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May 9, 2003 Statin Drugs and CoQ10
In this month’s newsletter, we will be looking at the Statin drugs and the supplement CoQ10. We will be playing around with the format for the next few months to see what fits us best, so please bear with us. Before reading this you might want to read our disclaimer. If you have questions or comments about the newsletter please feel free to contact us. If there are subjects you would like addressed, please feel free to make suggestions. In this months issue:
Longevity Study: A study conducted by the researchers at Yale and Miami universities and reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 83, No. 2) indicated that individuals that held a more positive outlook or good feelings about aging some 23 years earlier, lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those with a less positive attitude. Quotes of the Month: But I say unto you, "That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love, this is
the eternal rule.
With cholesterol levels constantly on the rise, drugs such as Baycol®, Lescol®, Lipitor®, Mevachor®, Provachol®, and Zocor® are being taken by millions of Americans on a daily basis to control their cholesterol and cut the risk of heart disease. This doesn’t even take into consideration the rest of the world. Baycol was taken off the market in August of 2001 voluntarily by the Bayer Company, but the rest of the statin drugs are still out there. These drugs block the production of cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase in the early stages of its synthesis. The pathway where HMG-CoA is synthesized is shared by CoQ10. So by inhibiting this enzyme from being synthesized, the synthesis of CoQ10 is also inhibited. This action alone could predispose these people to heart disease by lowering their CoQ10 levels. While these drugs are considered by the pharmaceutical and medical fields to be safe, some of the side effects include liver dysfunction, muscle myopathy (muscle weakness, wasting, and changes within the muscle cells), skeletal muscle myopathy, and acute renal failure (For a more comprehensive list of side effects, The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs is an inexpensive source of information and can be obtained in your local bookstore for between $6.00 and $8.00 in US currency). Myopathy could be associated with the reduction of CoQ10 levels in the body. This CoQ10 "deficiency" in muscle cell mitochondria disturbs normal cellular respiration and can cause such effects as rhabdomyolysis (an acute, sometimes fatal disease marked by the destruction of skeletal muscle), exercise intolerance, and recurrent myoglobinuria (myoglobin in the urine). Myoglobin is an iron-containing protein found in muscle cells that store oxygen for use in cell respiration. It should be noted here, that CoQ10 does not interfere with the important function of the statin drugs; that being the lowering of cholesterol levels. Not necessarily agreeing with the use of stain drugs, but understanding why they are used, a bigger question comes to mind. And that is, Why would a drug company that holds patents on the combination of statin drugs and the supplement CoQ10, that were issued over 10 years ago, and knows that combining these substances would be more beneficial to those taking the statin drugs, never implement this combination or educate doctors of this news? Or something even simpler, why couldn’t they call a press conference and make the news public knowledge? These patents were issued in May and June of 1990 to one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies and the producer of the second largest selling statin drug. These patents can be viewed at the official United States Patent and Trademark Office website. The patent numbers are 4,933,165 and 4,929,437. If you happen to be one of the millions taking these drugs, Dr. Julian Whittaker suggests supplementing 100-200mg of CoQ10 per day to reduce the risk of Statin-induced myopathies which include cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. References: Life Extension Magazine, May 2003, pg. 26 Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, F. A. Daris Company, Philadelphia. 1997 The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs: Pocket Books, New York, NY: 2002
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like substance that can be found in all parts of the body. Vitamins being defined as organic compounds essential in minute amounts for normal body function, acting as coenzymes or precursors to coenzymes. They are naturally present in a large variety of foods and are synthesized in all body tissue. Its actions resemble those of vitamin E and it may be an even more powerful antioxidant. CoQ10 is naturally occurring in small amounts in a wide variety of foods, but it is particularly high in organ meats such as heart, liver and kidney, as well as in beef, soy oil, sardines, mackerel, and peanuts. To give you an idea of what you would have to eat to obtain 30mg of CoQ10, imagine eating one pound of sardines, two pounds of beef, or two and one half pounds of peanuts. Normal levels are maintained in the body by both dietary intake and CoQ10 synthesis performed by the body. There are no known side effects or toxicity with coenzyme Q10. Cardiovascular System Studies in Japan, Europe, and the United States have shown the effectiveness of CoQ10 in congestive heart failure, angina, ischemic heart disease (a state caused by lack of oxygen to tissue cells), and myocardial infarction. CoQ10 levels decline with age. By the age of 80, CoQ10 levels are half that of a 20 year old. According to Peter H. Langsjoen, M.D. "Supplemental CoQ10 alters the natural history of cardiovascular illnesses and has the potential for prevention of cardiovascular disease through the inhibition of LDL cholesterol oxidation and by the maintenance of optimal cellular and mitochondrial function throughout the ravages of time and internal and external stresses."
A six year study done at the University of Texas found that congestive heart failure patients who included CoQ10 as part of their regime in addition to their regular therapy stood a 75% better chance of survival after 3 years, compared to those who didn’t with a 25% chance of survival using conventional therapy on its own. In other studies done by the Center for Adult Diseases in Japan and the University of Texas, CoQ10 was shown to reduce high blood pressure without any other changes in routine. In Japan there are a reported 12 million people taking CoQ10 for heart disease, high blood pressure, and as an immune system enhancer. Other studies in Japan indicate that CoQ10 protects the stomach lining and the duodenum and that it may also help heal duodenal ulcers. Even more research indicates that CoQ10 can be used to block histamine, so it would be useful for those with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems. It also preserves the antioxidant action of vitamin C and may help prevent atherosclerosis. Taken orally, CoQ10 goes directly to the mitochondria. Here it regulates the oxidation of fats and sugars into energy. This is important because, as stated earlier, CoQ10 levels decline with age. References: Prescription for Nutritional Healing 3rd Edition; Phyllis Balch, CNC and James Balch, MD: Avery, a member of Penguin Putnum, Inc.; New York: 2000 Life Extension Magazine; pg. 20 April, 2000 The Mosby Medical Encyclopedia; Plume-published by the Penguin group: 1992
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