(NaturalNews) It's well known that Co-Q10 or Coenzyme Q10 is beneficial for maintaining a healthy heart or even restoring health to an ailing heart. There are also other benefits from Co-Q10 which will be explained later in this article.
But a recent study in Cairo, Egypt has uncovered an unusual property of Co-Q10 that is rather surprising: It eliminates depression and anxiety. This study is an animal study on, as usual, rats.
Why a known safe supplement couldn't have been used on depressed humans instead of torturing rats to create depression and anxiety is a mystery. At least they were ultimately relieved, thanks to Coenzyme Q10.
The study
After stressing out the mice with forced swimming and chronic restraint stress (CRS), something cruel kids might do, anxiety and depression were artificially induced in the mice, a standard lab gimmick. Then they were fed large amounts of Co-Q10 for three weeks.
Using background data from different studies that associated diminished hyppocampus volume and increased hyppocamal oxidative stress with depression, the researchers focused on that area's biochemical activity as well as observing behavioral traits for this trial.
The hyppocampus is a small part of the brain's gray matter that is responsible for emotional response as well as memory formation. It is shaped like a seahorse and located on both sides of the brain's lower area. It is believed to be the first area to be damaged by Alzheimer's disease.
It became apparent that most of the observed anxiety and depression abated during the
Co-Q10 feeding. The biological markers also showed increased antioxidant activity in the hypocampus, reversing oxidative cellular and DNA damage.
Their paper, published in the
National Center for Biotechnology or NCBI was presented by
PubMed.org on January 11, 2013 and titled "Coenzyme Q10 displays antidepressant-like activity with reduction of hippocampal oxidative/nitrosative DNA damage in chronically stressed rats."
Their conclusion has an element of irony: "... CoQ10 may have a potential therapeutic value for the management of depressive disorders. However, further research, is still required to characterize the mechanism of the antidepressant effect of CoQ10 and extend these results
before the safe application in humans."
Yes - the italics inserted in their conclusion is where the irony lies. It's okay to openly and commonly prescribe selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and others that often worsen mental conditions to the point of psychosis and suicidal or homicidal impulses.
But Co-Q10 has side effects that are positive for overall health.
What else Co-Q10 or ubiquitol can do for you
Ubiquitol is a form of Coenzyme Q10 that is more expensive and less commonly used. But many consider it wise to use ubiquitol if you're over 40. Ubiquitol is a reduced or non-oxidized form of Co-Q10. Common Co-Q10 supplements are not reduced. They are oxidized.
So your body has to convert the ubiquinone (oxidized) Co-Q10 into easily assimilated reduced (non-oxidized) ubiquitol, which becomes more difficult as we age. If you're getting up in your years, spending more for reduced Co-Q10 as ready made ubiquinol is recommended.
Co-Q10 is an enzyme normally produced in the liver. That production may have to be encouraged by supplementation in our stressful and toxic environment, however.
Coenzyme Q10 is a super antioxidant and cellular metabolism energy booster for inner cellular mitochondria activity. When that declines, early aging and all sorts of auto-immune, neurological, and heart diseases easily invade. Non-synthetic vitamin E works well with Co-Q10.
Japanese cardiologists put most of their patients on Co-Q10, often instead of statin drugs or other medicines, with a high success rate. Many see Ceonzyme Q10 as an important anti-aging supplement. Apparently it also helps with anxiety and depression.
Sources for this article include:PubMed study report
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23313551Study report summary
http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/40553http://www.preventive-health-guide.com/coq10.htmlExplanatin of catalase (term used in the study)
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/catalase/More on Co-Q10 cycle of regeneration in the body
http://www.naturalnews.com/026128_energy_supplement_health.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus
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