Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for men and women in the United States. But research shows that supplementing with one simple nutrient can slash your risk of dying from it by a whopping 44 percent, as I’ll explain in a moment.
But first, let’s talk a little more about this mighty nutrient…
CoQ10 critical for cell health
Your body naturally produces co–enzyme Q10 (or CoQ10). It’s found in every single cell in your body…and the heart has the highest concentration of it. You can also find it in certain foods, such as organ meats, fatty fish, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, lentils, and sesame seeds. (As you probably notice, these foods belong to the healthy, balanced, Mediterranean-type diet.)
So, what makes CoQ10 so mighty?
Well, first and foremost, CoQ10 plays a critical role in cellular metabolism, carried out by your mitochondria (your cells’ energy factories). It basically helps the mitochondria do their job better—giving you the energy you need to power through the day.
CoQ10 also acts as an antioxidant, protecting all your cells and cell membranes from oxidative damage. It also helps your body to “regenerate” vitamins C and E (which work together as antioxidants). In other words, CoQ10 may actually reduce your daily dietary requirements for vitamins C and E…and help prevent deficiency and insufficiency of them.
Last but not least, CoQ10 supports your immune system and helps ward off chronic inflammation. (Remember, chronic inflammation plays a major role in the development of chronic disease, including cancers, dementia, Type II diabetes, heart disease, and others.)
Decreased production of CoQ10 as you age
As you get older, your body stops producing as much CoQ10. And an insufficiency or deficiency can lead to milder problems like cognitive decline, muscle aches, and fatigue…to more serious conditions like kidney failure, Type II diabetes, and heart disease.
To make matters worse, we know cholesterol-lowering statin drugs—which are widely taken in a futile attempt to lower the risk of heart disease—further impair CoQ10 production and cellular metabolism.
Therefore, in my view, anyone still taking a statin drug must supplement with CoQ10. In fact, almost 20 years ago, a big pharma manufacturer took out a patent application for a statin–CoQ10 combination formula. But they never marketed the combo. When I asked the manufacturer why they didn’t offer the combination product, their answer was “no comment.”
Now, let’s get back to the study I mentioned earlier…
CoQ10 protects the heart over the long-term
In a 2014 study that appeared in the prestigious Journal of American College of Cardiology, researchers randomly divided 420 patients with moderate–to–severe heart failure into two groups. The first group took 100 mg of CoQ10 three times daily (300 mg per day) for two years. The second group took a placebo.
Over the two-year follow-up period, 44 percent fewer people in the CoQ10 group died of cardiovascular disease (or any other cause) compared to the placebo group.
Additionally, when they looked at cardiovascular disease events (such as heart attack) and hospitalizations, the protective effect was even stronger…
Over two years, 26 percent of the placebo group experienced heart disease events. By comparison, just 15 percent of the CoQ10 patients experienced them. Similarly, 14 percent of the placebo group required hospitalization for heart disease. But only 8 percent of the CoQ10 group required it.
Overall, CoQ10 posed a safe, efficient, and cost-effective treatment for patients with heart failure. Simply put, it reduced major heart disease events, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Pay close attention to quality and dosing
Clearly, CoQ10 supplementation offers potent heart health benefits. But, as always, dose, quality, and form of the supplement are crucial.
So, make sure you choose a high-quality CoQ10 supplement, or a combined dietary supplement with CoQ10 as an ingredient, from a source you can trust.
In terms of dosing, I recommend taking 100 mg a day for general health. If you already have heart concerns, I recommend taking 200 mg per day. Lastly, look for a product that specifically says ubiquinol on the label. If the bottle only says “Coenzyme Q10,” or “CoQ10,” it’s probably ubiquinone—the less well-absorbed biochemical form. Whereas the ubiquinol form helps ensure that CoQ10 molecules are in the best form for the body to readily absorb and disperse.
You can learn more about all the effective, natural approaches for fighting against heart disease—including the importance of CoQ10—in my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. To learn more about it or enroll today, simply click here.
Source:
“The effect of coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure: results from Q-SYMBIO: a randomized double-blind trial.” JACC Heart Fail, 2014 Dec;2(6):641-9. doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2014.06.008.