Nutrient Coq10 Can Reduce Heart Failure by Half

MEDIA RELEASE
14 June 2013

Nutrient Coq10 Can Reduce Heart Failure by Half

Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in New Zealand, accounting for 40% of deaths annually. Many of these deaths are premature and preventable and there is now hope on the horizon in the form of a little- talked-about nutrient.

Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) a vitamin like nutrient has been found to reduce mortality rates by half in patients with moderate to severe heart failure in a study just released.

The long-term double blind, placebo controlled study conducted by the Heart Centre at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark is the most robust and significant study done to date. Carried out over a two year period, 420 European and Asian patients were split into two groups, one taking 100mg of CoQ10 three times daily and the other, a placebo.

At the end of two years 25% of patients in the placebo group had a major adverse cardiovascular event compared to 14% in the study group. Mortality and hospitalisations were also lower in the study group. Over the two year period 18 patients died in the CoQ10 group (9%) compared to 36 people (17%) in the placebo group.

Professor Shaun Holt, medical advisor and researcher says previous studies have proven that CoQ10 can substantially reduce blood pressure but this most recent study goes much further.

“This is another remarkable finding. In a large, randomised trial, CoQ10 reduced mortality in patients with moderate to severe heart failure by around a half. As there are almost no side effects it is strongly recommended that people with a diagnosis of heart failure consider taking this supplement.”

Professor Holt adds that CoQ10 is part of his personal arsenal in his natural and preventative approach to health.
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“I have been taking CoQ10 for several years to keep my blood pressure as low as possible. It is an excellent supplement for people worried about heart health, blood pressure or side effects from statin medications.”

Alison Quesnel, executive director of Natural Products NZ says CoQ10 has been shown to be beneficial to a range of conditions but the studies around heart health have irrefutably shown positive results for people with heart failure.

“CoQ10 has been studied for its role in cognitive health, heart health and anti-aging. It has been shown to improve heart function in people with congestive heart failure and benefit people suffering from angina, heart attack and hypertension. This latest study builds on previous research and is sufficiently robust to make a strong case for CoQ10 being a part of the maintenance therapy for chronic heart failure patients.”

CoQ10 has properties similar to vitamins and is concentrated in the mitochondria – the ‘power house’ of the cell – and plays a vital role in the production of chemical energy for the body to function. It’s use has been boosted by a rise in the popularity of statin drugs, used to lower cholesterol levels, which deplete the body’s natural resources of CoQ10.

Source:
Presented at congress of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.
Abstract no 440 – “The effect of Coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure. Results from the Q-SYMBIO study”
Authors: S A Mortensen, A Kumar, P Dolliner et al

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