Cholesterol Medicine Halves the Amount of Coenzyme Q10 in the Blood

August 16, 2004

Heart specialists normally shrug off the suggested recommendation that patients treated with cholesterol lowering drugs must take Coenzyme Q10. While it is common knowledge that such medicine interferes with the body’s ability to create Coenzyme Q10, and that Q10 is essential for life, conventional medical thinking still holds that supplementation is superfluous because of the belief that medical treatment is effective and increases life span!

Now this conventional thinking is being challenged by new studies showing that one of the most commonly used cholesterol lowering medicines not only decreases but actually halves the amount of Coenzyme Q10 in the blood. This was shown in a study sponsored by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, the company behind the drug atorvastatin (Zarator). Atorvastatin is one of the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Q10 is the well-known antioxidant, which is also necessary for the cells to produce energy. Q10 is produced in the organism, but it is also found in the diet, where beef, soy, mackerel, herring and sardines in particular are good sources. With age, the organism’s own production decreases, and the content of Q10 in the blood decreases.

The new study was conducted at Columbia University in New York at a center for patients with cerebral hemorrhage. Here, 34 patients had their Q10 levels in their blood measured before they were given atorvastatin. Just 14 days later, their Q10 levels in their blood had certainly decreased. After 30 days, it had been halved!

Even though no one noticed the change, it was so striking that the group behind the trial recommends routine supplementation with Q10 when treated with atorvastatin and other “statins.” This means that almost everyone who is being treated for high cholesterol is advised to take a supplement.

In a statement, it was said that the study explains the most common side effects of “statins”, namely muscle pain, muscle fatigue and reduced physical performance! Q10’s extensive lack of toxicity was highlighted as an additional reason to take it!

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Rundek T, Naini A, Sacco R, Coates K, DiMauro S. Atorvastatin decreases the coenzyme Q10 level in the blood of patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Arch Neurol. 2004;61(6):889-92.

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