Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

SheltieLover

(57,073 posts)
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 08:51 AM Nov 2022

Coenzyme Q10 helped woman lower blood pressure, blood sugar

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/renew-houston/article/Coenzyme-Q10-helped-woman-lower-blood-pressure-17611149.php

Q: I recently started taking CoQ10 at my daughter’s suggestion. (Her doctor is also a naturopath.) To my surprise, my home blood pressure readings, which had been in the 160/80 range, dropped to 130/80 or lower almost immediately. In addition, my daily blood sugar readings are lower without any change in diet.

My primary care provider has never objected to any of my supplements, which include a multivitamin for women over age 50, krill oil, vitamin B complex, garlic, tart cherry extract and aloe vera capsules. In addition to low thyroid and high blood pressure, I have chronic kidney disease, diabetes and gout. All of these developed after I took prescribed “preventive” statin drugs at age 55.

Snip

A: Your fascinating testimonial sent us to the medical literature. There we found research confirming that Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) can lower blood pressure in people with cardiometabolic disorders (Advances in Nutrition, Sept. 20, 2022).

We were somewhat surprised to find that CoQ10 supplements can also assist in blood sugar control and lower triglycerides in Type 2 diabetes (International Journal of Endocrinology, Sept. 16, 2018).

Interesting! Please check with your medical provider before beginning any new supplements. The article states CoQ10 is contraindicated for those taking blood thinners.

More at link.
29 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Coenzyme Q10 helped woman lower blood pressure, blood sugar (Original Post) SheltieLover Nov 2022 OP
Anybody who's on statins should be taking COQ10. tanyev Nov 2022 #1
This. Nearly everyone I know is on statins, but most don't know about COQ10. Midnight Writer Nov 2022 #14
Any doctor who would recommend a statin to me is FIRED on the spot. Grasswire2 Jan 2023 #20
My new dr just did and I never went back womanofthehills Jan 2023 #22
Amount -- how much of which type is recommended? jollyseas Jan 2023 #24
I don't think there are any consistent recommendations out there. tanyev Jan 2023 #25
I get the liquid Co10 from Costco and it is 100mg for 2 teaspoons I take one a day. Maraya1969 Jan 2023 #26
Statins also keep the body from converting vit K1 to K2 womanofthehills Feb 2023 #29
Coq10 is a wonderful supplement Quakerfriend Nov 2022 #2
I don't take blood thinners but I do take Baitball Blogger Nov 2022 #3
Yes, my doc told me tumeric is a blood thinner. lark Nov 2022 #5
Fascinating and matches slightly w my nick & scrape experience. Turmeric great for cognitive too. Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2022 #7
Hmm, maybe I should add it back into the mix? lark Nov 2022 #8
Began taking it after suffering a knee injury. Seriously doubted it would help, but two weeks later allegorical oracle Nov 2022 #11
Nattokinase is the supplement of the yr on the forums womanofthehills Jan 2023 #23
I wonder if 81mg of aspirin counts as a blood thinner. nt Gore1FL Nov 2022 #4
Probably PatSeg Nov 2022 #9
Aspirin, absolutely, is a blood thinner, as is ibuprofen. I used to take ibuprofen Texin Nov 2022 #13
Thank you so much Oppaloopa Nov 2022 #6
Oh yes, CoQ10 is incredible PatSeg Nov 2022 #10
SheltieLover.......... Upthevibe Nov 2022 #12
More info on Co Q-10... mitch96 Nov 2022 #15
Thanks for the link. Delmette2.0 Nov 2022 #17
From what I have read COQ10 has low toxicity...just don't eat the whole bottle at once 😁 mitch96 Nov 2022 #19
K & R Duppers Nov 2022 #16
I have had the best luck in lowering my blood pressure with natto & olive leaf extract womanofthehills Nov 2022 #18
Let's take the word of a top cardiologist. Grasswire2 Jan 2023 #21
I've taken it on and off for a long time. Years ago I adopted an older beagle Maraya1969 Jan 2023 #27
That is awesome! SheltieLover Jan 2023 #28

tanyev

(42,554 posts)
1. Anybody who's on statins should be taking COQ10.
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 09:53 AM
Nov 2022

