What’s the connection with Coenzyme Q10 and weight loss? I was thinking today that many of the health challenges that we write about may be connected to our weight. When we are overweight or obese, there are countless ways that we can get sick. And we are shocked when we sit down and do the numbers to find out that we may not be just a a few pounds overweight like we tell ourselves, but possibly in the obese category – which is devastating.
Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, Q10 or Vitamin Q10, is a compound that is made naturally in your body. The organs with the highest energy requirements, like the heart, liver and kidney, have the highest CoQ10 concentrations. Your heart powers every single biological function in your body, and supplying it with the key nutrients it needs will help it be strong and healthy. Without CoQ10, your cells would not be able to produce energy and your heart will not function properly. If you are overweight, it is hard on your heart in multiple ways.
As you age, there is a natural drop in your Q10 levels, and if you have a poor diet or other factors such as environmental stress (exposure to free radicals) or strenouous exercise, you may be low in Q10. Research has documented that supplements with CoQ10 are beneficial for people that take select prescription drugs, primarily for heart disease, such as statin drugs or beta blockers because both will artificially decrease Coenzyme q10 in your body. Supplements may actually be critical for these people.
There are 102 million Americans with high cholesterol – a major contributor to heart disease. 34% of Americans over age 45 report taking statin drugs. 86% of Americans over age 65 report taking statins. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of cholesterol-lowering statins has increased tenfold over the past two decades. In fact, Americans spent a total of $14.3 billion on statins alone in 2009.
The Q and the 10 refer to parts of the compound’s chemical structure. It is used by cells to produce the energy needed for cell growth and maintenance, and by the body as an antioxidant to protect the body from free radicals. If your body has the nutrients it needs to protect your DNA, there’s lower risk for getting the diseases of aging, including cancer.
Coenzyme Q10 is found in most body tissues, and is most concentrated in the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas. There is research that shows it may be useful as an adjuvant therapy for cancer. This would be as treatment given after primary cancer treatment, to enhance the effectiveness of the primary treatment. Low blood levels of CoQ10 are found in patients with various cancers, such as myeloma, lymphoma, breast, lung, prostrate, pancreas, colon, kidney, head and neck.
Statins are commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications that not only lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, but also inhibit the body’s natural production of Coenzyme Q10. Statins can lower CoQ10 levels up to 50%. That’s a problem since this nutrient is vital for cellular energy production, especially in your heart. Without adequate levels of CoQ10, energy production in cells decline and that affects the health of your heart.
Another side effect of statins is muscle pain. The drug is good for lowering cholesterol, but not without some unwanted side effects. There is research that shows if you take CoQ10 supplements, it may help reduce muscle pain that results from taking these statins. One study showed that taking 100 mg daily of CoQ10 resulted in a 40% decrease in statin-induced muscle pain in just 30 days.
Coenzyme Q10 can also help protect against your bad cholesterol because its potent antioxidant activity protects your arteries from the damaging effects of oxidized LDL cholesterol, which is thought to damage blood vessels and trigger arterial plaque development. The buildup of plaque leads to heart attacks and stroke.
Who else will benefit from Coenzyme Q10 supplement?
People with: cancer, periodontal disease, immune deficiency diseases like AIDS, muscular distrophy, male fertility issues, exercise performance, and Diabetes.
Top 5 Lifestyle Changes For People With Heart Disease
In addition to taking a CoenzymeQ10 supplement, lifestyle changes can help reduce LDL cholesterol, enhance the cholesterol-lowering effect of medications, and possibly lower the amount of medication you might need.
- Lose weight – losing as little as 5 to 10 pounds can make a difference
- Eat a heart-healthy diet – consume more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids
- Exercise – just 30 minutes a day, every day – WALK!
- Quit smoking – we know that smoking increases your risks of g so if you smoke, Stop
- Moderate alcohol intake – moderate use of alcohol is associated with higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
Brand difference
CoQ10 supplements can be challenging to formulate. The particles may be sticky and may clump together to form pieces that are too big for your body to absorb. The ingredients need to get into the blood stream and absorbed by your body in order to raise your CoQ10 levels. A key difference between supplements is how much is going to get absorbed.
A brand like Shaklee will find a way to standardize the particle size. Shaklee perfected a microencapsulation Coenzyme Q10 supplement, with absorption enhanced up to 500% more than competitive powders, 333% more than other soft gels, and 1/3 more bio-available than a leading bio-availability enhanced capsule. This is the kind of difference that helps make Shaklee the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S.
Recently, Shaklee updated CoQHeart and we now have Triple Strength CoQHeart with Q-Trol that has a heart-healthy olive oil delivery system, is all natural and contains mixed tocopherals and resveratrol in each capsule. Resveratrol is responsible for what the French call their French Paradox – which is their low rate of heart disease despite their horrible diet. They drink a lot of red wine that contains resveratrol, a phytonutrient that is a potent antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Studies also show resveratrol offers some protection against cancer, inflammatory diseases and other conditions. It is not possible to get enough CoQ10 or resveratrol from our diets. Even though Coenzyme Q10 is found in almost every plant or animal, the levels are not high enough to get what your body needs. In order to get enough resveratrol in red wine, you would have to drink something like one hundred glasses per day, much more than would be recommended for anyone to drink.
To learn more about CoQHeart with Q-Trol, click here: Coenzyme Q10 Weight Loss.