More and more doctors are prescribing more and more statins. Statins do their work by blocking the activity in the liver of the enzyme HMG-CoA, an enzyme that facilitates the synthesis of cholesterol.

Statins and Q10 - same biological pathway

Now we know, from several human and animal studies, that taking statins also inhibits an important step in the body's production of Coenzyme Q10. Dr. Richard Deichmann has summarized the studies that show that CoQ10 deficiency states can result from taking statins.

Taking statins has been associated with reduced levels of CoQ10 in blood serum and in muscle tissue. For example, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has shown that treatment with a statin preparation in a moderate dosage resulted in significantly reduced plasma levels of CoQ10.

Yes, statins are effective at lowering cholesterol levels. There is little doubt about that. But, in common with most prescription medications, statins do have side effects.

The Q-SYMBIO Study

Researchers in nine countries led by the , enrolled 420 patients in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial in which half of the patients were given a 100 mg capsule of Myoqinon Q10, three times daily, and half of the patients were given a placebo capsule, also three times daily.

The patients were all chronic heart failure patients classified as level III (with a marked limitation of physical activity) or level IV (with an inability to carry on any physical activity) in the New York Heart Association's classification scheme.

The age of the patients in years ranged from 50 to 74 years. Nearly all of the of the patients in the study were receiving and continued to receive the standard heart failure medications: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and beta-blockers.