The effects of oral treatment with coenzyme Q10 (120 mg per day) were compared for 28 days in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of coenzyme Q10 in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
The trial consisted of a total of 144 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). 73 of the 144 patients were placed in intervention group A which received the Q-Gel CoQ10 and the other 71 patients were placed in the placebo group B.
After 28 days of treatment, treatment, total cardiac events, including cardiac deaths and nonfatal infarction, were significantly reduced in the coenzyme Q10 group A compared with the placebo group B, (15.0% vs. 30.9%, P < 0.02). Reductions in specific cardiac events were even more significant. Angina pectoris: 9.5% in the coenzyme Q10 group vs. 28.1% in the placebo group.
Total arrhythmias: 9.5% in the coenzyme Q10 group vs. 25.3% in the placebo group.
Poor left ventricular function: 8.2% in the coenzyme Q10 group vs. 22.5% in the placebo group.
The extent of cardiac disease, elevation in cardiac enzymes, and oxidative stress at entry to the study were comparable between the two groups. Lipid peroxides, diene conjugates, and malondialdehyde, which are indicators of oxidative stress, showed a greater reduction in the coenzyme Q10 treatment group than in the placebo group. The antioxidants vitamin A, E, and C and beta-carotene, which were lower initially after the acute myocardial infarction, increased more in the coenzyme Q10 group than in the placebo group. These findings suggest that coenzyme Q10 can provide rapid protective effects in patients with acute myocardial infarction if administered within 3 days of the onset of symptoms.
The Coenzyme Q10 used in this study was Q-Gel CoQ10. The Dosage was 120mg per day.