Coenzyme Q10 helps improve age-related hearing loss

Posted on June 26, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

A paper recently published in the journal Acta Oto-laryngologica gives evidence that coenzyme Q10 can actually improve presbycusis (age-related hearing loss).

“The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and applicability of a water-soluble formulation of CoQ10 (Q-TER®) in subjects with presbycusis.”

The study subjects were divided into three cohorts:

“Group A underwent therapy with Q-TER®, 160 mg, once a day for 30 days; group B underwent therapy with vitamin E (50 mg), once a day for 30 days; group C received placebo, once a day for 30 days. Before and at the end of the treatment, all patients underwent pure tone audiometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, otoacoustic products of distortion, auditory brainstem response, and speech audiometry.”

As expected group C showed now change. Compared to the vitamin E group, the coenzyme group A…

“…showed a significant improvement of the air and bone thresholds at the 1000 (14/20 vs 9/20), 2000 (14/20 vs 7/20), 4000 (15/20 vs 6/20), and 8000 Hz (13/20 vs 5/20).”

There are a number of other potential benefits from taking coenzyme Q10. This evidence suggests it may be well worth trying for age-related hearing loss.

Coenzyme Q10 helps prevent cataracts

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

An important study was just published in the journal Acta Ophthalmologica about cataract prevention. As the authors note:

“Cataract is one of the most prevalent eye disease and a major cause for legal blindness in the world.”

Key causes of cataracts are cumulative light exposure and apoptotic (“programmed”) lens cell death. The authors set out to investigate…

“…possible protective effects of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) regarding light-induced stress and apoptotic cell death in human lens epithelial cells (LEC).”

Human lens cells were exposed to white light, one batch pre-incubated with CoQ10 and one not. Afterward oxidative damage and cell death were measured. What did their data show?

“Phototoxic cell death and apoptosis…was significantly reduced, when cells were pre-incubated with CoQ10.”

The authors conclude:

“In this study, CoQ10 significantly reduced light-induced LEC-damage and attenuated phototoxic effects… Therefore, CoQ10 supplementation might also be useful in preventing LEC death and consecutive cataract formation in vivo.”

Major depression and low Coenzyme Q10

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

Neuroendocrinology Letters Brain inflammation and oxidative stress are important aspects of the biological component of major depression. The authors of this interesting paper recently published in the journal Neuro Endocrinology Letters state that “There is now evidence that major depression is accompanied by an induction of inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress (IO&NS) pathways and by a lowered antioxidant status. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a strong antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory effects.” They go on to report “We found that plasma CoQ10 was significantly (p=0.0002) lower in depressed patients than in normal controls,” and note a particularly strong correlation in those with treatment resistant depression (TRD) or chronic fatigue (CFS). They find “The results show that lower CoQ10 plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression and in particular in TRD and CFS accompanying depression.” Interestingly, they conclude with an observation that links the cholesterol lowering statin drugs to the risk of depression: “Since statins significantly lower plasma CoQ10, depressed patients and in particular those with TRD and CFS represent populations at risk to statin treatment.”