Coenzyme Q10, a nutritional supplement taken by patients with congestive cardiac failure (CCF), has no effect on improving or relieving symptoms, a study from the US has shown.
Presenting at the 72nd annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 10, Dr Stephen Gottlieb (associate professor of medicine, University of Maryland school of medicine) described how he performed a double-blind study on 46 patients with moderate-to-severe CCF. They were given either coenzyme Q10 or placebo for six months, in addition to their usual treatment. At the end of the study there was no difference in heart function between the two groups and the supplement had had no effect on symptoms, he said.
Coenzyme Q10 is a nutritional supplement that is sold over-the-counter in health food shops and some pharmacies. As well as a suggested role in cardiovascular disease, it is claimed to have a protective effect against cancer and to be beneficial in gingivitis.