Taking 200mg CoQ10 and 200mcg Selenium halves the risk of a fatal heart attack in people over 70 researchers in Sweden suggest this week. Here’s the summary for you:
Coenzyme Q10 and selenium yeast supplements reduce the heart attack risk in the elderly by around 50 per cent, say researchers from Linkoping University in Sweden.
They gave 433 people, aged from 70 years upwards, the supplements or ‘dummy’ placebo pills every day for five years. At the end of the trial, 5.9 per cent of those given the supplements had died from cardiovascular disease compared to 12.9 per cent of those taking the dummy pills.
Coenzyme Q10, or ubiquinone, helps to convert fats, carbohydrates and protein into energy; selenium is a trace element that supports around 25 different proteins in the body. Most Northern Europeans are depleted in levels of selenium, which some scientists believe is a major cause of cardiovascular disease.
For the study, the researchers used the selenium supplement, SelenoPrecise 200 mg, and coenzyme Q10, Bio-Quinone Q10 100mg twice a day.
(Source: International Journal of Cardiology, 2012; published online ahead of print, WDDTY E News Sep 12).