A Feel 21, Inc. Health Report

No less a health authority than Gary Null praises coenzyme 10 (also known as coQ10), which he describes as a "superstar in protecting the heart."

In his most recent book, Power Aging, Null writes, "I believe if every American took between 100 to 300 mg of [coQ10] a day, and if people with cardiovascular disease took between 300 to 500 mg of this wonder-nutrient daily, we could be saving hundreds of thousands of lives a year."

Considering its age and tremendous health profile, coQ10 is a prodigy. Discovered as a natural part of the body in 1957, coQ10 serves as an energy transporter in the mitochondria and also as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that block or inhibit destructive oxidation reactions.

One of its most valuable contributions comes as a proponent of cardiovascular health. In his book The Total Guide to a Healthy Heart, cardiologist Dr. Seth J. Baum wrote that coQ10 can help lower blood pressure and can help treat congestive heart failure.

"Although I do not have a large enough series of patients to document statistically significant improvement in heart muscle funciton, I can tell you that my heart failure patients do feel much better when taking coenzyme Q10," Baum wrote.

A six-year study by scientists at the University of Texas gives credence to Baum's observations. The study found that people being treated for congestive heart failure who took coQ10 in addition to conventional thearpy had a 75 percent chance of survival after three years. Those patients who underwent therapy alone had a 25 pecent survival rate.

However, what makes coQ10 so valuable is its tremendous versatility. A study from the National Academy of Sciences showed that short-term supplementation with moderate amounts of coQ10 "produced profound anti-aging effects on the brain," wrote Null.

Null also pointed out that coQ10 also might be helpful in the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease. In a study, coQ10 levels in Parkinson's patients were 35 percent lower to a control group of the same age. However, many health care professionals do use the nutrient to treat mental function abnormalities.

In addion, according to noted natural health authors James and Phyllis Balch, research has been shown that supplemental coQ10 has the ability to counter histamine. CoQ10 can also be used in fighting obesity, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes.

Prospective consumers of coQ10 need to do their homework. Several pharmaceutical drugs used in the treatment of heart patiens can lower its levels, including beta blockers, statins, and oral hypoglycemic agents. In buying coQ10, it's best to buy it in a liquid or oil form and to buy a product that contains little vitamin E, as that helps to preserve the coQ10.