Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, plays an integral role in the creation of energy at the cellular level. The cell mitochondria use substances such as fat, CoQ10 and more to create the energy. If there's none available for cells in the brain, heart or other vital organ, it can create life-threatening problems, since you're starving the cells. CoQ10 also acts as an antioxidant to help prevent cell damage and study show supplementation reduces cellular damage by up to 95 percent.
Symptoms of Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency
CoQ10 deficiency can cause a number of problems. Sometimes it makes it difficult to regulate blood sugar levels. It may cause chest pain in the form of angina, arrhythmia and even high blood pressure. If you have problems with gingivitis or other diseases of the gum, consider the potential of a coq 10 deficiency. The same is true for those with stomach ulcers.
Low levels can create the "Couch Potato Syndrome," a condition where all you want to do is sit because chronic fatigue makes it too difficult to do anything else.
To make matters worse, if you show any of these symptoms of coenzyme Q10 deficiency, it can create even more deficiency. The very symptoms such as arrhythmia, angina, mitral valve prolapsed, high blood pressure, heart attack and heart failure can create a deficiency, as well as being a signal of a deficiency.
Drugs that You Take and Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency
Of course, traditional medicine offers medication for heart disease, diabetes and other problems but they also can create a coenzyme Q10 deficiency. In fact, several studies show that statin drugs, ones that lower cholesterol such as Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor, Lipitor and reductase inhibitors also block the creation of coenzyme Q10. That's because these drugs block the production of cholesterol created in the liver but at the same time, the medications also block the creation of the CoQ10 by as much as 40 percent.
Statin drugs aren't the only culprits to create a deficiency. Other drugs used to treat heart conditions also create the same problem. For instance, beta-blockers often used to control high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia and even congestive heart failure also deplete the body of the enzyme. Even if you have a diet that contains foods high in CoQ10, when you take these types of drugs, it isn't enough. You must supplement your diet with CoQ10 to counteract the depletion.
Diuretics, often given for patients with coronary problems, can also create a shortage of CoQ10. This is why many patients feel dragged out, lethargic and generally weak after taking these types of drugs. If you're on diuretics and having leg cramps, you may have a coenzyme Q10 deficiency. Glucophage, a treatment for diabetes is another culprit that robs the body of CoQ10, as does tricyclic antidepressants and Haldol. The antidepressant also robbed the body of B-12. Amazingly, patients given extra CoQ10, B-complex, calcium and magnesium often overcame depression without the use of these drugs.
CoQ10 and Disease Prevention and Maintenance
While the effect of CoQ10 on the prevention of some diseases is still speculative, there's little doubt that it helps coronary and heart related problems such as arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapsed. Some studies show that taking supplementation of CoQ10 can lower blood pressure. There's also a direct relationship between low CoQ10 levels and both stomach ulcers and periodontal disease.
There is also interest finding the relationship to diabetes, breast cancer, HIV, infertility, MS, tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, kidney failure, low sperm count and Friedreich's Ataxia. Early studies show that migraine headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome and asthma respond well to supplementation with CoQ10. This leads many researchers into investigating whether a coenzyme Q10 deficiency may trigger these conditions.
