10 June 2013
A treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) could halve the risk of death in patients who have suffered from heart failure, suggests a new study from Denmark.
In the randomized controlled trial, 420 patients across Europe, Asia and Australia with severe heart failure were given CoQ10 supplements or a placebo for two years and major cardiovascular events were docu-mented (1). The study showed that patients treated with CoQ10 had significantly lower rates of cardiovas-cular death and fewer hospitalizations due to heart failure: CoQ10 halved the risk of patients suffering a major adverse cardiovascular event, as measured in hospital admittance due to heart failure getting worse, or sudden death. These events happened to 14% of patients in the group taking CoQ10 compared to 25% in the placebo group. CoQ10 also halved the risk of patients dying from all causes, with 9% of the group taking the supplement dying, compared with 17% in the placebo group.
The researchers commented that CoQ10 is the first substance that seems to improve survival rates among chronic heart failure patients since ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers were introduced more than a decade ago and should be added to standard heart failure therapy. CoQ10 occurs naturally in the body and is a powerful antioxidant, but levels of CoQ10 decrease in the heart muscle of patients with heart failure, with the deficiency getting worse as the heart failure also worsens. Drugs called statins are used to treat many patients with heart failure, but because they block the development of cholesterol, they also have a negative impact on CoQ10, further decreasing levels in the body. Increased intakes of CoQ10 correct a deficiency in the body and may block the vicious metabolic cycle in a chronic heart failure condition called the “energy-starved heart”.
However, the scientists cautioned against patients rushing to take a CoQ10 supplement as it could influence the effect of other medications, including anticoagulants, and patients should seek advice from their doctor before taking CoQ10.
9 July 2012
The omega3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, commonly referred to as EPA and DHA, may help to generate an optimal balance of the oxidative status by gene regulation, suggests a new German study.
5 December 2016
Micronutrients – we all need them, our whole life. But which ones are important for different age groups?
21 October 2015
Only a few studies have been carried out to assess the effect of blood serum levels of antioxidant vitamins and the risk of cervical cancer. The findings from these studies were inconsistent. However, a new study conducted with 1,200 participants from the city of Harbin, in Northern China, has yielded promising results, indicating that alpha carotene, beta carotene, vitamin E and vitamin C could be beneficial in reducing the risk of cervical cancer in Chinese women. The effect was particularly noticeable in women who suffered from the effects of passive smoking.
