| Since its discovery in the late 1950's | | | | a steady and continued improvement in heart |
| Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has received much | | | | function as well as steady and continued |
| attention as a necessary compound for proper | | | | reduction in patient symptoms including |
| cellular function. It is the essential | | | | fatigue, chest pains, palpitations and |
| coenzyme necessary for the production of ATP | | | | breathing difficulty. Patients with more |
| (adenosine triphosphate) upon which all | | | | establish and long-term cases showed gradual |
| cellular functions depend. Without ATP our | | | | improvement but did not gain normal heart |
| bodies cannot function properly. Without | | | | function. Patients with newer cases of heart |
| CoQ10, ATP cannot function. This connection | | | | failure demonstrated much more rapid |
| has made CoQ10 a very important object of | | | | improvement often returning to normal heart |
| study in relation to chronic disease.In many | | | | function.Papers numbering in the hundreds |
| cases the presence of chronic disease is | | | | from eight different symposia have been |
| associated with inadequate levels of CoQ10. | | | | written and presented on the effects of CoQ10 |
| But no area of study has received more | | | | on heart disease. International clinical |
| attention than the relation between CoQ10 and | | | | studies have also been conducted in the |
| heart disease. That is because CoQ10 is | | | | United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and |
| believed to be of fundamental importance in | | | | Sweden. Together these studies and the papers |
| cells with high metabolic demands such as | | | | that have been derived from them demonstrate |
| cardiac cells. A further reason the | | | | significant improvement in heart muscle |
| connection of heart disease and CoQ10 has | | | | function while causing no adverse effects.One |
| gained so much attention is because heart | | | | particular area of study involves diastolic |
| conditions of many kinds are associated with | | | | dysfunction which is one of the earliest |
| chronically low CoQ10 levels.CoQ10 is highly | | | | signs of myocardial failure. Diastole is the |
| concentrated in heart muscle cells because of | | | | phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart is |
| their high energy requirements. Add this to | | | | filled with returning blood. Because this |
| the fact that heart disease is the number one | | | | phase requires more cellular energy than the |
| killer in developed and developing countries | | | | systolic phase (when the blood is pushed out |
| and one can see why the bulk of scientific | | | | of the heart) it is more dependent on CoQ10. |
| research on CoQ10 has been concerned with | | | | Diastolic dysfunction is a stiffening of the |
| heart disease. Specifically, studies on | | | | heart muscle which naturally restricts the |
| congestive heart failure have demonstrated a | | | | heart's ability to pump. This condition is |
| strong correlation between the severity of | | | | associated with many cardiac disorders. |
| heart failure and the degree of CoQ10 | | | | Hypertension is among these disorders. As the |
| deficiency. The lower the levels of CoQ10 in | | | | heart muscles become stiff there is often a |
| the heart muscles the more severe the heart | | | | corresponding rise in blood pressure. When |
| failure. If indeed CoQ10 deficiency is a | | | | the diastolic dysfunction is reversed, blood |
| primary cause of congestive heart failure | | | | pressure tends to lower as well.In one study |
| then, in such cases, the remedy is simple and | | | | involving 109 patients with hypertension, |
| cost effective; CoQ10 | | | | CoQ10 supplementation was added to normal |
| supplementation.Congestive heart failure is a | | | | hypertension treatments. In an average of 4.4 |
| condition where the heart does not pump | | | | months 51% of the patients were able stop |
| effectively resulting in an accumulation of | | | | using at least one blood pressure lowering |
| fluid in the lungs. Symptoms may include | | | | medication. Some were able to stop using up |
| shortness of breath, difficulty breathing | | | | to three medications. Another study produced |
| when lying flat and leg or ankle swelling. | | | | similar results. In that study 43% of 424 |
| Causes include chronic hypertension, | | | | patients were able to stop using between one |
| cardiomyopathy (primary heart disease) and | | | | and three cardiovascular drugs because of |
| myocardial infarction (irreversible injury to | | | | CoQ10 supplementation.These examples are just |
| heart muscles). Heart muscle strength is | | | | a drop in the bucket. Diastolic dysfunction |
| measure by the ejection fraction which is a | | | | (and by proxy, hypertension) includes only a |
| measure of the fraction of blood pumped out | | | | small sampling of heart conditions that |
| of the heart with each beat. A low ejection | | | | respond favorably to CoQ10 supplementation. |
| fraction indicates a weak heart.Several | | | | Other areas of research show great promise |
| trials have been conducted involving patients | | | | for CoQ10 treatments. Among these are cancer |
| with enlarged weak heart muscles of unknown | | | | and AIDS. But such conditions are beyond the |
| causes. For those of you who like difficult | | | | scope of this essay. CoQ10 is essential to |
| phrases this condition (or variety of | | | | the proper functioning of all cell types. It |
| conditions) is known as idiopathic dilated | | | | is not surprising, therefore, to find a |
| cardiomyopathy. In these trials CoQ10 | | | | diverse number of diseases that respond |
| supplementation was compared to placebo | | | | favorably to CoQ10 supplementation. Since all |
| effects. Standard treatments for heart | | | | metabolically active tissues are highly |
| failure were not discontinued. The results | | | | sensitive to CoQ10 deficiency, we can expect |
| were measured by echocardiography (a | | | | to see CoQ10 research expand to many other |
| diagnostic test which uses ultrasound waves | | | | areas of chronic diseases.Greg holds degrees |
| to make images of the heart chambers, valves | | | | in science, divinity and philosophy and is |
| and surrounding structures).The overall | | | | currently an I.T. developer. |
| results of CoQ10 supplementation demonstrated | | | | |