Coenzyme Q10 and Fenofibrate help lower blood pressure in diabetics
October
07,
2008
Researchers at the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia in Perth investigated the effects of the cholesterol lowering drug fenofibrate and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) on diastolic function, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) in type 2 diabetics with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD).
The scientists performed a randomized double-blinds study prescribing different combinations to 74 subjects; fenofibrate 160 mg daily, CoQ 200 mg daily, fenofibrate 160 mg plus CoQ 200 mg daily, or matching placebo for 6 months. Echocardiography (including tissue Doppler imaging) and 24-h BP and HR monitoring were performed pre- and post-intervention.
Fenofibrate and CoQ interactively lowered 24-h systolic blood pressure, with a prominent nighttime effect. Fenofibrate and CoQ both independently lowered 24-h diastolic blood pressure. Fenofibrate reduced 24-h HR. The study is published in the August 2008 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
Clinical trial; Coenzyme Q10 improves heart failure
Researchers at the Heart Failure Unit, St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney Australia investigated the effects of Coenzyme Q10 in patients with heart failure. This is because they note that Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation improves symptoms of heart failure and quality of life, and to reduce hospitalization in heart failure patients according to reports. They determined the effects of CoQ10 in patients with a New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or III heart failure due to ischemic or dilated cardiomyopathy who have been treated with ACE inhibitors but not beta-blockers.
Thirty-nine patients in NYHA Class II or III heart failure were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study supplementing with 150 mg/day of oral CoQ10 or placebo. Thirty-five patients completed the trial. After 3 months of therapy, the NYHA class in the CoQ10 group of 17 patients showed a significant improvement of 0.5 class compared with the placebo group of 18 patients. Specific Activities Scale class showed a significant (P = 0.004) improvement in the CoQ10 group, but no change in the placebo group. The patients in the CoQ10 group were able to physically perform in a walking test better than before supplementation but with no change in the placebo group. For the exercise test times the difference in increase in exercise time approached significance in favor of the CoQ10 group. There was a correlation between the increase in exercise time and the increase in serum CoQ10 levels. This pilot study accords with published data suggesting that CoQ10 therapy improves cardiac functional status in patients with moderately severe dilated cardiomyopathy receiving maximal non beta-blocker therapy. The study is published in the journal Heart, Lung and Circulation, 2003;12(3):135-41