CoQ10 supplementation is a great heart disease prevention strategy

(NaturalHealth365) Everyone understands the importance of the heart. Just ask the Tin Man from America’s classic film, The Wizard of Oz. In fact, did you know that your heart is able to beat over two billion times in an average lifetime?

More than that, the heart can pump nearly 100 million barrels of blood during your lifetime. If you were to lay out your blood vessels from end to end, they would reach around the world four times.  But, our focus today will be about protecting the heart.

Simply amazing: The power of the heart

Your cardiovascular system is only one of about a dozen systems helping you physically live. It includes your heart, blood, and blood vessels. Its main (mechanical) responsibility is to transport hormones, enzymes, nutrients, and other chemicals throughout the body. In addition, the heart constantly communicates with the brain – in a way that science is just beginning to understand.

This ‘love’ center is truly at the core of who we are.

Over the last few years, scientific evidence is showing a natural way for you to protect your heart. By supplementing your diet with a vitamin-like substance called Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, you may prevent and treat heart disease as well as reduce your risk of mortality due to heart problems. In fact, many healthcare providers believe, it is more effective at treating high cholesterol issues and coronary artery disease than standard conventional medicines such as statin drugs.

What are the health benefits of CoQ10?

Our body makes coenzyme Q10 naturally, and it can be found in every cell of your body. It’s used for energy, and it is also needed for cell growth and health. A ‘super’ antioxidant, this valuable nutrient helps to minimize the threat of free radical damage – which can accelerate the aging process in a negative way.

Coenzyme Q10 helps:

• Digest food
• Protect the heart
• Preserve muscle integrity
• Boost energy
• Speed up recover from strenuous activity, like exercise
• Reduce inflammation

Coenzyme Q10 is more effective and less dangerous than cholesterol medications

Conventional medicine has been using statin drugs for nearly 30 years to treat dyslipidemia or high cholesterol. Unfortunately, patients have had a low tolerability to statins.

Reports have been made to the United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for numerous symptoms, and the agency has declared statins to be a risk for liver problems, diabetes, and cognitive impairment. In fact, rightly so, its usage has been discontinued by many patients.

So, it almost goes without saying, we’ve needed a safer alternative to these toxic drugs, and new studies are reporting coenzyme Q10 to be just that alternative.

Recently, The American Journal of Cardiology published a study demonstrating the usefulness of coenzyme Q10 in treating patients with elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Patients were broken into subgroups with one taking Ezetimibe, a drug that lowers plasma cholesterol levels. The other group took Coenzyme Q10 in a nutraceutical combination.

After three months, no changes were detected in the Ezetimibe group, but all patients in the CoQ10 group had positive changes. Intervention continued for another 12 months. However, the Ezetimibe group added the CoQ10 treatment for a combination therapy. Once the treatment was completed, the mixed group that included both Ezetimibe and CoQ10 achieved their therapeutic target by 72.5 percent. Better yet, the stand-alone CoQ10 group had 100 percent success.

Several other studies have been undertaken in cardiovascular disorders with coenzyme Q10, including chronic heart failure, hypertension, and endothelial dysfunction. Research has been reported to be safe and well tolerated in all CoQ10 studies. Due to its extraordinary antioxidant properties, it has been viewed as one of the safest therapies for heart disease.

New study shows reduced cardiovascular mortality with coenzyme Q10 supplementation

According to a very recent study published in PLoS One, coenzyme Q10 has the ability to significantly reduce cardiovascular mortality. The objective of the study was to confirm another study on reduced mortality. However, this particular study analyzed cardiovascular mortality for up to 10 years after intervention.

The study took place in a rural municipality in Sweden where this type of cardiovascular death is registered. Additionally, the study included 443 healthy elderly individuals with no participant lost to the follow-up. For four years, participants took coenzyme Q10 with another antioxidant called selenium. CoQ10 also naturally decreases with age, and Europeans tend to be deficient in selenium. Hence the reason for the supplement combination.

In the follow-up study, the protective action of coenzyme Q10 persisted during the 10-year period after the four year treatment. Subgroup analysis showed positive effects in both male and female participants. Additionally, a positive mortality risk reduction was seen in those with ischemic heart disease, as well as different functional classes.

Talk to your healthcare provider about supplementing with coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 has been found to be extremely beneficial for heart disease. However, science has found it to be useful for many other ailments. Positive results have been indicated for treating cancer, muscular dystrophy, and periodontal disease.

The journal of Biofactors also reports CoQ10 as being effective as an adjuvant therapeutic in mitochondrial myopathies and neurodegenerative diseases. Analysis suggests that this supplement exerts anti-inflammatory properties and may be useful as a daily supplement to ward off all kinds of disease. When selecting a supplement, be sure to choose a quality professional grade.

Editor’s note: The NatualHealth365 Store offers liposomal CoQ10 – the most absorbable brand on the market. Click here to order today.

About the author: Abby Campbell is a medical, health, and nutrition research writer. She’s dedicated to helping people live a healthy lifestyle in all aspects – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Abby practices, writes, and coaches on natural preventive care, nutritional medicine, and complementary and alternative therapy.

References:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/tc/coenzyme-q10-topic-overview
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm293330.htm
http://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(15)02002-0/abstract
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009898115003733
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141641
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/biof.5520320121/abstract;jsessionid=D5AC616BB59B2234B2D05BE302A8B84A.f04t04