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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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14.05.2014 |
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Q10 protects muscles against statins
According to websites of pharmaceutical companies, the statin atorvastatin 'occasionally' causes side effects such as 'muscle pain, joint pain, muscle weakness and muscle cramp'. 'Very occasionally' these side effects may be a sign of serious muscle damage. A Japanese animal study suggests that supplementation with the co-enzyme Q10 can make a positive difference in these cases.
Statins such as atorvastatin – the active ingredient in Pfizer's Lipitor – inhibit the enzyme HMG-CoA-reductase, thus reducing the synthesis of cholesterol in the body. The result is a considerable decrease especially in the amount of 'bad cholesterol' LDL in the body, and a dramatic reduction in the likelihood of having a heart attack. But because HMG-CoA is an important enzyme, statins inhibit a lot more too.
The theory that statins can reduce the production of Q10 in some people to dangerously low levels is not new. Merck developed the theory in the 1980s, and in 1989 filed a patent application for a medicine that contained Q10 and statins. [US 4929437 A]
But nevertheless... Theories are alright, but proof that confirms theories is even better. That's why we admire the animal study that Ayako Muraki of Keio University in Japan published recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Half of both groups of mice were also given Q10 in their drinking water. The human equivalent of the dose they used would be 200 mg ubiquinone per day. If you were to use a form of Q10 that is more easily absorbed the dose would be considerably lower.
After eight weeks the researchers got the mice to run to the point of exhaustion. Pravastatin had no effect on the mice's endurance capacity; atorvastatin did reduce the total running distance. Atorvastatin also reduced the amount of muscle mass, but the effect was not statistically significant.
Atorvastatin sabotages the work that the mitochondria do, and reduces the amount of Q10 the Japanese discovered.
In the mice that were given Q10 as well as atorvastatin there was almost no reduction in endurance capacity. The amount of Q10 in the muscles didn't decrease and the mitochondria activity level remained high.
"The findings of the present study provide the scientific and mechanistic basis for co-enzyme Q10 supplementation to statin users", the researchers conclude.
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