COENZYME Q-10 DOES NOT INCREASE ENDURANCE
Report #7248
Athletes and regular exercisers are spending millions of dollars for coenzyme Q-10 supplements that are supposed to increase their endurance. A recent study from Australia shows that it doesn't (1).
Coenzyme Q-10 is made by your body and is found in the mitochondria of muscles and helps your body to use oxygen to power your muscles during exercise. Athletes who take coenzyme Q-10 pills have higher blood levels of that enzyme, but do not have greater endurance and do not increase their ability to take in and use oxygen (1,2). For coenzyme Q10 to increase endurance, it must get into the mitochondria, where it functions. Studies show that coenzyme Q10 from pills gets into the bloodstream, but it cannot be recovered in the cells (3).
The Food and Drug Administration doesn't believe that coenzyme Q10 pills do other things that are claimed for it: prevent heart attacks, allergies or cancers or prolong your life or make you a better lover (4). Reactions in your body produce chemicals called oxidants that damage cells and shorten life. To protect your cells from oxidant damage, your body produces antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase and coenzyme Q10. Since tissue levels of coenzyme Q10 drop with aging, it was tempting to think that reduced levels of this coenzyme cause aging. However, research shows that lowered levels are the result of aging rather than the cause because coenzyme Q10 is found in the mitochondria, the energy sources of cells. With aging, the number of mitochondria and size of cells become smaller, so everything in the mitochondria is reduced. Furthermore, coenzyme Q10 has been shown to be ineffective in treating heart attacks (5) and diseases affecting the mitochondria (6). Years ago, a researcher at the University of Texas showed that people who have arteriosclerotic heart disease have lower blood levels of coenzyme Q10 than people who have normal hearts. People with damaged hearts have less functioning heart muscle, so they should have lower levels of coenzyme Q10.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) Weston, S.B.; Zhou, S.; Weatherby, R.P.; Robson, S.J. Does exogenous coenzyme Q(10)
affect aerobic capacity in endurance athletes? International Journal of Sport Nutrition.
SEP 1997;7(3):197-206. 2) Porter DA et al. The effect of oral coenzyme Q10 on the exercise tolerance of
middle-aged, untrained men. International Journal of Sports Medicine
1995(Oct);16(7):421-427. 3) Zhang Y et al. Uptake of dietary coenzyme Q supplement is limited in rats. J. Nutr.
1995(Mar);125(3):446-453. 4) Nutrition News POB 55279 Riverside, Cal 92517. 1987 volume X, number 8. 5) Y Birnbaum, SL Hale, RA Kloner. The effect of coenzyme Q(10) on infarct size in a
rabbit model of ischemia/reperfusion. Cardiovascular Research 32: 5 (NOV 1996):861-868.
Conclusions: Coenzyme Q(10), administered acutely either during or 60 min before
myocardial ischemia, does not attenuate infarct size in the rabbit. 6) Mathews PM et al. Coenzyme Q10 with multiple vitamins is generally ineffective in
treatment of mitochondrial disease. Neurology. 1993(May);43(5):884-890.
Reported 10/9/97; Checked 9/5/05