The patient taking a statin

Mark
*Not an actual patient.
Male,
age 47

Presentation

  • Patient visits your office for his annual exam
  • Mark is Director of Sales at a technology company
  • Married, with 3 kids
  • Overweight; BMI 28.1
  • Nonsmoker
  • Says he's trying to eat healthier, but he has 1 beer per day after dinner
  • Belongs to a gym and a men's basketball league

History

  • Diagnosed with hyperlipidemia 7 years ago
  • History of asthma
  • States his job has been stressful, with long hours

Current Treatment

  • Began taking low-dose atorvastatin at diagnosis of high cholesterol; last year Mark needed a dose increase
  • Uses an inhaler occasionally for asthma symptoms
  • Takes a multivitamin daily and additional vitamin C
Mark asks,
"What else can I do for my overall health?"
For the patient taking a statin, consider Ubiquinol

Possible Recommendations:

  • Keep up a healthy diet and regular exercise
  • Continue to monitor high cholesterol and treat appropriately
  • Evaluate strategies to reduce stress
  • Consider Ubiquinol to support optimal heart health and replenish CoQ10 levels1-8

Cholesterol-lowering statins can significantly lower the amount of CoQ10 (ubiquinone) in the blood4-7

  • Statins can lower the amount of CoQ10 in the blood, even when a patient has taken a standard dose for as few as 3 months9
    • Ubiquinol has been shown to replenish depleted levels of CoQ10 from statin medication use10,11
  • Read more about how statins lower CoQ10
Mark:
"I already take a multivitamin—do I need to add Ubiquinol?"

Ubiquinol is not in multivitamins

  • Ubiquinol is delivered via softgels (it is fat-soluble, not water-soluble)
  • Ubiquinol is more readily absorbed in the body and is more bioavailable than conventional CoQ1012-14
  • Ubiquinol is the only form of CoQ10 that functions as an antioxidant15
References

  1. Mohr D, Bowry VW, Stocker R. Dietary supplementation with coenzyme Q10 results in increased levels of ubiquinol-10 within circulating lipoproteins and increased resistance of human low-density lipoprotein to the initiation of lipid peroxidation.  Biochim Biophys Acta. 1992;1126(3):247-254.

  2. Stocker R, Bowry VW, Frei B. Ubiquinol-10 protects human low density lipoprotein more efficiently against lipid peroxidation than does alpha-tocopherol.  Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1991;88(5):1646-1650.

  3. Alleva R,  Tomasetti M,  Bompadre S, Littarru GP. Oxidation of LDL and their subfractions: kinetic aspects and CoQ10 content.  Mol Aspects Med. 1997;Suppl 18:S105-S112.

  4. Schmelzer C, Niklowitz P, Okun JG, et al. Ubiquinol-induced gene expression signatures are translated into altered parameters of erythropoiesis and reduced low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in humans. IUBMB Life. 2011;63(1):42-48.

  5. Dhingra R, Gona P, Wang TJ, Fox CS, D’Agostino, RB, Vasan RS.  Serum gamma glutamyl transferase and risk of heart failure in the community.  Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2010 Sep; 30(9):1855–1860.

  6. Onur S, Niklowitz P, Jacobs G, et al. Ubiquinol reduces gamma glutamyltransferase as a marker of oxidative stress in humans. BMC Res Notes. 2014;7:427.

  7. Onur S, Niklowitz P, Jacobs G, et al. Association between serum level of ubiquinol and NT-proBNP, a marker for chronic heart failure, in healthy elderly subjects. BioFactors. 2015;41(1):35-43.

  8. Fischer A, Onur S, Niklowitz P, et al. Coenzyme Q10 redox state predicts the concentration of c-reactive protein in a large caucasian cohort. BioFactors. 2016;42(3):268-276.

  9. Passi S, Stancato A, Aleo E, et al. Statins lower plasma and lymphocyte ubiquinol/ubiquinone without affecting other antioxidants and PUFA. BioFactors. 2003;18(1-4):113-124.

  10. Zlatohlavek L, Vrablik M, Grauova B, et al.  The effect of coenzyme Q10 in statin myopathy. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2012;33 suppl 2:98-101.

  11. Fedacko J, Pella D, Fedackova P, et al.  Coenzyme Q10 and selenium in statin-associated myopathy treatment. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2013;91(2):165-170.

  12. Miles MV, Horn P, Miles L et al. Bioequivalence of coenzyme Q10 from over-the-counter supplements. Nutr Res. 2002;22(8):919-929.

  13. Evans M, Baisley J, Barss S, Guthrie N. A randomized, double-blind trial on the bioavailability of two CoQ10 formulations. J Funct Foods. 2009;1:65-73.

  14. Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM. Comparison study of plasma coenzyme Q10 levels in healthy subjects supplemented with ubiquinol versus ubiquinone. Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev. 2013;3(1):13-17.

  15. Ernster L, Forsmark-Andrée P. Ubiquinol: an endogenous antioxidant in aerobic organisms. Clin Investig. 1993;71(suppl 8):S60-S65.