With more than 8,000 people in the US turning 60 every day, the growing list of ways that CoQ10 benefits Babyboomers is getting a lot of attention.
Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance that is essential to the production of energy at a cellular level. It is present in every cell in the body, but the older we get the less we produce. Over the last decade, medical research has shown that there is a direct correlation between levels of this important substance and many of the problems associated with aging, including heart failure, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and more.
Antioxidant for Anti-Aging
Many of CoQ10’s benefits can be attributed to the fact that it’s a powerful antioxidant and actually repairs and reverses the cellular damage done by destructive compounds that interfere with healthy cellular metabolism. These compounds, known as free radicals, are unstable atoms formed during the oxidative process when oxygen interacts with other materials. Free radicals attempt to correct their instability by scavenging other molecules, and in the process they damage cells.
Cellular damage by free radicals plays a major role in the aging process. It is believed that oxidation damage accumulates throughout life and research has shown that many of the general health and fitness declines associated with aging show a positive response to antioxidants.
Direct ties to heart health, cardiovascular function
The incidence of heart disease, the number one killer all over the world, is known to increase with age. Research throughout the US and Europe has clearly demonstrated that there is a correlation between coenzyme levels and heart health, and it is used with successful results as an adjuvant therapy for patients with heart disease, who have suffered heart failure, or who are recovering from heart surgery.
Possible relationship to other aging-related disorders
Coenzyme Q10 has been shown to be an important factor in brain health and cognitive abilities, especially as related to aging. It is also being tested for effectiveness in preventing or treating macular degeneration, adult-onset diabetes, prostate cancer, and a host of other age-related problems. It is even known to work against skin aging, and in fact, in Europe, it’s better known as an anti-aging skin treatment than a dietary supplement.
Possible cure for Alzheimer’s?
One of the coenzyme’s most exciting possibilities is its potential as an antioxidant treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, a dreaded aging-related disorder that is currently the number seven causes of death in the US. A 2006 study by Johns Hopkins University demonstrated a clear relationship between supplementation of the coenzyme and improvement in the kind of cognitive impairments Alzheimer’s creates.
The study used groups of animals with Alzheimer’s-like brain damage. The group that got no supplementation showed rapid cognitive deterioration, but the group that got daily supplements showed no signs of neurological dysfunction and remained cognitively as competent as animals with no brain damage.
The Johns Hopkins researchers said CoQ10 benefits include prevention against Alzheimer’s-like cognitive dysfunction, concluding that supplementation of the coenzyme improves learning and memory deficits, possibly by inhibiting oxidative stress.
