Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Manufacturers increase CoQ10 production in response to increased demand by Parkinson’s and cardiovascular patients.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin-like substance used in the treatment of a variety of disorders primarily related to suboptimal cellular energy metabolism and oxidative injury.¹

Prices of CoQ10 supplements have skyrocketed recently because of increased demand and limited production capacity. The main surge in demand occurred as word got out that ‘statin’ drugs (used to decrease cholesterol in the blood) have a side effect of causing the depletion of CoQ10 throughout the body. Large numbers of cardiovascular patients began buying CoQ10 supplements.²

A second increase in CoQ10 usage has resulted from the discovery that Parkinson’s Disease patients have lower-than-normal levels of CoQ10, and that CoQ10 supplementation seems to protect the brain cells attacked by the disease.³

The supplement industry has not been slow to respond, however. Manufacturers have shifted production facilities to CoQ10 production where possible, and quickly made plans for new facilities to be built. For example, Kaneka Nutrients L.P., one of the world’s major supplement makers, recently announced plans to construct a new CoQ10 plant in Texas.⁴ There is hope, then that CoQ10 prices will return to normal — unless dramatic new benefits are discovered for the supplement.

References

[1]  Coenzyme Q10. Am Fam Physician. 2005 Sep 15;72(6):1065-70.

[2]  The clinical use of HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors and the associated depletion of coenzyme Q10. A review of animal and human publications. Biofactors. 2003;18(1-4):101-11.

[3]  Therapeutic role of coenzyme Q(10) in Parkinson’s disease. Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Jul;107(1):120-30. Epub 2005 Apr 21.

[4]  Kaneka completes CoQ10 expansion in Japan NutraIngredients website

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LifeLink carries CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) in 30 mg or 60 mg capsules.