Coenzyme Q10 for Chronic Heart Failure

A 2014 study found that 100mg of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) 3x daily significantly improved survival (42% reduction in all-cause mortality), reduced hospitalizations for heart failure, and improved heart failure classification compared to placebo over 2 years. Participants had chronic heart faillure in NYHA functional class III or IV. Another study found that selenium plus CoQ10 significantly reduced cardiovascular mortality compared to placebo (5.9% vs 12.6%) over 5.2 years. CoQ10 is thought to act as an antioxidant and increase energy production in the heart. CoQ10 may cause digestive or other side effects.

Mortensen SA, Rosenfeldt F, Kumar A, Dolliner P, Filipiak KJ, Pella D, Alehagen U, Steurer G, Littarru GP; Q-SYMBIO Study Investigators. The effect of coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure: results from Q-SYMBIO: a randomized double-blind trial. JACC Heart Fail. 2014 Dec;2(6):641-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jchf.2014.06.008. Epub 2014 Oct 1. PMID: 25282031.

Mortensen AL, Rosenfeldt F, Filipiak KJ. Effect of coenzyme Q10 in Europeans with chronic heart failure: A sub-group analysis of the Q-SYMBIO randomized double-blind trial. Cardiol J. 2019;26(2):147-156. doi: 10.5603/CJ.a2019.0022. Epub 2019 Mar 5. PMID: 30835327; PMCID: PMC8086660.

Alehagen U, Johansson P, Björnstedt M, Rosén A, Dahlström U. Cardiovascular mortality and N-terminal-proBNP reduced after combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation: a 5-year prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial among elderly Swedish citizens. Int J Cardiol. 2013 Sep 1;167(5):1860-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.04.156. Epub 2012 May 23. PMID: 22626835.