ExRx.net

Anybody have any experience of this?

The reason I ask is my father has high blood pressure and sleep apnea , and I am looking for ways to combat this naturally, hopefully getting him off the statins he has to take.

It sounds like 300mg of Coq10 a day can make a pretty marked difference on high blood pressure.

Thoughts?

CoQ10 is supposed to protect the heart. It's found naturally in animal foods but statins and high blood pressure medicine can reduce it's effectiveness. This means that if he's not supplementing with it, he's probably deficient. Research is lacking, but if it was me, I'd be supplementing. Actually, I may start anyway since I have migranes once in a while.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

cool, thanks for that Stu.

do you think it's worthwhile for someone my age without any health problems to be taking it?

I can't say. My natural inclination is to avoid every supplement or medication unless you know for sure you need it. However, the downside risk appears small and the upside could be significant. Of course you really can't tell if it's doing anything for you.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

you make an interesting point there Stu.

The reason I am considering it is because my dad's got these heart issues despite not actually being particularly overweight (sure he could lose a few pounds, but the guy's 65...) and I wonder if adopting heart healthy habits at the age I am now would stop me ever needing to go on statins. I don't like the idea of statins.

I read a bit on mark's daily apple today that recommends 100mg/day for healthy individuals, and 200mg daily for those on statins. I'll suggest it to my dad, not that he ever pays attention to this kind of advice

that thinking is pretty much where I am. Used to take nothing and see my wife taking stuff for allergies, rosacia, prenatal, reflux, hair color, glasses. And she gets sick 10x more often than me


When I do take it, it's 100mg

I just take it after workouts, when I take some extra Fishoil.

Robert, if your dad has high blood pressure, the key thing is that he get it down. If taking CoQ10 or anything else delays him getting it into the healthy range, it is hurting him, not helping him.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

Andy, most of the internet sources I've seen suggest that CoQ10 can help enhance the effectiveness of some BP medications and that CoQ10 deficiency is common among those with hypertension, especially with those taking statins. Do you have information to the contrary that would suggest that CoQ10 would delay in getting the BP down? I know he needs a comprehensive medical approach and the CoQ10 should only be part of that.

Edit: Rereading your post, I'm assuming that you're concerned that the supplementation may take the place of definative medical attention. If that's your concern, I'm in full aggreement. My assumption was that he was already receiving that attention and that any supplementation would be in consultation with his doctor.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

oh yeah don't worry guys he's not taking my advice over that of his doctor! My dad just takes very little interest in his own health so I kinda feel it's up to me. Can be quite frustrating at times.

I had read that CoQ10 supplementation has been known to work wonders for heart health, particularly those who are on statins, which is why I have been doing some researching

Yeah, that was my concern. I've seen so many who say something like "I'd rather take 'natural' treatment for a while before I resort to medication.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

From Wikipedia: "However, there are still no conclusive data that support the role of CoQ10 deficiency in the pathogenesis of statin-related myopathy."
Any reliable sources to the contrary will be appreciated.

The statement immediately prior to that was "Some research suggests the logical option of supplementation with coenzyme Q10 as a routine adjunct to any treatment that may reduce endogenous production of coenzyme Q10, based on a balance of likely benefit against very small risk".

The way I read your quote is that CoQ10 deficiency may not be the only factor but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be proactive, especially given this: "Recently, CoQ10 plasma concentrations have been demonstrated as an independent predictor of mortality in chronic heart failure".

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

I've similar issues with my Dad Robert. He has Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (diagnosed at 49 and untreated until the below happened just before he turned 61) and I'm constantly on to him about his diet being as big, if not bigger, factor then his meds on his blood glucose/sugar levels. He also has heart problems secondary to the T2DM, he had a heart attack in 2010 when he was in the bush cutting himself fire wood, he was stealing it so instead of cutting it into manageable lengths he was cutting it 7' long then man handling it onto his Ute tray when he went all dizzy, his immediate first aide response: water cordial (sugary) and a cigarette! lol He managed to get himself to a GP who called an ambulance, he received a single stent and for the most part has been well since. However he is now on 12 different medication, all of which have their own health benefits and risks, and every time he saw his previous GP the only thing that would get checked was his BSL, if it was fine "See you next month!" if not "Lets change you diabetes meds!" I got him to see a new GP who specialised in this area (T2DM with associated heart issues) who would look at the whole picture, advise re: all meds and healthy eating, even got him to do a proper food diary and backed me up on his dietary needs (within gov't guidelines though, not how I'd fully prefer him to eat, but that's a whole other long winded post). Dad's health has improved somewhat since the doctor change as he trusts the new doctor a lot more, and so do I, which has boosted his confidence that what he needs to do is the right thing, which in turn increased his compliance with meds, diet and exercise across the board!

I haven't picked up on the CoQ10 relevance for dad in his statin use; I've only seen the med on the Paediatric ward I now work on being used for children with heart conditions who need statins. I may have to look into it further for both situations as it's treated somewhat like a vitamin supplement on the ward, rather than a necessity for those receiving statin treatment. I can see an in-service and yearly accreditation points in this for me! lol I'll get back to you with any new info not presented in this thread so far, if I find any at all!

Please do. I'm the same age as your father plus his diabetes and statins minus his heart attack (for the time being, that is). I feel that there should be some conclusive evidence about Q10 by now, having heard of it over 10 years ago, but I can't find anything other than "research suggests..." "some indication..." etc.

I tend to believe it does no harm, but it's rather expensive so I hesitate. Right now it seems to me that I use my money more efficiently by buying quality food and paying the gym fee, but for sure I might be wrong.

Interesting: http://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273(12)00593-1/abstract

hmmmm.