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Update Exclusive CoQ10 and vitamin E combo improves
learning in old animals
A report published in the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine’s
March 15 2005 issue (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08915849)
revealed that coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) combined with vitamin E improved learning
ability in old mice. The study was supported by grants from the National
Institutes of Health-National Institute on Aging.
Researchers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center
in Fort Worth gave 24 month old mice 123 milligrams per kilogram body
weight coenzyme Q10, 200 milligrams per kilogram alpha-tocopherol acetate
(a form of vitamin E), both nutrients, or a placebo daily for 3 weeks
after which tests that assessed learning, recent memory and psychomotor
function were administered. Treatment with the different regimens continued
for an additional 11 weeks.
It was found that the combination of coQ10 and vitamin E provided more
rapid learning in the mice who received it, compared to the control group
or to animals who received either treatment alone. A separate experiment
that gave older mice a higher dose of coQ10 alone still did not provide
the benefits of the coQ10-vitamin E combination.
The authors state that previous research has found that vitamin E alone
is not enough to lower oxidative damage in the brain that could impair
learning. There may be a cooperative effect between vitamin E and coQ10,
providing greater antioxidant potential. Studies have shown that supplementation
with coQ10 alone increases alpha-tocopherol levels in the mitochondria
of some tissues of old mice. In the current study, when the brains of
the animals were examined, significant increases in vitamin E could only
be found in the brain mitochondria of mice given both coQ10 and vitamin
E.
The authors conclude that their findings suggest “a cooperative
interaction of alpha-tocopherol and coQ10 in the modulation of oxidative
stress in mitochondria, and provide a rationale for supplementation involving
antioxidant combinations.” |
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| Protocol
Age-associated
mental impairment
Cognitive impairment has a variety of forms, including short-term
memory loss, senility, and dementia. Dementia is a general term for diseases
involving nerve cell deterioration. It is defined as a loss in at least
two areas of complex behavior such as language, memory, visual and spatial
abilities, and judgment that are severe enough to interfere with a person's
daily living. Dementia, the most serious form of age-associated mental
impairment, is often a slow, gradual process that may take months or
even years to become noticeable. Symptoms vary depending on which areas
of the brain are affected.
It is important to make a distinction between normal, age-associated
mental impairment and conditions such as dementia that signal a disease
process. Not all memory difficulties or cognitive complaints indicate
the presence of Alzheimer's disease or other mental disorders. Many memory
changes are temporary and are linked to environmental factors such as
stress rather than to physiological (bodily) processes.
This National Academy of Sciences study demonstrated that short-term
supplementation with moderate amounts of CoQ10 produced profound antiaging
effects in the brain. Previous studies have shown that CoQ10 may protect
the brain via several mechanisms, including reduction in free radical
generation and protection from glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. The
study documented that orally supplemented CoQ10 specifically enhanced
metabolic energy levels of brain cells (Matthews et al. 1998).
Based on the types of brain cell injury that CoQ10 can provide protection
from, the scientists suggested that CoQ10 might also be useful in the
prevention or treatment of Huntington's disease and ALS. It was noted
that, while vitamin E delays the onset of ALS in mice, it does not increase
survival time. CoQ10 was suggested as a more effective treatment strategy
for neurodegenerative disease than vitamin E because survival time was
increased in mice treated with CoQ10 (Matthews et al. 1998).
http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-003.shtml
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Super Absorbable CoQ10 100 milligrams
The mitochondria are the cell’s energy powerhouses, and coenzyme
Q10 is an essential component of healthy mitochondrial function.
CoQ10 is required to convert fats and sugars into cellular energy,
yet the natural production of CoQ10 declines precipitously with advancing
age. When the body has an ample amount of CoQ10 the mitochondria can
work most efficiently throughout the entire body, in cells everywhere,
including the most densely populated area, the heart.
When coenzyme Q10 is orally ingested, only a certain percentage is
actually absorbed into the bloodstream. Findings in human subjects indicate
that higher doses of CoQ10 provide significantly better effects than
the doses that supplement users typically take. Since CoQ10 is such an
expensive nutrient, an alternative to taking higher doses is to increase
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Vitamin
E Succinate
Vitamin E compounds are usually produced and made available in esterified
form as alpha-tocopheryl acetate or alpha-tocopheryl succinate. Neither
of these forms has any antioxidant activity until converted to alpha-tocopherol
in the body, but they are much more stable with respect to storage time
and temperature than the unesterified forms. Moreover, while the acetate
form is rapidly activated within the body, activation of the succinate
form is slower. The succinate form appears to access and benefit areas
of the tissues that are unavailable to the other forms. For this reason,
there is a tendency to regard alpha-tocopherol succinate as a distinctly
different and beneficial compound. Alpha-tocopherol succinate appears
to have longer half-life in the body, and does not interfere with vitamin
A or K absorption.
http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00063.html |
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Life
Extension Magazine February 2005 issue
Promoting mitochondrial health by Dale Kiefer
Mitochondria, the powerhouses in each human cell, have the crucial
job of generating energy for use throughout the body. With advancing
age and cumulative free radical attack, however, mitochondria can become
less efficient, leading to degenerative changes associated with aging.
Maintaining healthy mitochondrial function is critically important
in preventing disease and promoting longevity. Nutrients such as coenzyme
Q10, acetyl-L-carnitine, and alpha-lipoic acid help optimize mitochondrial
health. Other nutritional remedies—including carnosine, benfotiamine,
and rhodiola—complement the actions of CoQ10, acetyl-L-carnitine,
and alpha-lipoic acid in promoting a healthy and energetic lifestyle.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2005/feb2005_report_mitochon_01.htm
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Questions? Comments? Send them to ddye@lifeextension.com
or call 954 766 8433 extension 7716.
For longer life,
Dayna Dye
Editor, Life Extension Update
ddye@lifeextension.com
LifeExtension.com
1100 West Commercial Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale FL 33309
954 766 8433 extension 7716
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