Without coenzyme Q10 our bodies would be unable to fight infection and ward off disease.

It's been called a miracle nutrient. It's coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and it helps create the energy needed for our cells to survive and thrive. In addition to its energy-producing ability, CoQ10 has been shown to have antioxidant activity by fighting free radicals and strengthening cell membranes.

According to the authors of The Real Vitamin Book, "Because coenzyme Q10 is synthesized in the cells, it isn't a true vitamin." Although it has been shown to be vital to every living cell, most of the research regarding CoQ10 has shown that it specifically can strengthen the heart, boost the immune system, and actually help extend life.

CoQ10 for a strong heart:

Researchers reporting in the American Journal of Cardiology (1985) concluded that 150 mg. of CoQ10 given daily to heart patients strengthened the heart, allowing it to reach higher levels of energy before pain or oxygen deprivation occurred. In addition, the same journal reported in 1990 that CoQ10 prolonged the life of patients with cardiovascular disease by years, and in some cases the disease was eliminated entirely.

Julian Whitaker, M.D., wrote in his newsletter Health & Healing that many patients discontinue their heart medication with the aid of CoQ10. Researcher Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D., has been studying the effects of CoQ10 for three decades and has discovered that patients can reduce their heart medication by 40 to 50 percent, with 25 percent becoming medication-free thanks to the CoQ10.

"Although it has been shown to be vital to every living cell, most of the research regarding CoQ10 has shown that it specifically can strengthen the heart, boost the immune system, and actually help extend life."

According to The Real Vitamin Book by Shari Lieberman and Nancy Bruning, "A number of clinical trials suggest that using CoQ10 benefits people with angina, with minimal adverse side effects… In one study CoQ10 was found to be as effective as drug therapy for angina."

Dr. Karl Folkers, the father of CoQ10 research, believes "cardiovascular disease may be very significantly caused by a deficiency of CoQ10."

Boosting body defenses:

The immune system is the body's complicated way of protecting us from disease and infection. The immune system is a constant cellular battleground. And it is here that CoQ10 can play a crucial support role by strengthening and boosting immune defenses.

Fighting off illness requires many of the cells of the immune system to become active. Because this activity needs a great deal of energy on the cellular level, CoQ10 is necessary to stimulate this important energy production.

Various clinical studies suggested that CoQ10 may cause the body to produce significantly higher levels of antibodies.

These studies provide decisive indication of the indispensable role played by CoQ10 in maintaining optimal effectiveness of the immune system.

Who needs it:

"Anyone who has a serious illness or wishes to avoid one," believes Dr. Whitaker, "needs to be taking CoQ10."

According to Parris M. Kidd, Ph.D., and Wolfgang Huber, Ph.D., "in the United States as many as 75 percent of people over 50 years old may be deficient in CoQ10." Furthermore, it has been shown that the levels of CoQ10 in human tissue decreases with age.

"It has been documented that powerful antioxidants, like CoQ10, can help destroy damaging free radicals and may extend the quantity and quality of life."

Chronic illness, stress, and malnutrition saps our bodies of crucial supplies of CoQ10. It has been documented that powerful antioxidants, like CoQ10, can help destroy damaging free radicals and may extend the quantity and quality of life.

Sources and Toxicity:

CoQ10 seems to be an extremely safe nutrient. "Even in high doses, there are few adverse effects when using CoQ10," according to The Real Vitamin Book.

A variety of long-term CoQ10 safety studies have been done over the years with no reports of toxicity. Countless researchers have concluded that CoQ10 is completely safe for human use.

Food sources of CoQ10 include beef heart, sardines, peanuts and spinach, according to The Real Vitamin Book. It is believed that virtually everything once living, which relied upon respiration to produce energy, contains CoQ10. There are varying degrees of CoQ10 in our foods.

Although plants contain CoQ10 by getting it from the soil, it is not known if this form of CoQ10 acts the same way within the body. It is believed that each plant creates a single coenzyme Q compound that is specific to that plant.

Recommendations:

Dr. Julian Whitaker recommends that his patients with "symptomatic congestive heart failure take 240 mg. of CoQ10 daily in two 120 mg. doses. For the healthy, 30 to 60 mg. once a day should do the trick."

Although there is no Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) established for CoQ10, The Real Vitamin Book recommends between 10 and 300 mg. per day. Even though some trials have used up to 600 mg., it is best that these higher doses be monitored by a health care professional.

Dr. Whitaker believes the effectiveness of CoQ10 is enhanced when taken with some oil. For improved absorption of the nutrient, he recommends people take CoQ10 with a half teaspoon of sesame oil or almond butter.

Critical to the equation:

Energy is critical to our cells. Science now tells us, with out CoQ10 there is no energy and therefore there is no life. This critical nutrient may be the missing link to many health problems. Just as we need air to survive, our cells need energy to work. It's a critical component of the overall health equation:

CoQ10 = Energy = Life.

Reprinted with permission from Health Counselor, Vol. 6, No. 1.