As we continue our exploration into the world of Alzheimer’s disease and its prevention, we have seen that some compounds like omega-3 fatty acids have a significant impact on the potential development of Alzheimer’s and dementia later on in life.
What exactly is coenzyme Q10?
You may have heard of this compound before, but there is a good chance that you don't know exactly what coenzyme Q10 is capable of if you haven’t taken a few courses in advanced biology. Don’t worry; that’s what we will be covering now.
Coenzyme Q10 is an important component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. The mitochondria is, as you'll probably have heard, the "power house of the cell", capable of producing energy for our body to function.
To generate this power, however, the body needs to use electrons found in different elements within our body. As these electrons are transported along an electron transport chain, energy in the form of ATP is created and used by tissues within the body to perform physiological functions.
Coenzyme Q10 is also a pretty good antioxidant, a compound responsible for limiting damage that occurs during inflammation and removing any debris that may accumulate throughout the process.
Some congenital conditions may limit the amount of Coenzyme Q10 produced by the body naturally but thankfully, these are very rare conditions.
Those who have higher levels of coenzyme Q10 have been found to have stronger muscles. This is important once you consider that people with Alzheimer's typically have very weak muscles and are more likely to fall.
Numerous studies done to determine if supplementing coenzyme Q10 is beneficial found that, after taking supplements for four weeks, those who took coenzyme Q10 daily had higher scores of vitality, physical performance and improved quality of life compared to the control group.
As we can see, Q10 worthwhile compound to supplement because of these significant added benefits. The question still left to answer is if it can actually do anything to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Can coenzyme Q10 really help in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease?
We already know that coenzyme Q10 is an important treatment option in patients suffering from other types of neuro-degenerative conditions like Hutchinson’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease based on the results of supplemental coenzyme Q10 on these patients.
Giving additional coenzyme Q10 seems to help mitochondria produce energy more effectively and levels of dopamine increase when giving coenzyme Q10. This can be important in a condition like Parkinson’s disease, where dopamine levels begin to decline and cause patients to have difficulty controlling their muscle movements.
Due to the nature of Alzheimer’s disease, a total deterioration of the brain is expected to occur as the disease progresses. Often, patients with Alzheimer’s will also have other symptoms that can mimic diseases like Parkinson’s because the same structures of the brain will be affected. If coenzyme Q10 is able to improve the symptoms in a patient with Parkinson’s, it should also have some benefit on patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease.
Although this may help improve the symptoms of someone with Alzheimer’s indirectly, it is important to still determine whether it can directly improve the life of a patient with Alzheimer’s. Initial studies on animal models were promising.
When human trials began to determine if the same success could be achieved, the results were not as convincing. In an extensive six-year study that concluded in 2012, it was found that Alzheimer’s patients who took a significant dose of coenzyme Q10 for a period of four months did not have better cognitive scores compared to those in the placebo group. This is a frustrating setback, but not unexpected because human mechanisms are much more complicated than animals'.
In conclusion
All in all, as you can see quite clearly now, when it comes to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, there is not yet any clear proof that coenzyme Q10 can help.
Q10 may not be the golden ticket to guaranteeing a life without Alzheimer’s, but it is an important compound nonetheless. Perhaps as more research is done to discover the true mechanism of Alzheimer’s Disease, the results that were seen in animal models already could eventually be seen in us but there is nothing on the horizon just yet.