What is CoQ10? As explained by James F. Balch, M.D., and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., in the Second Edition of their Prescription for Nutritional Healing, “Coenzyme Q10 [also called ‘ubiquinone’] is a vitamin-like substance whose actions in the body resemble those of vitamin E. ... This substance plays a critical role in the production of energy in every cell of the body. It aids in circulation, stimulates the immune system, increases tissue oxygenation, and has vital anti-aging effects.”

A review of the most recent studies involving CoQ10 and its health-protective effects reveals a promising role for this nutrient in breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, heart attacks, lowering ‘bad’ cholesterol, brain function, fertility, and as a supportive antioxidant that restores and regenerates other antioxidants.

CoQ10 is, indeed, a remarkable compound. It helps to convert food and supplements (as needed) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), “packets of fuel” that energize cells. Since little ATP can be stored by the body, the supply must constantly be renewed. Although our bodies have the ability to synthesize CoQ10, and we also ingest it from foods such as codfish, egg yolk, mackerel, salmon, sardines, wheat germ, and whole grains, certain factors deplete it: illness; physical, mental, and emotional activity; all forms of stress; and aging.

Working incessantly from birth to death, the heart is the biggest user of ATP and coenzyme Q10. In The Nutrition Superbook: The Antioxidants, William H. Lee, Ph.D., states that heart and liver cells contain more mitochondria (the cell components that produce ATP) than those of any other organ. Therefore, they require more CoQ10, as well. Inadequate availability of Q10 would result in inadequate energy production, which in turn would have an especially heavy impact on the heart and liver.

CoQ10 and heart health

Cardiomyopathy. Recently, a small, but significant, study, by pioneer CoQ10 researchers at the Langsjoen Clinic in Tyler, Texas, showed that this coenzyme has a powerful influence in correcting an often fatal heart condition: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which involves an abnormal enlargement of the heart muscle, a condition accompanied by depressing fatigue and difficulty in breathing.

In this study, seven patients were treated with an average of 200 mg of CoQ10 daily for three months. All patients noted greater strength and lower LDL ( ‘bad’ cholesterol). CoQ10 helps prevent LDL oxidation, or ‘lipid peroxidation’; and maintains a lower level of oxidative stress, thereby helping to reduce the formation of atherosclerotic plaques (Nenzil, et al., 1997).

CoQ10 and immune function

In another human clinical trial, researcher William Lee, Ph.D., found that, on a daily dosage of 60 mg of CoQ10 for 3-12 weeks, patients with cardiovascular problems, cancer, and diabetes significantly raised their levels of immunoglobulin G, an antibody important for immune function.

CoQ10 and diabetes

A recent study set out to specifically test the effects of CoQ10 treatment on maternally inherited diabetes mellitus and deafness. S. Suzuki, et al., concluded that “This is the first report demonstrating the therapeutic usefulness of CoQ10 on [this inherited form of diabetes].” The authors further concluded that “CoQ10 therapy prevented progressive hearing loss and improved blood lactate after exercise in the [diabetes mellitus] patients.” Best of all, there were no side effects reported during therapy.

CoQ10 for your brain

Another discussion of the good news about CoQ10 is in The Brain Wellness Plan by Jay Lombard, M.D., a board certified neurologist, and Carl Germano, R.D., C.N.S., L.D.N., who write, “… supplemental coenzyme Q10 may be especially beneficial in treating [such brain-degenerative disorders as] Parkinson’s disease.”

A study by Harvard Medical School researcher J.B. Schultz and colleagues bears them out. It reveals that CoQ10 protects against a nerve poison that produces the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and causes death and destruction of essential dopamine-producing neurons.

In another study focusing on CoQ10’s role in protecting the brain and its functions, RT Matthews, et al., found, with 12- and 24-month-old rats, that, indeed, CoQ10 is an “essential cofactor of the electron transport chain as well as a potent free-radical scavenger.” Their results showed that supplementation with CoQ10 “increases both brain and brain mitochondrial concentrations. [The studies] provide further evidence that coenzyme Q10 can exert brain-protective effects that might be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases,” like Alzheimer’s.

CoQ10 and breast cancer

P. Jolliet, et al., in an effort to better understand the role of CoQ10 in the development of breast cancer, specifically, conducted a clinical trial including 200 women hospitalized for the biopsy and/or removal of a breast tumor. The researchers found that “A coenzyme Q10 deficiency was noted both in carcinomas (80 patients) and non-malignant lesions (120 patients), while vitamin E concentrations (also monitored) were within the normal range.” They concluded that, since free radicals may promote tumor development, CoQ10 supplementation in breast cancer patients could be helpful.

CoQ10 for male fertility

In studying CoQ10’s role in improving male fertility, researchers A. Lewin and H. Lavon at Hadassah-Hebrew University, Israel, report that this coenzyme does two important things for sperm cells: it supercharges their energy and, as an antioxidant, protects them from damage by free radicals. Seventeen patients with low fertilization rates were given 60 mg of supplemental CoQ10 for 103 days. The sperm’s motility rate — a measure of how far they can travel — almost doubled. And their fertilization rate more than doubled.

In another study, conducted by A. Mancini, et al., researchers found that CoQ10 is present at high levels in seminal fluid, which correlates directly with sperm count and motility rates. In patients suffering with varicocele — a varicose enlargement of the veins of the spermatic cord, which is sometimes accompanied by a tumor on the scrotum — their CoQ10 levels were found to be low; therefore, their sperm count and motility were low, as well. The authors concluded that “Since coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant molecule involved in the defense of the cell from free-radical damage, higher intracellular concentrations may represent a mechanism of protection of the spermatozoa. In varicocele patients, this mechanism could be deficient, leading to higher sensitivity to oxidative damage,” which could be improved with supplemental CoQ10.

CoQ10 and weight loss

Another benefit offered by CoQ10 is in helping some to lose weight. Lee (mentioned earlier) indicates that lowering caloric intake can be much more effective if accompanied by an intake of CoQ10. In his book, he refers to a study in which five obese patients with established low blood levels of CoQ10 and a restricted diet were given 100 mg of this nutrient daily for nine weeks. A control group of obese people with normal levels of CoQ10 was put on the same regimen. The supplemented group, initially deficient in this nutrient, lost approximately 28 pounds, compared with approximately 13 pounds for those with initially normal levels.