Research suggests that there may be benefits to taking CoQ10 supplements. However, the results are often mixed or have not proven useful. The following are some conditions that have been researched and have some supporting research.
May Help Treat Heart Failure
CoQ10 may help treat heart failure when used alongside conventional treatment. In fact, the authors of a review published in Circulation: Heart Failure concluded that CoQ10 is a relatively safe supplement that may enhance heart function in patients with heart failure.
Heart failure is a serious condition that occurs when the heart can’t pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs in your body, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with this condition may be more susceptible to the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species, unstable molecules that can cause damage to the heart cells, according to a review of studies. As an antioxidant, CoQ10 may help protect the heart from harm.
However, not all studies have shown a positive effect, and using CoQ10 for heart failure is somewhat controversial, warns the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
May Prevent Migraine Attacks
According to the American Headache SocietyCoQ10 is one of the most commonly used supplements to help prevent migraine. Research suggests that there may be something to this.
When compared with a placebo, CoQ10 shortened the duration of migraine attacks and reduced the number of total days with migraine symptoms per month in children and adults, per findings from a meta-analysis. A more recent meta-analysis found similar results and also discovered that CoQ10 helped improve nausea associated with migraine.
Yet the authors of both of those meta-analyses say that more studies of larger groups are needed to determine if and how CoQ10 might benefit people with migraine.
May Lower Blood Pressure
CoQ10 may help lower blood pressure, though the research is mixed.
For example, a review of 12 clinical trials revealed that CoQ10 has the potential to lower systolic blood pressure (the force your blood exerts against your artery walls with each heartbeat) in people with hypertension by up to 17 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (the force your blood exerts against your artery walls in between heartbeats) by 10 mmHg, with no significant side effects.
However, the authors of another review of studiesin people with high blood pressure (hypertension), concluded that CoQ10 doesn’t have a significant effect on blood pressure. The problem, they say, is that there aren’t many studies to review. They noted, though, that more research is needed.