By: Thomas Pickering, MD, DPhil, FRCP, Director of Integrative and Behavioral Cardiology Program
of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.
Coenzyme Q10 is a dietary supplement that is widely available in health food stores. It is a naturally occurring substance that is present in all tissues. It is also called Ubiquinone10, a name that was chosen because it is ubiquitous. It acts to help the mitochondria, small particles inside the cells, manufacture proteins. It is also an antioxidant and free radical scavenger.
Although our bodies make coenzyme Q10, the blood levels have been found to be low in hypertension and in people who smoke. There is some evidence that it lowers blood pressure, and also that it may help people who have coronary heart disease. This evidence is not yet strong enough, however, for organizations such as the American Heart Association to recommend its routine use.
