Taking a cholesterol drug? Better take Co-Q10 also.

 

There have been some cases of muscular pain and weakness in patients taking current cholesterol lowering drugs. These side effectes must be reported to a physician. Why do these symptoms develop in some individuals? It is a fact that these drugs reduce levels of co-q10, a vital antioxidant needed for energy production in all cells.

In this study, the effects of simvastatin on oxidative stress resistance and the protective effects of coenzyme Q (CoQ) were investigated.

When simvastatin was administered orally to mice, the levels of oxidized and reduced CoQ(9) and CoQ(10) in serum, liver, and heart, decreased significantly when compared to those of control. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances induced by Fe(2+)-ascorbate in liver and heart mitochondria also increased significantly with simvastatin. Furthermore, cultured cardiac myocytes treated with simvastatin exhibited less resistance to oxidative stress, decreased time to the cessation of spontaneous beating in response to H(2)O(2) addition, and decreased responsiveness to electrical field stimulation.

These results suggested that oral administration of simvastatin suppresses the biosynthesis of CoQ, which shares the same biosynthesis pathway as cholesterol up to farnesyl pyrophosphate, thus compromising the physiological function of reduced CoQ, which possesses antioxidant activity.

However, these undesirable effects induced by simvastatin were alleviated by coadministering CoQ(10) with simvastatin to mice. Simvastatin also reduced the activity of NADPH-CoQ reductase, a biological enzyme that converts oxidized CoQ to the corresponding reduced CoQ, while CoQ(10) administration improved it. These findings may also support the efficacy of coadministering CoQ(10) with statins.      

 

For information about the MDR Co-Q10 supplement, click here.

 

SOURCE

J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2007 May;40(3):194-202