Your body produces CoenzymeQ10 (CoQ10) to help your cells grow and maintain themselves. The substance exists in every body cell. Its primary purpose is to create energy. CoQ10 helps enzymes to breakdown food. CoQ10 also acts as an antioxidant to ward off harmful molecules. It helps to protect the heart and skeletal muscles.
Other names for CoQ10 are Q10, vitamin Q10, ubiquinone or ubidecarenone. It sometimes is abbreviated as CoQ, Q10 or Q and is often compared to a vitamin. It is available in the U.S. as a dietary supplement.
The substance occurs in many foods, but is especially prevalent in organ meats such as the heart, liver and kidney, and in beef, soy oil, sardines, mackerel and peanuts.
How Does Coenzyme Q10 Affect the Heart?
Researchers in Japan found that CoQ10 was useful in preventing heart failure and it has been used for that purpose there since 1974.
Many people claim CoQ10 performs a variety of functions, including:
- To help with cardiovascular conditions, especially heart failure
- To treat or prevent cancer
- To treat muscular dystrophy
- In the treatment of periodontal disease
Some people say it helps you recover more quickly after exercise by boosting energy. Others take it to help reduce the effects certain medicines have on the heart, muscles and other organs.
Researchers have studied the effects of CoQ10 for treating heart failure. But there is disagreement on using the substance for this purpose. Other studies show CoQ10 can help to lower blood pressure.
Crestor®, Statins and CoQ10
It is known that statins, medicines that are used to treat high cholesterol as well as medications that lower blood sugar reduce CoQ10 levels in the body as well as diminish the effects of CoQ10 supplements. Some studies have shown that CoQ10 blood levels can be reduced as much as 40 percent by taking statins.
The substance can lessen the body’s response to blood thinners such as the anticoagulant warfarin (Coumadin) and can lower insulin requirements in patients with diabetes.
Muscle Pain and Other Side Effects
CoQ10 in acceptable doses does not appear to have any toxic side effects, but the substance has been shown by some researchers to reduce the muscle and joint pain that can be associated with taking statins such as Crestor® (rosuvastatin).
For more information, contact our Crestor® attorneys today.