Co-Q10, G/C show benefits in common diseases

Drug Store News,  June 23, 2008  

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Coenzyme Q10, a supplement that helps improve heart health, is a vitamin-like compound found in abundance in the heart, liver, kidney and pancreas cells, said Roberta Lee, medical director of the Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center. Further, the compound is depleted with the use of statins, and that depletion increases with a correlated increased dosage of any statin. "The [core] of where co-Q10 may be useful is in complex medical conditions," she said, which, for the retailer, may mean providing additional education to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians so that they are better able to communicate the benefit of supplementing with co-Q10 to their customers.

Glucosamine coupled with chondroitin assists in joint health, she said, and there is some evidence that glucosamine/chondroitin helps relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis. There are basically three forms of glucosamine on the market, Lee noted: glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine sulfate and n-acetyl glucosamine. All three appear to be equally active, she said, "but most of the research looking at the [unit] of joint disease have used glucosamine sulfate."

Specifically, glucosamine is required for the synthesis of tendons, ligaments, synovial fluid, mucus membranes, structures of the eye, blood vessels and heart valves, as well as cartilage.

Appropriate dosing of Co-Q10
per disease state

Disease                         Dosage
state                          (mg/day)

Congestive heart failure          100
Other cardiovascular events     100-200
Hypertension                    120-200
Huntington's disease          1,200-2,400
Parkinson's disease           1,200-2,400
Migraine prevention               300
Use with statins                100-200

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