Or Ubiquinol which is a more absorbable, but also more expensive, form of COQ10. As the article at the link says, statins lower COQ10 levels in the body. We learned this, not from the doctor who prescribed the statin for my husband, but our dentist several months later when my husband mentioned that he seemed to be biting the inside of his mouth a lot while eating. Dentist’s first question: Have you started taking a statin recently? Hubby started taking COQ10 and noticed an improvement pretty quickly.

womanofthehills

(8,703 posts)
22. My new dr just did and I never went back
Fri Jan 13, 2023, 09:04 PM
Jan 2023

So there is a Japanese study of over 12,000 people (followed because they have national health care) - those with total cholesterol between 220 and 240 lived the longest.

It’s so easy to lower your cholesterol with flush niacin anyway.

So, I would say 100% of my older friends have cholesterol of 220 to 240. This is normal for older people in Japan, but not here. The new local physicians assistant has everyone on statins which already messed up one friend’s liver and another one’s mind. All the women in my book club are college grads, but non statin taking me seems to have a way better memory. Shit, most of them don’t even remember the names of the main characters in the books. Older minds need more cholesterol to function well.

jollyseas

(6 posts)
24. Amount -- how much of which type is recommended?
Mon Jan 16, 2023, 05:11 PM
Jan 2023

I'm not seeing recommendations of how much and which type should be taken to offset the effects of statins.

tanyev

(42,554 posts)
25. I don't think there are any consistent recommendations out there.
Mon Jan 16, 2023, 07:47 PM
Jan 2023

My husband is on 20 mg of a statin. He takes two 100 mg capsules of ubiquinol daily. He started by taking only one capsule and decided to try going up to two and he felt that was even more effective for him. It probably varies per individual and how healthy someone’s diet is.

Maraya1969

(22,479 posts)
26. I get the liquid Co10 from Costco and it is 100mg for 2 teaspoons I take one a day.
Tue Jan 17, 2023, 01:38 PM
Jan 2023

I guess I feel like the liquid is easier absorbed but I may be wrong.

womanofthehills

(8,703 posts)
29. Statins also keep the body from converting vit K1 to K2
Tue Feb 14, 2023, 06:53 PM
Feb 2023

K2 is needed for healthy arteries.

Lots of articles on diabetes being a side effect of statins. This happened to my friend. A warning of this side effect is now required.

The updated labels will also mention elevated levels of blood sugar, associated with diabetes, that have been reported in some patients taking statins. A growing number of studies published over the last five years have found a link between statin use and type 2 diabetes. Last June, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded the increased risk was small but real for people taking higher doses of any statin, HealthPop reported. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-adds-diabetes-memory-loss-warnings-to-statin-labels-cause-for-concern/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/278164

Quakerfriend

(5,450 posts)
2. Coq10 is a wonderful supplement
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 09:55 AM
Nov 2022

It enhances electron transport across the surface of mitochondria and this allows the heart muscle to contract fully- So, it can be very helpful to those with CHF.
Many cardiologists rec’d it to their patients.

Baitball Blogger

(46,705 posts)
3. I don't take blood thinners but I do take
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 10:16 AM
Nov 2022

Turmeric. Recently I noticed that a small cut had trouble clotting. Is it possible that turmeric might act like a blood thinner?

lark

(23,099 posts)
5. Yes, my doc told me tumeric is a blood thinner.
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 10:38 AM
Nov 2022

He told me to discontinue it for 2 weeks prior to surgery, same with St. Johns Wort.

