B yJimmy Downs

Monday Dec 3, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- J.J . Dinicolantonio from Wegmans Pharmacy in Ithaca, New York published an article in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy reminding patients that taking statins are not risk free.  The drugs can cause muscle pain because of which, many patients discontinue taking these medication indicated to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease or cardiovascular events like myocardial infarction.

Statins are very effective at lowering cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease and death from the disease, but it is generally recognized that they should be used only by people who have prior or existing heart condition or those who are at high risk for cardiovascular disease because these medications are not cost effective for the general population to prevent diseases.

The problem is, as the author pointed out, that statins provide the benefits by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, which subsequently reduces cholesterol and decreases the formation of mevalonate. The inhibition of the mevalonate pathway leads to a decrease in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) within the body.

And it is believed that the statin-assocaited muscle pain or medically called myalgia is caused at least in part by a reduction in CoQ10 in muscle mitochondria.  This side effect (myalgia) is one of the reasons many patients discontinue taking statins.

The question is, can supplementation of CoQ10 help treat statin myopathy?