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~ Back to Education Index Page ~  Summarized from: “Supplemental Ubiquinol In Patients With Advanced Congestive Heart Failure” Recently, a clinical trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of Ubiquinol, the active antioxidant form of Coenzyme Q10, in patients suffering with NYHA class IV congestive heart failure.1 Patients with congestive heart failure this advanced have 74% mortality at 6 months and 94% at 12 months and there is often a vicious cycle of heart failure leading to edema, leading to poor absorption and utilization of CoQ10 leading to worsening heart functioning. All patients in this study had poor CoQ10 absorption and were taking upwards of 900mg/day just to get a sub-clinical effect. In congestive heart failure, the heart cannot pump efficiently, which slows the flow of blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. The heart can temporarily maintain the blood in several ways: it can enlarge to pump extra blood; it can beat faster; or the ventricular walls can become thicker, which can strengthen the pumping ability. However, as the ventricular walls thicken, their elasticity becomes compromised and the heart has to work harder to make them contract. Significantly decreased levels of CoQ10 have been noted in a wide variety of diseases. Specifically, coenzyme Q10’s importance to the human heart is illustrated by the fact that the heart may cease to function as coenzyme Q10 levels fall by 75%. Unfortunately, coenzyme Q10 levels naturally drop as we age. So how does Coenzyme Q10 work? To better understand this, we need to go back to a term from high school biology that you may have forgotten: adenosine triphosphate, also known as 'ATP'. ATP, occurring in every cell of your body, serves as a source of energy for many of your body’s biochemical processes and represents the reserve energy in your muscles. Your heart for example, being a muscle which is continually in motion, needs a constant supply of ATP. This is where the importance of Coenzyme Q10 comes into play: ATP cannot be produced without Coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme Q10 is the catalyst for the creation of ATP. This means that Coenzyme Q10 plays a vital role in the inner workings of your body and, for obvious reasons, is found in the highest concentration in the heart. We can get Coenzyme Q10 from a number of food sources including spinach, broccoli, peanuts, wheat germ and whole grains, sardines and mackerel, beef, lamb and pork, along with eggs. However once ingested, it takes approximately 17 steps in our body (a process called biosynthesis) requiring the presence of at least 7 vitamins and several trace elements, to create coenzyme Q10 from dietary sources. Any one of a number of things can prevent biosynthesis from happening correctly, including insufficient absorption of Q10 by our bodies from the food we eat and a lack of the necessary vitamins and trace elements to synthesize Q10 effectively. These two factors are problematic enough without including excessive utilization of CoQ10 by the body. Any one, or a combination of the 3, makes for a CoQ10 deficiency in your body. In this study, all 7 patients were switched to ubiquinol, specifically “Kaneka’s QH”. No side effects or interactions with Coumadin (also known as Warfarin, a common anticoagulant or “blood thinner”) were found. All 7 patients achieved better than sub-clinical therapeutic blood plasma levels of QH however one of the patients was too far advanced to begin with and did pass away. The other 6 patients showed clinical improvements in heart function, survived longer than expected and remain in stable condition at NYHA class I to III, showing the severity of their heart failure has been reduced. These 6 remain on QH and have been using it for up to 20 months at the time the study results were written. One noted bonus shown by the study was that all patients showed a natural increase in their vitamin E levels during the trial, even though they were not supplementing with vitamin E. Other Benefits of Coenzyme Q10 Q10 has antioxidant properties: substances known as antioxidants neutralize damage-causing free radicals by binding to their free electrons. Q10 aids circulation, increases tissue oxygenation and mental functioning and has vital anti-aging effects. For more information on Coenzyme Q10, CLICK HERE. 
Udo's Choice® Udo’s QH™ PlusA source of ubiquinol. An important factor that supports cellular energy production. A bioavailable antioxidant especially for the aging population to reduce oxidative stress. Helps to maintain and support cardiovascular health. Medicinal Ingredients:
MORE HELPFUL INFORMATION What is an Enzyme? Enzymes are proteins that participate in the cellular metabolic process with the ability to enhance the rate of reaction between biomolecules. What is a Coenzyme? Coenzymes are cofactors upon which the comparatively large and complex enzymes absolutely depend for their function. What is Ubiquinol? Ubiquinol is the active antioxidant form of CoQ10. Ubiquinone is Coenzyme Q10. Ubiquinone, means the ubiquitous (ever-present) quinone. The electron and proton transfer functions of the quinone ring are of fundamental importance to all life forms. Footnotes: 1. New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classifications "SUPPLEMENTAL UBIQUINOL IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE" Peter H. Langsjoen and Alena M. Langsjoen East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother Francis Hospital, Texas, USA Coenzyme Q10 Laboratory, Inc., Tyler, Texas, USA, www.coQ10lab.com Corresponding author: Peter H. Langsjoen, 1107 Doctors Dr. Tyler, Texas 75703, USA. Tel +1 903 595 3778; Fax +1 903 595 4962; E-mail: alilangsjoen@cs.com References: University of Washington, Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/coenzq10.html |
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