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Recent Developments in the Role of Coenzyme Q10 for Coronary Heart Disease: a Systematic Review

  • Coronary Heart Disease (S. Virani and S. Naderi, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Atherosclerosis Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review examines recent randomized clinical trials evaluating the role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in the management of coronary heart disease.

Recent Findings

CoQ10 is one of the most commonly used dietary supplements in the USA. Due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, CoQ10 has been studied extensively for possible use in managing coronary heart disease. One of the most common applications of CoQ10 is to mitigate statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) based on the theory that SAMS are caused by statin depletion of CoQ10 in the muscle. Although previous studies of CoQ10 for SAMS have produced mixed results, CoQ10 appears to be safe. Because CoQ10 is a cofactor in the generation of adenosine triphosphate, supplementation has also recently been studied in patients with heart failure, which is inherently an energy deprived state. The Q-SYMBIO trial found that CoQ10 supplementation in patients with heart failure not only improved functional capacity, but also significantly reduced cardiovascular events and mortality. Despite these positive findings, a larger prospective trial is warranted to support routine use of CoQ10. Less impressive are the effects of CoQ10 on specific cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and glycemic control.

Summary

Current evidence does not support routine use of CoQ10 in patients with coronary heart disease. Additional studies are warranted to fully determine the benefit of CoQ10 in patients with heart failure before including it in guideline-directed medical therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Science, VCU School of Pharmacy, 1112 E. Clay St., Box 980533, Richmond, VA, 23298-0533, USA

    Jessica Ayers, Jamie Cook, Evan M. Sisson & Dave L. Dixon

  2. Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, VCU Libraries, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Rachel A. Koenig

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  1. Jessica Ayers
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Correspondence to Dave L. Dixon.

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Jessica Ayers, Jamie Cook, Rachel A. Koenig, Evan M. Sisson, and Dave L. Dixon declare no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Coronary Heart Disease

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Ayers, J., Cook, J., Koenig, R.A. et al. Recent Developments in the Role of Coenzyme Q10 for Coronary Heart Disease: a Systematic Review. Curr Atheroscler Rep 20, 29 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-018-0730-1

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