Coenzyme Q-10 helps to avoid Elevated pressure and prevents excessive weight gain

High blood pressure

High blood pressure is sometimes called the "silent killer" as very few people take it with the seriousness which it deserves. This illness is not followed by such explicit symptoms as influenza, back pain or upset stomach. As a gradual development, the consequences of extended periods of high blood pressure often lead to the heart attack and blood vessel rupture.

To deal with high blood pressure there is a whole range of the pharmaceutical medicines available, a majority of which have significant side effects. These include allergic reactions, agitated sleep, decrease in libido and potency as well as other symptoms which are related to the activity of the central nervous system. In some cases, temporary memory loss may be experienced. These problems tend to accumulate, and from the moment the patient is diagnosed with high blood pressure, he is likely to be on medication for the rest of his life.

With the arrival of Co Q-10, medical science has found a way to fight hypertension, providing the body with the energy it needs to regulate its own blood pressure.

As stated by the American Heart Association (AHA), blood pressure levels above 140/90 (or even 135/85) is considered high. The higher these values, the more difficultly it is for the heart to function, and for the blood to flow within the blood vessels. A Japanese pharmaceutical firm conducted a series of experiments, introducing blood-pressure-raising medication into laboratory animals. In the control group, which was not treated with Co Q-10, sharp blood pressure increases were observed in 86% of experimental animals. The experimental, group treated with Co Q-10, experienced a blood pressure increase in only 21% of the tested population.

In the clinical experiment carried out by Dr. Tori Yamaguchi, 60 patients who suffered elevated blood pressure were confirmed to have low blood-level concentrations of Coenzyme Q-10. When these patients were given Co Q-10 doses raging from 30 to 45 mg a day in a 12 week period, their blood pressure dropped from an average of 186/103 to 166/93.

Japanese specialists recommend that patients suffering from high blood pressure continue taking the medicines prescribed by their doctors. How Co Q-10 affects blood pressure is still uncertain, and although no known side effects have been observed, Coenzyme Q-10 must be used to complement prescription medication, not to replace it.

The following are some examples of observed pressure lowering induced by the combination of the prescribed medicines and Co Q-10: from 161/97 to 141/78; from 166/98 to 137/84; from 171/95 to 136/176 and from 149/96 to 125/81.

About two dozens studies confirm that the daily intake of 60-100 mg of Co Q-10 may considerably reduce blood pressure. For this reason people with the low blood pressure must take Co Q-10 with caution, since it can cause even more significant blood pressure reduction.

Improving weight loss

The only possible way to become overweight is to consume more calories than it is required by the body to fulfill its functions. Ultimately unused calories are converted into fat. Consequently, the only known method to get rid of unnecessary weight is to consume fewer calories than the body needs for its vital activities, which, in turn, leads the body to begin processing stored fat.

It is possible to lose weight with the help of different diets, but the problem with most diets is that they stress the body, and thus have a negative effect on one’s overall health. Furthermore, after returning to regular eating habits, the individual also tends to return to his original weight, which corresponds to his current lifestyle.

Probably the best method to reduce excess weight is to decrease calorie consumption combined with an increase in total energy expenditure. This simply means: eat less food and exercise more. It sounds very simple, but this way of life is practically inaccessible for the majority of the people.

Nonetheless, we often encounter people which can eat as much as they desire, and never get fat! The secret is not so enigmatic - these people have a very active metabolism and thus burn more energy than the average individual. If the ideal, therefore, is to attain that kind of metabolic rate with which it would be possible to eat rich foods without fearing about fatty deposits, the question becomes: how do you accelerate metabolism?

Experiments have borne out that Co Q-10 can also help with this dilemma. Shortage of Co Q-10 has been correlated with a slowing metabolism. A constant inflow of coenzyme forces the body’s energy "furnace" to burn more intensely and work more rapidly. All our knowledge indicates that Co Q-10 is essential to those trying to overcome being overweight. Excess weight not only affects the body’s aesthetics, but excess fat places undue stress on the heart and may lead to atherosclerosis, elevated blood pressure and countless other health problems. Therefore, it often becomes vitally important to get rid of excess weight.

A study was conducted at Antwerpen University in Belgium which tried to determine the relationship between Co Q-10 and obesity. When scientists revealed that the majority of those investigated were lacking this coenzyme, they decided to add Co Q-10 to those patients who were trying to lose weight. The experimental group received Co Q-10, and the control group did not. After nine weeks researchers revealed that the combination of Co Q-10 and the usual weigh loss methods they had been employing, helped patients, on average, to lose 13.5 kg, while patients who did not receive any Coenzyme Q-10 treatment but were undergoing the same procedures only lost about 5.7 kg. Toward the end of the study (3 months) the group that was given Coenzyme Q-10 lost, on average, about 16.8 kg, or about 16.6% of the recorded weight prior to the beginning of the program. Researchers also explained that the patients that originally lacked Co Q-10 at the beginning of the study lost more weight than anybody else. They obviously did not have sufficient amounts of this coenzyme in order to begin burning excess calories.