Reports suggest that those with gum disease who took CoQ10 supplements found their gums healed faster. This is only one of the benefits of the miraculous Coenzyme Q10.
What is CoQ10?
CoQ10, the abbreviation for Coenzyme Q10, is necessary for the basic functioning of human cells, and the human body produces it. The antioxidant protects the heart and other vital organs from free radical damage, which can cause various diseases. Some studies suggest taking CoQ10 supplements can improve immune function, prevent heart attacks, help patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, lessen the damage from a stroke, hasten the healing for those with gum disease, treat kidney disease, and may be used as a treatment for other diseases.
The beneficial relation between CoQ10 and gum disease extends beyond periodontal diseases. CoQ10 levels decrease in the body with age, and some prescriptions possibly lower its levels. Patients with such diseases as Parkinson’s, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, AIDs, and muscular dystrophy suffer from low levels of Coenzyme Q10.
CoQ10 for Heart Conditions
The University of Maryland Medical Center in a report found CoQ10, when it is used as a supplement alone or combined with other drug therapies and supplements, may prevent many chronic diseases. The report was cited on natural-healing-health.com and on the official website of the University of Maryland Medical Center, umm.edu.
The report found that people who had a heart attack and began taking daily CoQ10 supplements within three days were less likely to have future chest pains or heart attacks. They were also less likely to die of the disease than those who did not take the supplements.
Medical researchers have often found that those who have had congestive heart failure have low levels of Coenzyme Q10. Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart, which is a large muscle, is not able to pump blood effectively because of fluid accumulation in the lungs. The University of Maryland Medical Study found several studies have reported CoQ10 can reduce this fluid accumulation, although not all studies agree the facts prove conclusive.
The study also noted other studies have found the supplement reduces high cholesterol and high blood pressure—two factors which are known to increase the risk of heart disease.
More Benefits of CoQ10
In addition to the benefits of CoQ10 for gum disease, the University of Maryland reported notes studies show CoQ10, combined with conventional treatment and other antioxidants, including vitamins E, C, selenium and essential fatty acids, may shrink tumors associated with breast cancer, as well as lessen pain, and even bring about partial remission in some women.
Partial studies suggest that possibly CoQ10 may improve the human immune function, aid those with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease, lessen the damage to the body of someone who has had a stroke, delay aging, boost an athlete’s performance, create healthy skin, create enhanced fertility by increasing sperm motility, increase a person’s tolerance for exercise, and help people in many other ways.
Doctor Mehmet C Oz, who has served as professor of surgery at Columbia University in New York City and was the health expert for the “Oprah Winfrey Show before staring in his own show, “The Doctor Oz Show,” believes in the benefits of CoQ10. He tells people older than 35 to take 100 mg of CoQ10 in the morning and 100 mg. in the afternoon. He says most people do not eat enough produce, and such supplements can help neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are organic molecules that cause aging, tissue damage, and some diseases. Doctor Oz says CoQ10 is an antioxidant that will help fight the effects of free radicals.
Although it has not reached definitive conclusions on using CoQ10 to treat or prevent a variety of diseases, the Mayo Clinic on its website, mayoclinic.com notes preliminary research suggests CoQ10 may be beneficial in helping prevent or treat a variety of illnesses. The facts may suggest such supplements could reduce angina and improve exercise tolerance in people with clogged arteries, may slow down, but not cure, dementia in people with Alzheimer’s, may help those with age-related macular degeneration, may lower blood pressure, and may benefit asthma patients, when added to other treatments. It also suggests supplements may improve the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, may reduce cocaine dependence when used with L-carnitine, may be used to treat kidney failure and migraine headaches, may improve the overall quality of life for those with muscular dystrophy, and may help those with various other diseases or conditions.
According to the natural-healing-health.com website, although more clinical trials may need to be done to conclusively prove the benefit of CoQ10 supplements, many doctors are uninformed about the research that has already been done. In addition, many companies that manufacture the supplement can’t financially afford to market what they make in the same way as pharmaceutical companies can market their medicine.
If doctors don’t consider recommending CoQ10 to their patients, informed patients, armed with facts they may have found through research, have the right to ask their physicians what they think of such supplements. Periodontal patients using CoQ10 for gum disease should be aware of the fact that this Coenzyme will lead to overall general health.