CoQ10: why it's essential to heart health.(Wellness: supplements and functional foods)(coenzyme Q10)

Today, your heart will beat 100,000 times.

So what is the source of power for this most tender and valiant of muscles?

Well, first, it's got to be love, of course.

But for the more scientifically minded, here's an explanation: Inside each cell of your body is a microscopic energy factory that uses chemicals and electrical charges to keep all systems operating. One of the keys to the process is coenzyme Q10. While it's not fire only chemical required to produce energy, what makes CoQ10 unique is that it's the only coenzyme that's present in every single cell in the body. And it is found in the greatest concentration in the heart muscle.

Those facts have intrigued scientists ever since CoQ10 was discovered in 1957. A chemical found in such abundance in the body, they surmised, must carry significant healing properties. Because CoQ10 is such a basic source of energy, some advocates--doctors, nutritionists, body builders and cancer researchers--believe it is a miracle substance. Based on hundreds of studies conducted around the world, claims have been made that CoQ10 can be used to treat a wide variety of maladies: heart disease, gum disease, breast cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, migraines, high blood pressure, infertility in males, skin diseases, fibromyalgia and more. Some even claim it can enhance athletic performance.

Take with Statins

Here's one thing that's known for sure: Experts agree that CoQ10 should be used as a nutritional supplement by people who are taking medications for heart-related problems. Those drugs-statins that lower cholesterol and others that help control blood pressure-are known to block production of CoQ10, which can eventually lead to a decrease in muscle function.