CoQ10, found everywhere there is human life, is a natural, fat-soluble nutrient that is vital to the production of ATP. Since the heart requires lots of ATP, CoQ10 is very important in maintaining a healthy heart because it improves the heart's pumping ability and blood circulation, increases tolerance to exercise, improves the heart's muscle tone, and protects heart tissue from free-radical damage. When individuals with heart disease take CoQ10, studies have shown that their symptoms improve quite dramatically. CoQ10 also helps the mitochondria throughout the body produce ATP, the energy rich compound used for all energy-requiring processes in the body, specifically in the brain. When formulated with certain ingredients, CoQ10 can cross the blood-brain barrier, an anatomical structure formed by the cells that make the blood vessels that provide blood to the brain, and enter the brain's mitochondria, allowing the brain cell's mitochondria to make large amounts of ATP. Because the CoQ10 molecule is large and inflexible, obtaining optimal absorption of CoQ10 is difficult. Although all CoQ10 supplements enter the bloodstream, only CoQ10 supplements with special formulations are able to enter the mitochondria and cross the blood-brain barrier. Because CoQ10 levels produced in the body may be insufficient to meet the body's requirements, it is important to take supplements.CoQ10 levels produced in the body decline with age due to dietary inadequacies and various diseases. When given to patients with Parkinson's disease, CoQ10 caused the patients to have smaller declines in function than those taking a placebo. By taking 1200 mg of CoQ10 daily, people suffering from Parkinson's disease were better able to feed and dress themselves, speak, walk, and bathe or shower by themselves and, therefore, maintained a greater independence for a longer time. Although CoQ10 supplementation is not a cure, it is the first intervention that slowed the progressive deterioration of function that is associated with Parkinson's disease. Similarly, some patients, randomly selected, with Huntington's disease were given CoQ10, while others were given a placebo. Those individuals who were receiving 600 mg of CoQ10 each day experienced some slowing in the disease progression. They were able to manage daily activities, such as meal preparation, housekeeping tasks, and personal care longer than those not on CoQ10, giving them approximately one more year of independence. They were also better able to focus their attention and less irritable. CoQ10 levels are greatly reduced in individuals who have Alzheimer's disease. When patients were given 60 mg of CoQ10 along with 150 mg of iron, 180 mg of vitamin B6 each day, all the patients continued to experience gradual decline, however, the decline was much slower and allowed the patients a few years of extended good health. ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, occurs when the nerve cells in the brain that control voluntarily movement gradually degenerate. Although investigation with CoQ10 in ALS patients is only beginning, a small clinical pilot trial showed that CoQ10 has a positive effect on those individuals suffering from the disease. It has not been proven that taking CoQ10 can prevent diseases. However, taking 100 to 200 mg of CoQ10 daily shows many health benefits. When looking for a CoQ10 supplement, use products with a strong clinical research record that have been proven to be safe, tolerable and effective in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. It should also be proven to be absorbed, enter the blood stream, cross the blood brain barrier and increase mitochondrial levels of CoQ10. If the product you are considering does not have evidence to support these points, keep looking, good products exist. Visit your local health food store to find CoQ10 in potencies of 100mg, 200mg, 400mg and 600mg per pill.
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