Coenzyme Q10 this substance believes that many middle-aged and elderly friends have heard, the market on the coenzyme Q10 related health care products are also emerging, if we pay attention to some related publicity, we will find that the "magical effect" of coenzyme Q10 has been publicized by the gods, protecting the heart, kidneys, liver health, antioxidant anti-aging, cancer prevention, treatment of migraines, improve the risk of statin adverse reactions, etc., as if with forty or fifty years old, do not supplement the point of coenzyme Q10, will affect the health of the same, but in fact For middle-aged and elderly friends, is Coenzyme Q10 really as magical as advertised? If you take a supplement, how can you choose a reasonable choice? Today's popular science article, let's talk to you about this topic.
Why should people take CoQ10?
Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring nutrient in the human body, the so-called coenzyme, refers to a kind of enzymes (mostly amino acids or proteins) in the body to maintain normal physiological function of the substance, coenzyme Q10 is mainly synthesized by the body naturally, but also in the blood food, from the physiological function, coenzyme Q10 has antioxidant, protect cells from damage, maintain cell division, promote cell aerobic respiration and aerobic metabolism, this substance is distributed in multiple organs of the body, including the heart, kidneys The highest content is found in the liver and pancreas, and the lowest in the lungs.
Although in the human body, CoQ10 does play an important role, but also to protect cells from oxidative free radical damage of important nutrients, but most healthy people naturally have sufficient CoQ10, without deliberately supplementing, scientific research shows that with age, and the impact of certain diseases or drugs, such as cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the level of CoQ10 in the body will decline, but in this case, additional supplementation of CoQ10, whether it will produce sufficient health benefits is uncertain.
Judging from the current relevant research results, taking CoQ10 may be beneficial for the improvement of the following physical health problems -
A small number of trials have studied the hypotensive effect of CoQ10, and the conclusions vary, ranging from a mild hypotensive effect to an ineffective one.
Coenzyme Q10 is also often used as a nutritional supplement for problems such as heart failure and coronary heart disease, and studies have shown that combined use with conventional drugs can help improve associated symptoms and reduce cardiac risk, but there are also studies that have demonstrated that CoQ10 has no beneficial effect on improving the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Statins cause elevated transaminases and the risk of adverse reactions to muscle pain, which is associated with possible cellular mitochondrial effects of statins, and preliminary evidence suggests that CoQ10 may help reduce the risk of adverse reactions to muscle pain caused by taking statins, but the same data remain insufficient and uncertain.
Preliminary research evidence suggests that CoQ10 may help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, but it does not play a role in preventing and preventing Alzheimer's disease, and this effect still needs to be supported by further research data.
In the process of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for cancer, relevant studies have proved that CoQ10 has a certain beneficial effect on preventing and improving the heart damage caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients, and there is also a certain potential immune enhancement effect.
CoQ10 may have an effect on the preventive treatment of migraines after taking it for a long time (usually several months), and there are also studies that have verified that CoQ10 improves cancer, AIDS, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, gum disease and other issues, but also does not come to a clear conclusion that it can help improve.
Through the above research data sharing, I believe that everyone should be able to understand that although CoQ10 is a very important substance for good health, but whether coenzyme Q10 can obtain real health benefits by supplementing CoQ10, the scientific community has not yet reached a clear consensus, the reason is actually related to CoQ10 is mainly naturally produced in the human body, rather than external intake, in addition, the molecular structure of CoQ10 is larger, even if it is made into a dietary supplement, the absorption rate of the human body is also very low, Usually only about 3% can be reached, so exogenous supplementation with CoQ10 may not be able to benefit the human body enough.
Coenzyme Q10 is a macromolecular organic compound
But it is undeniable that some friends in the process of taking CoQ10 for a long time, obtained certain health benefits, felt some health benefits from the heart and other aspects, the contradiction of the research evidence and the fact that some people eat effectively in daily life, and some people use ineffective facts to tell us: whether supplementing CoQ10 works, there is a large individual difference, some people may be very effective in long-term eating, and some friends may not benefit at all, so distinguish these two situations. It is very important to determine whether coenzyme Q10 supplementation is needed.
Coenzyme Q10 supplements are usually not cheap, and its health benefits and there is a certain degree of uncertainty, therefore, for the elderly whether they need to supplement CoQ10, we may wish to combine their own economic conditions and effectiveness after taking to evaluate and judge, if there is a condition to take, also willing to try, may wish to choose a regular product to eat and see, if you take it after finding that it is indeed beneficial to health, feel the obvious benefits, the body does not appear intolerant, you may wish to continue to supplement, And if you eat for 3 to 6 months, there is no obvious effect, and even friends who have some adverse reactions, there is no need to spend money, you must buy it for a long time.
Taking CoQ10, what dosage is appropriate to take?
At present, there is no relevant guideline to give a clear reasonable amount of supplements, in the relevant studies, for coenzyme Q10 daily supplements range from 50mg / day to 1200mg / day, and usually the typical daily dose is between 100mg and 200mg, if we want to take CoQ10 to supplement nutrition and protect good health, the daily dosage can refer to the label instructions of the corresponding product, and you can also choose to supplement 100mg or 200mg per day, which is usually safe, Daily supplements exceeding 400 mg are generally not recommended.
In addition to taking supplements, we can also obtain CoQ10 from some daily foods, but its content is often much lower than the amount of dietary supplements, friends who want to supplement CoQ10 through food supplements, meat, deep-sea fish (such as sardines, salmon, mackerel, etc.), animal liver, broccoli, cherries and other fruits and vegetables, as well as beans, vegetable oils contain a certain amount of CoQ10.
What are the risks of taking CoQ10?
Supplementation with CoQ10 in reasonable doses usually has a low risk of side effects and is generally mild, with common exceptions such as diarrhea, nausea, and heartburn.
Although CoQ10 is advertised to have beneficial effects on the heart, kidneys, and liver, people with severe psychological failure and severe hepatic and renal insufficiency should use this supplement with caution, and CoQ10 should also be used with caution if patients with a high risk of hypoglycemia and hypotension. In terms of medications, patients who are taking antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, or taking thyroid-related medications, should also use CoQ10 with caution so as not to cause risks due to mutual influence.
All in all, for CoQ10, although its important function in the human body is beyond doubt, for the question of whether it is necessary to take supplements, it should be comprehensively evaluated in combination with the actual situation and the effectiveness of actual use, in a word: CoQ10 is just a "icing on the cake" supplement, not a miracle drug that cures all diseases.