CoQ10 and Pycnogenol

JanH · ï¿½ #1 ï¿½ 07-19-2011, 09:20 AM

From Dr. Nan Kathryn Fuchsï¿½s Womenï¿½s Health e-mail newsletter, July 19th, 2011. Iï¿½ve taken CoQ10 as well as pycnogenol for years, but never had heard about this symbiotic or complementary action when taken together. Apparently I need to change the timing of taking them.

ï¿½How to make CoQ10 even more heart protective

CoQ10 is one of the best nutrients you can take for your heart. It keeps your heart strong by protecting the cellsï¿½ mitochondria (the cellsï¿½ energy-producing furnace). As good as it is, though, CoQ10 still canï¿½t reverse certain forms of heart disease all by itself. But a group of Italian researchers just found out what you can take with CoQ10 to help it lower high blood pressure.

The researchers discovered that when you take this nutrient with CoQ10, the combination strengthened the heart of 53 heart patients with mild to moderate hypertension. As you may know, hypertension is a strong predictor of heart failure. The researchers found that combining Pycnogenolï¿½ with CoQ10 increased blood volume output and improved physical fitness in these patients. The supplements also reduced their hypertension.

Pycnogenol is a patented extract made from the French maritime pine tree bark. Itï¿½s a recognized antioxidant that clinical studies say improves blood flow and reduces the stiffness in arteries that can lead to atherosclerosis. When itï¿½s combined with CoQ10, it becomes even more effective.

In this study, the researchers gave patients either a placebo or 15 mg of Pycnogenol with 50 mg of CoQ10 all at once in the morning after eating. At the end of three months, the group taking the supplements had a reduction in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Their physical abilities improved, as well. The supplemented patients could walk more than three times longer than the control group.

But thatï¿½s not all. The patients taking these two nutrients reported an overall improved quality of life. Their edema decreased and they needed less help and medical assistance than before.

Each of these supplements has passed stringent testing in dozens of studies for heart disease. However, this study shows that when you combine them, the effect becomes stronger ï¿½ just like the heart.

My favorite CoQ10, is the highly absorbable form Ubiquinol.ï¿½

saved1986 · ï¿½ #2 ï¿½ 07-19-2011, 09:52 AM

Great data Jan. I give both to my dad. 100 mg Pycnogenol and 200 mg of Co Q

Arrowwind09 · ï¿½ #3 ï¿½ 07-20-2011, 12:06 AM

And that study used only 15mg of pycogenol... a tiny dose. I take 150mg.. It does not have to come from the French Maritime to be effective

jfh · ï¿½ #4 ï¿½ 08-31-2011, 09:16 AM

You are right Jan. Here is confirming evidence about CoQ10 even without pycnogenol.

Quote:

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that occurs naturally in all parts of the body. The body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if there is too much cholesterol in the blood, it can stick to the walls of the arteries. This is called plaque. Plaque can the arteries or even block them. High levels of cholesterol in the blood can increase the risk of heart disease. Cholesterol levels tend to rise with age. There are usually no signs or symptoms that indicate high blood cholesterol, but it can be detected with a blood test. Chances of having high cholesterol would include if family members have it, being overweight or eating a lot of fatty foods.

Coenzyme Q10's benefits are due to the following two attributes. First, Co-Q10 is an important fat-soluble antioxidant that is uniquely able to protect the cells' energy producing machinery, known as mitochondria, from free radical damage. Second, coenzyme Q10 is necessary for the production of energy in all cells of the body.

A study published in the journal IUBMB Life investigated whether Co-Q10 supplementation could reduce cholesterol levels through gene expression patterns. The researchers recruited 53 healthy males with an average age of 30 and were randomly supplemented with the reduced form of Co-Q10 (ubiquinol, Q10H2) at 150 mg daily for two weeks. The results were a 4.8-fold increase in CoQ10 plasma levels after supplementation. Gene expression patterns involved in inflammation, cell death and cell differentiation was identified. A 12.7 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol levels was reported. ï¿½Q10H2 induces characteristic gene expression patterns, which are translated into reduced LDL cholesterol levels and altered parameters of [red blood cell production or] erythropoiesis in humans,ï¿½ the scientists concluded.

Schmelzer C, Niklowitz P, Okun JG, et al. Ubiquinol-induced gene expression signatures are translated into altered parameters of erythropoiesis and reduced low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in humans. IUBMB Life Jan2011;63(1):42-8.

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