Statins and International CoQ10 Assn. 2001 letter to FDA

HFD-511
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Ln.
Rockville MD 20857

Ancona, September 5th 2001

Object: Biochemical and Potential Clinical Consequences of Inhibiting Coenzyme Q10 Biosynthesis by HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors: A Critical Opinion by the International Coenzyme Q10 Association.

Dear Sirs,

Please accept this letter as a position statement on the growing problem of adverse side effects related to the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. The International Coenzyme Q10 Association is a group of scientists and medical professionals with a research focus on coenzyme Q10, which plays a crucial role in cellular ATP production. It has been demonstrated that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, block the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q10 and of dolichol, besides the well known effect on cholesterol synthesis. Several studies have shown that administration of different kinds of statins can lead to a parallel decrease of coenzyme Q10 and cholesterol in plasma (1- 9, 19). Animal studies have also demonstrated a tissue depletion in the course of statin treatment (10 - 12) which was particularly evident in aged animals (13) . We can reasonably hypothesize that in some conditions where other CoQ10 impoverishing situations exist, treatment with statins may seriously impair plasma and possibly tissue levels of coenzyme Q10. A physiological decline in tissue CoQ10 has for instance been implicated in ageing (17,18) which would make the elderly more susceptible to statin-induced CoQ10 depletion.

Read full letter and list of references at [www.icqa.org]

And here we are... how many years later? Statins are still being prescribed and it's a rare occasion that patients are also advised to take ample CoQ10 along with the statin as a preventive measure.

When I heard Dr. Graveline speak - at least 15 years ago - he commented that it was known then statins depleted CoQ10 and Merck who held the patent statin at the time, had even patented a statin that included CoQ10....but it was never brought to market. It was said because they feared putting the negative thought in the minds of the public - that if statins depleted CoQ to that extent, perhaps it was not a good drug to take. So, that patent was eventually sold to a Japanese company. (Long time since I thought about that so I hope my recall is fairly accurate.

In any event... the CoQ10 enzyme expert - world wide, Dr. Bill Judy, the researcher I've quoted in several posts here has a white paper, online, that is worth reading. The relevant points are underscored to emphasize the concerns he has with statin use.

Anyone who is taking or considering taking a statin should read and be aware. Physicians should also given a copy.


[www.longevitynutritionals.com]

Jackie

As long as Erling has continued this enlightenment, I'd like to add this:

A while back, I clipped an article that was titled: "Can a Drug that Helps Hearts Be Harmful to the Brain?"

The introduction caught my eye…especially the comment: "This drug makes women stupid"

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

By Melinda Beck

Cognitive side effects like memory loss and fuzzy thinking aren't listed on the patient information sheet for Lipitor, the popular cholesterol-lowering drug. But some doctors are voicing concerns that in a small portion of patients, statins like Lipitor may be helping hearts but hurting minds.Like every medication, statins also have side effects such as muscle aches and memory loss that can be difficult to measure. What's your experience been with statins? • Melinda Beck reviews the procedure recommended to care for someone who is unconscious.

"This drug makes women stupid," Orli Etingin, vice chairman of medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital, declared at a recent luncheon discussion sponsored by Project A.L.S. to raise awareness of gender issues and the brain. Dr. Etingin, who is also founder and director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center in New York, told of a typical patient in her 40s, unable to concentrate or recall words. Tests found nothing amiss, but when the woman stopped taking Lipitor, the symptoms vanished. When she resumed taking Lipitor, they returned.

Go here to complete the article and go here as well.

[www.statineffects.com]


Refer to what author of Overdo$ed America, John Abramson, MD, has to say about who funds the statin studies. <[overdosedamerica.com]>

Jackie

I have been unable to find the recommended dosage of CoQ10 and magnesium. Can someone help ??

I have an AFib spell about once a month, and it's usually a day (sometimes a day and a half) before my heart returns to its normal rhythym. I am not taking statins.

THANKS.................PAUL

Paul - CoQ10 - be sure to use the highly absorbable type...

Hans recommends the one from his webvitamin link by Jarrow...go to the top of this page and click on that bar for supplements. It's the Q-sorb.

Take 100 mg daily and take it with a meal or snack that contains fat so by the time they both reach the absorption point in the small intestine, the fat there facilitates the absorption and transport of the Q10 across membranes. One a day is sufficient unless one has cardiomyopathy or heart failure, then the dose increases.

The magnesium is the magnesium glycinate form... most bioavailable and does not cause bowel intolerance. If not the chelated form by Albion, then you'll have to experiment to see how much you can tolerate so go slowly.

Check this recent post as to how to start low and ramp up dosing.

<[www.afibbers.org];

Jackie

Thanks, Jackie:

Our health food store carries Magnesium Asporotate, and I have been taking 200mg per day..............Does that sound like a sufficient amount ??

Paul – In years past, I recall there has been some concern expressed over avoiding the aspartate ligand as aspartate is considered excitatory to the heart. If memory serves, Erling warned me against that form when I first joined the BB as that was what I was taking at the time. However, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) occurs naturally in the body but the thought is that an added chemical or supplement may contribute to excess stimulation or excitatory properties. That said, however, a google search indicates there are a lot of products out there that contain a combination that includes a form of aspartate.

You may find that you get along with what you purchased and have no increase in events, but should they increase when you begin using it, then suspect the aspartate form. I would not personally recommend it for an afibber.

As for the amount – please refer to that link I listed. Just click on that. The goal, as mentioned in the post I referenced earlier on doses, is to ramp up slowly until at least 600 mg magnesium is taken daily in divided doses; preferably 800 but also as I mentioned, it may depend on bowel tolerance as to the level are able to reach.

Perhaps Erling or others can join in here and comment. The success many of us have had with magnesium glycinate form is due, in part, because the glycine (itself) is also very calming as it is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.

L-Glycine is an amino acid with natural calming properties, acting as major inhibitory neurotransmitters of the brain and found useful in soothing the uncontrolled agitation and reactive misfiring of neurons

The amino acid glycine functions as a calming neurotransmitter. It strengthens calming alpha brain waves and reduces excitatory beta waves. Glycine reduces muscular tension all along the spinal column – the very place where anxious people often experience tension.

Jackie

Hi Paul,

Jackie's advice is good, as usual, and she remembers correctly that years ago this board concluded that the aspartic acid salt of magnesium, Mg aspartate, should perhaps be avoided by afibbers, for the reason she states. We discussed and evaluated the various magnesium supplements available and Mg clycinate became the preferred form.

I looked up Magnesium Asporotate to see what is in the product, and Mg aspartate being listed first should mean it's the major ingredient. Mag. citrate is next. Magnesium orotate, reputedly highly bioavailable, is listed last so it's probably the least amount. [www.lef.org]

"Asporotate" is a word trademarked by Solaray. Manufacturers sometimes invent synthetic, non-dictionary words like this, I suppose for sales appeal. I googled Magnesium Asporotate and wound up reading this dialogue with Dr. Walt Stoll, MD: [askwaltstollmd.com] His final comment:

"Any company that makes stuff like this I would not buy anything from. They are just taking advantage of the general lack of information in the population and producing an inferior (cheap) product. MY opinion, of course. I know I would never waste MY money."

Erling