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Imagine trying to drive your car after someone had crimped the fuel line from your fuel tank to your engine? The car would still run but would quickly lose power on a hill or under load. Co enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) acts like the fuel line in your car by transporting energy within cell mitochondria to make our energy.
COQ10 is an essential vitamin-like substance mostly made in our liver. For some people, because of age, health problems or medications can benefit from taking good quality CoQ10. But be aware that the market is flooded with low cost semi-synthetic CoQ10 which is chemically different from the naturally fermented CoQ10.
The most common reason for CoQ10 supplementation is for those using cholesterol lowering (statin) medication. The side effects of statins are so common that they are diagnosable diseases called statin myopathy and statin neuropathy. The most common side effects are muscle stiffness, pain and weakness. This can also cause general fatigue, which often feels like a lack of motivation.
Statins inhibit the enzyme needed to make cholesterol. Unfortunately, this enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) is also needed to make CoQ10. Restricting this enzyme reduces cholesterol but also CoQ10 by as much as 50%.
Drug companies are aware of this problem and hold patents for combining CoQ10 with statins. Until such drugs are available, I recommend those on statins supplement with 100mg-200mg of naturally fermented CoQ10. If people have low energy or other health issues, I often add a mitochondrial complex that includes high grade CoQ10.
John Arts (Adv.Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice, contact John on 0800 423559 or email: john@abundant.co.nz. Join his newsletter at: www.abundant.co.nz.