CoQ10 - What Is It and Why Take It?
05/01/2017
Another great supplement recommended by my Sutter cardiologist during my recent hospital "vacation"was CoQ-10. This is not one that I have taken in the past with any regularity - as I thought heart disease would be the very last thing that I would ever have to suffer through. Not so!
What is CoQ-10? It is a co-enzyme (a substance that assists other enzymes with critical body processes) and an antioxidant; your body uses it to produce energy and it is found in every cell you have! Think of it as a little mini generator inside your cells, without it, your cells couldn't do their jobs. If you are on statin drugs to control cholesterol (and I now have been added to the many who have to take them), you should supplement with CoQ-10 as these drugs reduce the amount of natural CoQ-10 in your body by blocking their synthesis. CoQ-10 levels also decrease with age.
The cardiologist recommended that I visit Dr. Weil's website to learn more about these supplements. Per Dr. Weil, CoQ-10 helps you have a healthy heart in several ways. It supports blood vessel wall health, overall heart muscle health, overall circulatory health, and assists in maintaining the normal oxidative state of LDL cholesterol. It also may help with migraines, and of all things, sperm motility. It shows promise in the treatment of high blood pressure as well. Dr. Weil recommends 90 to 120 mg of CoQ-10 if you have heart issues or are on statin drugs.
How can you get it from food? CoQ-10 is found in its heaviest concentration in heart tissue (gnaw on those giblets!), but can also be gotten from sesame oil, canola oil, beef, chicken, herring, rainbow trout, broccoli, and cauliflower.
If you take supplements, it is best to take them with food as CoQ-10 requires oil for absorption.