Coenzyme Q10: Hype Or Hope?
While many health food fans believe in the power of Coenzyme Q10,
many scientists still question if it works

By Judy Foreman

Q. Does coenzyme Q10 help combat problems like hypertension or cancer?
It seems to, but you can probably get enough from diet, rather than supplements.

Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like substance that works with other enzymes, particularly in the mitochondria, the “powerhouse” of the cell, to make energy. It also acts as an antioxidant, mopping up “free radicals” that can damage cells, said Douglas Wallace, a geneticist who directs the Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics at the University of California, Irvine.

Scientists are increasingly interested in coenzyme Q10 because there’s growing recognition of the importance of malfunctioning mitochondria in many diseases, including diabetes, obesity, heart problems, hypertension, even Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s, Alzheimer’s and autism, said Wallace.

Coenzyme Q10 is plentiful in foods that are part of a healthy diet, including beef, soy oil, oily fish such sardines, mackerel and salmon, as well as nuts, whole grains, and vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, carrots and cabbage, said Paula Quatromoni, a nutritionist and epidemiologist at Boston University. It’s always better, she said, to get your vitamins from whole foods, not supplements, “to be sure you’re getting the balance of nutrients and phytochemicals that promote good health.”

So, be cautious about the hype for supplements, said Quatromoni. “The websites that sell it make it sound like the scientific evidence is there, but those claims are not substantiated.”

On its website, the National Cancer Institute notes that “there have been no well-designed clinical trials involving large numbers of patients to study the use of coenzyme Q10 in cancer treatment.” A randomized trial involving 20 patients did suggest that the coenzyme may help protect the hearts of people taking doxorubicin, a cancer drug, the agency said. But the supplement may also “not mix safely with other treatments.”

The American Heart Association, on its website, notes that lower levels of coenzyme Q10 have been found in some people with heart failure, but the group added that the supplement cannot be recommended for heart failure or chronic stable angina (chest pain caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart).

As for hypertension, an analysis of pooled data from 12 clinical trials, coenzyme Q10 appeared to lower blood pressure somewhat without causing side effects.

Like all dietary supplements, coenzyme Q10 is not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration prior to marketing, so there are risks and side-effects and products can vary widely in their formulations.

The supplement can interact with other drugs, including cholesterol-lowering statins, insulin, beta-blockers and blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin). And in its role as a free-radical reducing antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 may actually interfere with cancer chemotherapy drugs that work by increasing free radicals to kill cancer cells.