Bernardo de La Paz

(49,001 posts)
7. Fascinating and matches slightly w my nick & scrape experience. Turmeric great for cognitive too.
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 10:43 AM
Nov 2022

Turmeric is great for maintaining cognitive ability. Rates of dementia are lower in India, where turmeric is much more consumed and widely consumed.

allegorical oracle

(2,357 posts)
11. Began taking it after suffering a knee injury. Seriously doubted it would help, but two weeks later
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 11:09 AM
Nov 2022

the pain was gone and I was able to stop babying that leg. Had done nothing else different, just Tumeric. My doc (who's a wise guy, anyway) told me was probably just the placebo effect. Well, maybe it is, but that's OK.

womanofthehills

(8,703 posts)
23. Nattokinase is the supplement of the yr on the forums
Fri Jan 13, 2023, 09:07 PM
Jan 2023

Thins the blood so it’s good for blood pressure and mini clots. Many Long Covid people take it.

PatSeg

(47,427 posts)
9. Probably
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 10:59 AM
Nov 2022

Aspirin is known to thin the blood. When I take it, I bleed more easily. Not nearly as bad as Cumidin however.

Texin

(2,596 posts)
13. Aspirin, absolutely, is a blood thinner, as is ibuprofen. I used to take ibuprofen
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 11:50 AM
Nov 2022

routinely for a back injury and for the arthritic pain in my thumbs. Whelp, it led to a stomach ulcer that led me to a 2-day hospitalization a couple of years ago (along with receiving a 2-litre blood transfusion). I haven't had an aspirin or an ibuprofen since. I use acetaminophen occasionally and I limit them to 2 tabs only.

Upthevibe

(8,046 posts)
12. SheltieLover..........
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 11:32 AM
Nov 2022

Thank you for this post.

I've always heard great things. I, at 65 y.o., should probably start taking this supplement.

Delmette2.0

(4,165 posts)
17. Thanks for the link.
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 09:07 PM
Nov 2022

I found out that there is a podcast under the same name.
I want to listen to a few to see if they seems reasonable.

womanofthehills

(8,703 posts)
18. I have had the best luck in lowering my blood pressure with natto & olive leaf extract
Sun Nov 27, 2022, 10:38 PM
Nov 2022

I already take magnesium/potassium, l’arginine, alpha lipoic acid & occasionally CoQ10 and cats claw for blood pressure but decided to try a blood thinner like natto kinase - and it and olive leaf extract are doing the trick for me after yrs of having borderline blood pressure.

Snake venon lowers blood pressure. The only time I had low blood pressure in my life was when I was bitten by a rattler. It actually thins your blood so well - I had to go for blood draws every few days for a month.

For cholesterol, I’ve had good results with time release niacin. Dropped my cholesterol big time. I try to take one in the morning & one at night - but I take so many vitamins, I sometimes eliminate morning one.

Grasswire2

(13,569 posts)
21. Let's take the word of a top cardiologist.
Sun Jan 8, 2023, 02:44 PM
Jan 2023

Dr. Stephen Sinatra, acclaimed integrative and preventive cardiologist, highly credentialed. (He recently died of pancreatic cancer, but his work on preventive cardiology has helped many, including me.)

His first recommendation is what he termed the "Awesome Foursome"

CoQ10
Magnesium (broad spectrum)
Acetyl L-Carnitine
D-Ribose.

The purpose of these is to drive energy to the heart muscle. I started following his recommendations twelve years ago and am exceptionally healthy in that regard.

https://heartmdinstitute.com/diet-nutrition/the-awesome-foursome/

Maraya1969

(22,479 posts)
27. I've taken it on and off for a long time. Years ago I adopted an older beagle
Tue Jan 17, 2023, 01:59 PM
Jan 2023

who had a lot of medical problems, chronic ear infections being one of them. I decided to try the Co10 on him since a vet recommended it to another dog who had heart disease.

Anyway I gave him big doses for about a week and his ears cleared up!!!! They stayed good for a time but then they got bad again. But he was also very old.

Latest Discussions»Support Forums»Chronic Health Conditions Discussion and Support»Coenzyme Q10 helped woman...