50-78% at 6 months
and 35-65% at 12 months. This extraordinary survival on coenzyme Q10 was
superior to conventional drugs and is explained by coenzyme Q10's indispensable
role as a mandatory energy cofactor of myocardial function and contractility.
Patients with less severe heart disease were treated with 100-150 mg a day of
coenzyme Q10, while dying patients were given 150-225 mg a day. Dosages for
patients increased whenever blood levels failed to reach 2 micrograms per
milliliter and whenever new medications were added.
These patients were
followed for up to 58 months. These 154 cases included ischemic cardiomyopathy
(coronary artery disease), dilated cardiomyopathy, rheumatic cardiomyopathy,
chemotherapy induced cardiomyopathy, and congenital cardiomyopathy. Ninety four
percent of these patients improved by one class when treated with dosages of
coenzyme Q10 ranging from 100 to 255 mg a day.
In studies published in
the major medical journals, FDA approved cardiac drugs produce 50% improvements
after 12 months and these studies are the basis for which cardiologists
prescribe these medications. Yet none of these FDA approved drugs addresses the
underlying cause of these various forms of heart disease, and none of these FDA
approved drugs compares to the 97% success rate using high doses of coenzyme
Q10.
International research data documents the safety and efficacy of
coenzyme Q10 in treating heart disease over a 35 year period of time, far in
excess of the very short-term trials in which FDA approved drugs are used to
treat cardiomyopathy. An example of conventional medicine overemphasizing the
benefits of FDA approved drugs was the 1987 Consensus Trial Study Group in
which 50% of cardiomyopathy patients on the drug enalapril survived after 12
months, yet studies show that 95% of cardiomyopathy patients survive after
three years~when taking pharmacologic doses of coenzyme Q10. Coronary Disease
a.. Coenzyme Q10 has the ability to protect the heart during periods of
ischemia (lack of oxygen).3 This lack of oxygen occurs in heart disease and is
usually caused by narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries. Ischemia can
also occur during medical procedures such as open heart surgery, coronary
bypass and angioplasty, and is responsible for causing serious physical
symptoms such as angina, heart failure, and sudden death.
b.. Recent
medical studies have reported that pretreatment with Coenzyme Q10 minimizes the
myocardial injury caused by heart bypass surgery and improves heart function
compared to patients not pretreated with Coenzyme Q10.8
c.. In one
study 150 mg per day of Coenzyme Q10 reduced the frequency of anginal attacks
by up to 46% while improving the capacity for physical activity in patients
with angina.
Congestive Heart Failure
a.. Several clinical
trials have recently shown that when patients with heart failure are treated
with Coenzyme Q10 for months to years, serious complications such as pulmonary
edema and ventricular arrhythmia are reduced in frequency. The number of
hospitalizations is reduced and survival is increased.10
b.. Another
large clinical study involving 1715 patients concluded that a short period of
treatment (4 weeks) with 50 mg per day Coenzyme Q10 improves shortness of
breath, palpitations, cyanosis, edema, heart rate and blood pressure in
patients with stabilized heart failure. The study's author concluded that a
daily dosage of 50-100 mg increases contractile activity rapidly.13
c..
Patients with heart failure generally respond to Coenzyme Q10, as their tissues
and blood have deficient levels of Coenzyme Q10 that results from inadequate
cellular biosynthesis.11
d.. Myocardial tissue levels of Coenzyme Q10
can be significantly restored with an oral dosage of 100 mg per day for 5
months. Deficient tissue levels can be increased and may be normalized with
proper compliance. |
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on this site is copyrighted by Rhiannon Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and
Creature Comforts Inn. Redistribution on any other website is only
permitted via a link to this site.
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