In the coming months you may be hit with a flood of information on a substance called Coenzyme Q. Hopefully this new vitamin will finally start to get some of the well deserved attention that it deserves. Although discovered back in 1957, only recently has it's vast importance come to be known. Coenzyme Q could best be described as a fat soluble vitamin. It is very similar in structure to vitamin K and vitamin E. So far, ten different forms of Coenzyme Q have been identified. Generally you will see the identified as CoQ1, CoQ2, etc. up to CoQ10. CoQ10 is the only one used directly by humans, so for now, that's the only one you need to be concerned about. (To simplify matters, when I refer to CoQ in the rest of this article it will mean Coenzyme Q 10.)

CoQ is found in all vertebrates (animals that have a spine) except rats, mice and one fish - the walleyed pike. Every cell needs CoQ to produce energy. Organs that require vast amounts of energy (the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, muscles, etc., ) contain more CoQ. It's these same organs that seem to be in trouble quickly when a CoQ deficiency exists. In fact many researchers now feel that the CoQ level in an organ may be directly linked to the health status of that organ.

Research, both here and Japan, indicates that 75% of the cardiac patients examined had sufficient deficiencies of CoQ in their heat tissue. This and the fact that between 70& and 80% of all heart patients given CoQ have shown remarkable improvement, has led to some very interesting conclusions. Dr. Karl Folkers, the "father" of CoQ research has said that CoQ deficiencies may be a major cause of heart disease. (This is the same gentleman credited with the discovery of vitamin B6.) This same conclusion by Japanese researchers accounts for the fact that over ten million Japanese heart patients now take CoQ as a prescription medication. CoQ is no stranger to the Japanese and been used there since mid 1970.

At the Methodist Hospital of Indiana, several heart patients who were given only days to live under traditional medications (digitalis, diuretics, etc.) had CoQ supplements added to their diets. Over 70% survived for one year and 62% were still alive after two years. All had improved cardiac functions, decreased difficulty in breathing, less fatigue and none of the patients showed the congestive heart failure that was present prior to CoQ treatment. Similar results have been reported in studies at the Scott and White Clinic, Texas A&M University at Temple, Texas, Kitasota University School of Medicine in Kanagawa, Japan, Kokura Memorial Hospital in Kitakyushu, Japan, University of Bonn in West Germany, Municipal Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark, and dozens of other institutions around the world. Dosages of CoQ ranges from 30 mg to 100 mg daily. Patients with more severe problems responded better to the higher dosages. Improvement was usually noted within a few days to within a week or so.

Additional studies by Dr. Folkers showed many severe heart arrhythmia (irregular heart beats) could be directly related to lack of CoQ. In a 1981 study five of six patient's arthythmia were either reduced or totally eliminated after using CoQ.

Angina, The horrible heart pain, can also benefit from CoQ therapy. A Japanese study reported in the "American Journal of Cardiology 56, pp. 247-251, 1985" showed the number of angina attacks were cut in half when patients took 150 mg of CoQ a day for a period of only four weeks. Additional studies have shown similar results. Even those who have suffered from heart attacks may be candidates for CoQ therapy. A Belgium study at the free University of Brussels showed heart attack victims had increased cardiac and increased heart muscle strength after taking 100 mg daily for 12 weeks. This is remarkable considering the progressive muscle deterioration that usually follows the heart attack. Another interesting feature of this study showed that when CoQ was withdrawn, the benefits that it had produced gradually declined to the levels before treatment.

CoQ can reverse high blood pressure when used alone or in conjunction with other medication. Studies in Japan and at the University of Texas in Austin showed that patients taking 60 mg of CoQ daily, routinely had reduction in the systolic pressure of 20 points and diastolic reductions of 10 or more points. (Remember, systolic pressure is the top number and generally considered normal under 140. Diastolic is the lower number with normal being below 90.) CoQ has no effect on people with normal blood pressure.

Research has now shown that diseased gum tissue ha a deficiency of CoQ, whereas healthy tissue doesn't. Studies at Wilford Hall, U S Air Force Medical Center by Dr. Edward Winkinson have 1 shown many dosages between 50 and 70 mg of CoQ can greatly and in some cases actually reverse the disease. Reduction of pain, inflammation and bleeding was a common finding in the study reported in "Biomedical and Clinical Aspects if Coenzyme Q, 1977 and 1981". Additional studies at the Hiroshima University School of Dentistry in Japan and at Travis Air Force Base in California showed similar results. Not only were many patients spared from gum surgery, many had an actual reversal of the disease and a regeneration of the healthy tissue. CoQ therapy shouldn't be considered a replacement for proper dental hygiene, in fact, those patients who participated in the above studies were given traditional periodontal treatment in conjunction with CoQ. Cleaning and scaling of the teeth along with proper brushing was an integral part of the program.

