foodconsumer.org: Reduced form of CoQ10 shown more effective

Reduced form of CoQ10 shown more effective
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admin on 04/29/2009 00:34:00
 
Tuesday April 28, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Scientists have identified the
ideal form of the vitamin-like enzyme Coenzyme Q10 (also CoQ10, chemical name
2,3 dimethoxy-5 methyl-6-decaprenyl benzoquinone) to take for those seeking
supplementation, says a report issued by NaturalNews. Ubiquinol, the reduced
form of CoQ10, has apparently been shown to absorb more effectively than
ubiquinone, the unreduced form of the enzyme.
According to the NaturalNews article, scientists at East Texas Medical Center
and Trinity Mother Francis Hospital in Texas found difficulty maintaining
adequate blood plasma levels of CoQ10 even with high supplements of the
unreduced form. However, once they were given ubiquinol, levels of CoQ10
increased in blood plasma from 22%-39% (mean average). According to the
NaturalNews article the new form of CoQ10, ubiquinol, is the unreduced form with
added electrons.
Ubiquinol has been shown to absorb lymphatically. CoQ10 must be reduced before
it can be released into the lymphatic system, NaturalNews reports. This may make
the new form more bioavailable for the lymphatic system. Bioavailability refers
to the ease with which a drug is absorbed into a given system. Declines in
ubiquinol result in “less cellular energy and diminished protection against
oxidative stress,” states the NaturalNews report. CoQ10 levels decrease in
people in their forties. It is lipophyllic, meaning that it dissolves in fats.
It should be taken with some sort of fatty food.
CoQ10 is an important enzyme that is “vital for the proper transfer of
electrons within the mitochondrial oxidative respiratory chain” (Bonakdari,
M.D.;Guarneri, M.D.). Essentially, CoQ10 helps move electrons during a chain of
reactions that helps the body produce energy. It also has other roles, centered
around the production of energy. It is produced by the body, but over the years
levels of the enzyme dwindle in the body.
CoQ10’s efficacy as a supplement has not been fully determined. While it is
not harmful, health organizations are still wary of advocating supplementation,
especially for those who are simply experiencing low levels. The American
College of Cardiology maintains that the benefits of CoQ10 supplementation are
not clearly established. However, clinical trials have indicated its use as a
treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a class of diseases called Mitochondrial
Encephalomyopathies, Hypertension, Congestive Heart Failure and others. The Mayo
Clinic’s website states that CoQ10 “has been used, recommended, or studied
for numerous conditions, but remains controversial as a treatment in many
areas.”
Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com
Bonakdar, RA & E Guarneri (2005). Coenzyme Q10. American Associaton of Family
Physicians. http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050915/1065.html
Coenzyme Q10 - MayoClinic.com. Retrieved April 27, 2009, from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10
(By Will Levine, and edited by Heather Kelley)