Are you or someone you love taking statins?

For the past three years I have been advising patients who are prescribed a statin to lower their cholesterol, to supplement this with the essential nutrient Co-enzyme Q10. Statins are in the news again as the NHS debates whether to prescribe statins to all aged over 50. Whilst statins may do a great job of lowering cholesterol in people who cannot alter their levels through diet and exercise, they also deplete our body’s natural levels of Co-enzyme Q10 (or Co-Q10). C0-Q10 is responsible for 90% of our cellular energy and is a powerful antioxidant. It is needed for energy production by all body cells and especially in muscle, including the heart. When Co-Q10 levels are low, cells do not produce sufficient energy and function less well, becoming more prone to disease. Co-Q10 also helps to prevent liver and muscle damage which can be a rare consequence of statins. The body of an average 20 year old makes sufficient quantities of Co-Q10 but this slows considerably in the over 40’s. If a statin lowers your cholesterol by 40% it will also cut your Co-Q10 level by 40%.

In Canada, all statins now carry a warning that they may seriously deplete Co-Q10 levels in the body. In some parts of Northern Europe doctors regularly prescribe Co-Q10 alongside a statin. Indeed, the original patent of statins, Merck, suggested that statins should be given with Co-Q10 supplements to prevent muscle damage. This however was deemed to be too expensive to produce.

Although Co-Q10 is not a cheap supplement, I would urge anyone taking a statin to supplement it with Co-Q10.

I can order supplements for you delivered to your door at a competitive market price. Ask me for details.

This article by market leader Healthspan has more detail.