CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Vol 23, No 3, April 2012
170
AFRICA
Your life and your heart
Complementary medicine is frequently
used by patients, particularly those
with chronic diseases such as at-risk
cardiovascular and diabetes patients.
A recent survey in Australia
1
showed
that almost 50% of diabetic patients are
accessing products such as cinnamon
and coenzyme Q10 to complete their oral
antidiabetic therapy.
Recently, the role of coenzyme Q10
as a useful adjuvant to reducing statin-
induced myalgia has been under the
spotlight. Dr Dirk Blom, University of
Cape Town Lipid Research Unit recently
noted that there was physiological support
for the role of coenzyme Q10 in reducing
statin-induced myalgia and evidence that
some patients benefit from the therapy.
A decrease in coenzyme Q10, a
product of the mevalonate pathway, could
contribute to statin-induced myopathy.
Other mechanisms include mitochondrial
dysfunction and genetic predisposition.
A recent double-blind, placebo-
controlled trial of coenzyme Q10
supplementation
2
hasshownthatinpatients
with left ventricular systolic dysfunction
(LVSD) (ejection fraction < 45%), eight
weeks of supplementation with coenzyme
Q10 improved mitochondrial function and
brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD).
The improvement in FMD correlated with
the change in mitochondrial function,
suggesting that coenzyme Q10 improved
endothelial function via reversal of
mitochondrial dysfunction in patients
with ischaemic LVSD.
The anti-oxidant value of coenzyme
Q10 has also been assessed in patients
with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
While outcome studies with anti-oxidants
such as vitamins C and E have been
disappointing, there is accumulating
evidence of vascular benefit, namely
improvements in glucose and blood
pressure levels and lipid metabolism.
3
J Aalbers
1.
Manya K, Champion B, Dunning T. The
use of complementary and alternative medi-
cine among people living with diabetes
in Sydney.
BMC Complement Altern Med
2012;
12
: 2.
2.
Dai YL, Luk TH, Yiu KH, Wang M, Yip PM,
et al.
Reversal of mitochondrial dysfunction
by coenzyme Q10 supplement improves
endothelial function in patients with ischae-
mic left ventricular systolic dysfunction: a
randomized controlled trial.
Atherosclerosis
2011;
216
(2): 395–401. Epub 2011 Feb 17.
3.
Shargorodsky M, Debby O, Matas Z,
Zimlichman R. Effect of long-term treat-
ment with antioxidants (vitamin C, Vitamin
E, coenzyme Q10 and selenium) on arterial
compliance, humoral factors and inflamma-
tory markers in patients with multiple cardi-
ovascular risk factors.
Nutr Metab (Lond)
2010;
7
: 55.
Coenzyme Q10, an anti-oxidant of value to reduce oxidative
stress; also useful to reduce statin-induced myalgia
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