Although human studies involving CoQ and the immune system have just recently been approved, the hundreds of animal studies we could find look very promising. Early studies indicate that CoQ boosts the disease fighting potential of the existing immune cells. This unique feature makes CoQ a much safer alternative to many of the immune boosting drugs on the market today. Most of the drugs being used promote an increased production of lymphocytes. An over abundance of lymphocytes may help fight disease but it also has a tendency to overload organs like the spleen and leads to serious side effects.

CoQ has been used in conjunction with chemotherapy in cancer patients to reduce the toxic side effect. ADDITIONAL EXPERIMENTS HAVE BEGUN TO DETERMINE THAT CoQ's IMMUNE BUILDING POWERS WILL HELP IN DISEASES LIKE AIDS, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, LUPUS, ALZHEIMER'S, ASTHMA AND ALLERGIES. BASED ON EARLY RESULTS, CoQ THERAPY LOOKS VERY PROMISING.

No toxic effects have ever been noted with human CoQ usage. Long term studies in the U S, Japan, West Germany, etc. have ever shown any human toxicity problems, regardless of the dosage. The only known side affect has been temporary mild nausea and it is even rare for this to occur.

CoQ is a totally natural substance found in many food items. In theory getting enough CoQ from your diet shouldn't be a problem. It is contained in most meat products, especially organ meats like the heart, liver and kidneys. Other sources include eggs, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, rice, wheat, corn, sardines and mackerel. Various nuts like pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, chestnuts, and almonds contain CoQ. Sesame seeds are a source also. I'm sure other foods will continue to be added to the list as research continues, but presently these seem to be the richest sources.

Unfortunately, even the amounts contains in the richest sources aren't enough to correct the CoQ deficiency. For example 3.5 oz. of sardines contain around 6.4 mg. of CoQ, The same amount of spinach contains 1 mg. , beef - 3.1 mg., peanuts - 2.7 mg., etc. Therapeutic dosages usually range from 30 mg to 60 mg, daily and severe problems may require 100 mg. daily. As with most vitamins, CoQ levels are lowered when food is cooked or processed.

YOUR LIVER HELPS OUT BY TAKING OTHER CoQ FORMS (CoQ THROUGH Co Q9) AND TRANSFORMING THEM INTO COQ 10. THIS ABILITY PROBABLY ENABLES US TO LIVE RELATIVELY DISEASE FREE FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL DECADES OF OUR LIFE. AS WE AGE, THE LIVER SEEMS TO LOSE THIS ABILITY. MANY NOW FEEL THIS DECLINE IN Co Q PRODUCTION LEAVES US MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE OF THE HEART, CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND IMMUNE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS LEADING TO GUM DISEASE, OBESITY AND SIGNS OF AGING. (AS A SIDE NOTE, STUDIES INVOLVING MICE SHOWED Co Q COULD INCREASE THEIR LIFE SPAN UP TO 50%. PLUS Co Q TREATED MICE DID NOT SHOW THE PHYSICAL SIGNS OF AGING LIKE DECREASED VIGOR, IMMOBILITY AND POOR SPLOTCHY COATS EITHER. WHEN THE MICE FINALLY DIED, THEY STILL HAD THEIR YOUTHFUL APPEARANCE. AS YOU MIGHT GUESS, LIFE EXTENSION RESEARCH IS NOW UNDERWAY AND Co Q HAS ALREADY BEEN SHOWN TO BE A POTENT ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGER! (BASED ON THESE RODENT STUDIES, IF YOU DECIDE TO TRY Co Q, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP IT IN A PLACE WHERE THE MICE CAN'T GET IT.)

The research studies are only a handful of the total works surrounding CoQ therapy. In fact with all the glowing reports available, you'd expect CoQ to be the talk of the medical community. Sadly most physicians are rather slow to adopt new treatment methods, especially when it happens to be a nonprescription item. CoQ iS another of those items like DMSO that drug manufactures will have little financial incentive to promote or endorse. To remedy the situation efforts are now underway to have CoQ classified as a prescription drug. Any attempt to do so could be simply out of greed. CoQ hasn't shown even an inkling of toxicity problems and it has the ability to help a wide variety of common problems. The only problem with CoQ is it's relative high cost, which will undoubtedly drop when it's popularity increases.

Remember that CoQ is a vitamin ( Although it has not been officially classified as such.). Vitamins don't cure anything, but they can supply the materials your body needs to heal itself. If you are not deficient in CoQ you may not notice any changes when taking it. On the other hand if you happen to be one of the 75% with a heart problem, have periodontal disease, etc. it could be a lifesaver.

Remember also, that in many of the studies CoQ was used in addition to the traditional medications and therapies for the particular condition. Don't expect CoQ to be a cure all, but if you think it may help, by all means, mention it to your doctor. As more information becomes available, I'll pass it along.