CoQ10 given as a supplement may help with Friedreich’s ataxia

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant that occurs naturally in the body and is found in some foods, may help treat Friedreich’s ataxia and other neurological diseases, according to a review article.

Review, The role of coenzyme Q10 in various neurological and psychiatric diseasespublished in International Biochemistry Research by a team of researchers in Iran

CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance that helps the body work well and stay healthy. It also helps mitochondria, the cellular powerhouses, to produce energy and fights oxidation by removing harmful molecules and prevents damage.

For these reasons, CoQ10 may protect the nervous system from degeneration and destruction due to its antioxidant and energy-regulating activity in the mitochondria, according to the researchers.

CoQ10 is given as a supplement, often with vitamin E, to Friedreich’s ataxia patients

They noted that published works have shown efficacy in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases such as migraine, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Friedreich’s ataxia. Scientists reviewed studies of supplement use in these conditions to highlight the reported benefits.

Friedreichs ataxia caused by mutations in FXNA gene that provides instructions for making a protein called frataxin. Inside cells, frataxin is required for healthy mitochondrial function.

When frataxin is absent, mitochondria appear unable to produce enough energy to supply brain, spinal cord, and muscle cells, damaging them and leading to disease symptoms.

A study of 50 patients found that blood levels of CoQ10 were low in many of them. CoQ10 supplements given along with vitamin E reduced symptoms for about half of these people, as seen by improved scores on the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale.

CoQ10 and vitamin E supplementation altered disease progression, the researchers wrote.

Oral idebenone, a synthetic (laboratory) antioxidant structurally similar to CoQ10, has also been reported to show benefit in the treatment of cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease) resulting from Friedreich’s ataxia.

Similarly, treatment with CoQ10 and vitamin E increased energy production in the muscles of some patients who participated in a small six-month study. At a follow-up four years later, these 10 people showed better heart function and slower disease progression, but these changes were not statistically significant.

The researchers wrote that the effects of CoQ10 appear to be limited in these conditions and recommend further work to better understand the relationship between frataxin and CoQ10. Finding the link will be key in managing this disease in the future.

The researchers wrote that CoQ10 may provide favorable responses in various diseases, especially diseases associated with aging, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and depression.

However, they concluded that more support for clinical research is needed to determine the role and effects of CoQ10 in different conditions.