CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) Deficiency

Heart Disease: According to research conducted by Dr. Karl Folkers, et al., there is more CoQ10 in the heart tissue than in any other muscle in the body. Coenzyme Q10 deficiency has been observed in patients with congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, mitral valve prolapse and after coronary revascularization. Dr. Folkers thanks that CoQ10 deficiency may even be a major cause of heart disease and use of the coenzyme Q10 could even prevent many human heart problems. Heart tissue biopsies in patients with various heart diseases showed a CoQ10 deficiency in 50-75% of cases.

Folkers K, Littarru GP, Ho L, Runge TM, Havanonda S, Cooley D. Evidence for a deficiency of coenzyme Q10 in human heart disease. Int Z vitaminforsch 1970; 4(3):380-390.

Singh RB, Niaz MA, Rastogi V, Rastogi SS. Coenzyme Q in cardiovascular disease. J Assoc Physicians India 1998 Mar;46(3):299-306

Folkers K, Sartori M, Baker L, Richardson P, "Observations of Significant Reductions of Arrhythmias in Treatment with Coenzyme Q10 of Patients Having Cardiovascular Disease", IRCS Medical Science 10, p 348-9, 1982.

High Blood Pressure: Hypertensive patients have reduced levels. Supplementation found significant decreases in systolic and diastolic pressures after 12 weeks (Biomedical and Clinical Aspects of CoenzymeQ10 1986;5:337-343.) Another study of patients with hypertension found 39% of 59 patients had deficiency of CoQ10 versus 6% of 65 healthy controls.

HIV and AIDS: Deficiency levels of CoQ10in HIV-infected individuals seems to play a role in symptoms. Asymptomatic patients showed low levels of deficiency, while full-blown AIDS patients increased in deficiency as they progressed in severity.

Folkers K, Langsjoen P, Nara Y, Muratsu K, Komorowski J, Richardson PC, Smith TH. Biochemical deficiencies of coenzyme Q10 in HIV-infection and exploratory treatment. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1988 Jun 16;153(2):888-96

Parkinson's disease: Patients with Parkinson's have lower levels of CoQ10 (Annals of Neurology 1997;42:261-264)

Muscular dystrophy: Several studies demonstrated a marked biochemical deficiency of coenzyme Q10 in the cardiac and skeletal muscles of animals and humans with hereditary muscular dystrophy.

Littarru GP, Jones D, Scholler J, Folkers K. Deficiency of coenzyme Q10 in mice having hereditary muscular dystrophy. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1970;41:1306-1313.

Folkers K, Wolaniuk J, Simonsen R, et al. Biochemical rationale and the cardiac response of patients with muscle disease to therapy with coenzyme Q10. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1985;82:4513-4516.

Folkers K, Wolaniuk J, Simonsen R, et al. Biochemical rationale and the cardiac response of patients with muscle disease to therapy with coenzyme Q10. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1985;82:4513-4516.

Periodontal Disease: Gingival biopsies showed subnormal tissue levels of CoQ10 in patients with periodontal disease.

Littarru GP, Nakamura R, Ho L, et al. Deficiency of coenzyme Q10 in gingival tissue from patients with periodontal disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1971;68:2332-2335.

Nakamura R, Littarru GP, Folkers K, Wilkinson EG. Deficiency of coenzyme Q in gingiva of patients with periodontal disease. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1973;43:84-92.

Cholesterol Lowering Statin Drugs: Commonly prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs such as Lovastatin or Simavastatin can affect the body's production of CoQ10. These drugs block the synthesis of CoQ10, inducing CoQ10 deficiency in the heart muscle. Researchers now believe that patients who take these cholesterol lowering drugs should strengthen their heart with supplemental CoQ10.

Goli AK, Goli SA, Byrd RP Jr, Roy TM. Simvastatin-induced lactic acidosis: a rare adverse reaction? Clin Pharmacol Ther 2002 Oct;72(4):461-4

Ghirlanda G., Oradei A., Manto A., Lippa S., Uccioli L., Caputo S., Greco A.V., Littarru G.P. (1993) Evidence of Plasma CoQ10 - Lowering Effect by HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors: A double blind , placebo-controlled study. Clin. Pharmocol., J. 33, 3, 226-229.

Obesity: The study conducted by University of Texas and the University of Antwerp, Belguim, showed that obese people can have as much as a 50% deficiency of CoQ10 in their tissues.

Cerebellar Ataxia: According to a report published in the April 10, 2001 issue of the journal Neurology, six patients with cerebellar ataxia had very low CoQ10 content in their muscles and all improved either moderately or dramatically after administration of 600 to 3000 milligrams a day of CoQ10. The authors arrived at the conclusion that the CoQ10 deficiency might have been the initiating problem causing the brain damage, particularly in a specific area of the brain, the cerebellum, that is responsible for balance and coordination.

Lamperti C, Naini A, Hirano M, De Vivo DC, Bertini E, Servidei S, Valeriani M, Lynch D, Banwell B, Berg M, Dubrovsky T, Chiriboga C, Angelini C, Pegoraro E, DiMauro S. Cerebellar ataxia and coenzyme Q10 deficiency. Neurology 2003 Apr 8;60(7):1206-8