CoEnzyme Q10 – helpful for smokers/COPD patients who exercise?

For those of you who are active nutritional supplement users or are considering adding nutritional supplements to your healthy living routine, one of the key nutrients you should learn about is a powerful antioxidant called CoEnzyme Q10 (or CoQ10 for short). This is especially true if you are engaged in an active exercise program or expect to start one in the near future.

So what is CoQ10? The authors of a recent research article examining CoQ10 and exercise summarized this nutrient as follows, "CoQ10 is a vitamin like, fat-soluble substance existing in all cells. It is intimately involved in several important roles in the body including the transferring of electrons within the mitochondrial oxidative respiratory chain and hence, ATP production; acting as an essential antioxidant and supporting the regeneration of other antioxidants; influencing the stability, fluidity and permeability of membranes; and, stimulating cell growth and inhibiting cell death." (Cooke M, et al. Effects of acute and 14-day coenzyme Q10 supplementation on exercise performance in both trained and untrained individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Mar 4; 5:8)

While there is scant research indicating that CoQ10 has strong efficacy among smokers or COPD patients, there is a significant amount of research supporting CoQ10's efficacy for those engaged in exercise programs and for people suffering from a range of maladies including congestive heart failure, hypertension and diabetes.

In addition, pulmonary medicine researchers continue to examine the benefit of antioxidants for smokers and COPD patients given that both populations experience higher levels of oxidative stress (meaning blood levels of antioxidants are depressed for smokers and COPD patients, most commonly as a direct result of the oxidants inhaled while smoking).

Indeed, in a 2008 research article, the study author introduced his study results by indicating, "Oxidative stress is intimately associated with the progression and exacerbation of COPD and therefore targeting oxidative stress with antioxidants or boosting the endogenous levels of antioxidants is likely to have beneficial outcome in the treatment of COPD." (Rahman I. Antioxidant therapeutic advances in COPD. Ther Adv Respir Dis. 2008 Dec; 2(6):351-74).

So while a number of researchers agree that taking supplemental antioxidants is likely indicated for smokers and COPD patients, there is considerable debate over what antioxidants to recommend and what dosages are appropriate and effective – and most studies on a range of antioxidants have been inconclusive. Our own view is that CoQ10 is an antioxidant worthy of your consideration based on two main factors:

1. While there is not a strong body of research on CoQ10 for smokers and COPD patients, there is notable prevalence of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes among COPD patients and smokers and CoQ10 has been shown to provide statistically significant benefits for people with these conditions. For example, the same authors of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition article referenced above state, "In CHF (congestive heart failure) patients, a disease characterized by lower than normal CoQ10 levels, CoQ10 supplementation has shown to improve stroke volume, ejection fraction and exercise capacity in several double-blind, placebo-controlled studies."

2. Regular exercise is a key treatment recommendation for COPD patients (and should be for smokers) and CoQ10 has been shown in numerous studies to reduce fatigue and improve exercise tolerance in healthy adults as well as those with heart disease and hypertension. As a 2008 study noted, "Oral administration of coenzyme Q10 improved subjective fatigue sensation and physical performance during fatigue-inducing workload trials and might prevent unfavorable conditions as a result of physical fatigue" (Mizuno K, et al. Antifatigue effects of coenzyme Q10 during physical fatigue. Nutrition. 2008 Apr; 24(4):293-9. Epub 2008 Feb 13).

So if you're a smoker or COPD patient engaged in an exercise program and you are open to the use of nutritional supplements, take a closer look at CoQ10. Most of the studies we examined for this article used daily dosage levels that ranged between 60mg – 200 mg with the most commonly used daily dosage level being 100 mg. Of course, before adding CoQ10 to your daily regimen, you should consult your doctor to ensure there are no counter-indications with medications you are currently taking.