Are You On A Statin For Cholesterol? This Info Might Help You…

When I see patients who are on statin drugs, I commonly recommend that they also consider taking a supplement of CoQ10.

Cholesterol continues to be a hot topic in the medical community and research has found that:

(1) the body needs cholesterol for the proper support and maintenance of every cell in your body – so cholesterol by itself, is not “bad” – but rather, is a necessity.

(2) there are “good” and “bad” types of cholesterol, but it isn’t as simple as we once thought. More than singling out certain types of cholesterol, it is better to look at ratios and at the protein “carriers’ that transport it around the body – by way of blood vessels.

(3) certain types of cholesterol can find their way into the linings of these blood vessels and oxidize in ways that degrade and damage those linings. Such injuries are typically healed by sealing off the oxidized material with calcium, creating a calcium “scar” to repair the lining. Without sufficient scarring, the exposed cholesterol can break off in chunks or create blood clots – either of which can be carried along the blood vessel until the branching and shrinking of internal diameter size causes it to lodge and restrict flow.

(4) once blood flow is reduced or stopped, the tissue distant to the clot receives too little blood flow and is damaged. If this occurs in your heart muscle, it may trigger a “heart attack” or “myocardial infarction.” If it occurs in your brain, it may trigger a “cerebral vascular attack” or “stroke.” If it blocks circulation to your eye, then it also creates a “stroke” of the eye. If it affects little branches that may damage segments of the retina, it is called a retinal “branch artery occlusion,” but if it affects the main artery, it is called a retinal “central artery occlusion” and all vision could be lost in that eye.

Such events are best avoided, and medications have been created to limit the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver, reducing the circulating amount of it in the bloodstream. Most such medications are labeled as “statins,” and they have a verified track record of reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes (brain or eye) in susceptible individuals.

Presently, nearly a quarter of Americans are considered at risk and are on these medications – but there are some people who do not tolerate them well or can have serious side effects. Researchers continue to search for ways to improve their tolerance and effectiveness, which has led to several sub-classes of these agents and if you are a candidate to take a statin, your doctor should be able to determine which one would be best for you.

One reliable side effect of statins appears to be the reduction of a common enzyme in the body, called CoQ10 (Ubiquinol vs Ubiquinone). Oral supplementation of this enzyme may be able to offset this statin side effect (something still being debated and researched by medical scientists). Ubiquinol is the “ready to go” version of CoQ10, meaning your body doesn’t need to do anything to it, to make it “work.” Ubiquinone requires “activation” by the body and this ability declines with age – so people over 50 years of age may not convert enough Ubiquinone to make a difference in the supply of active CoQ10 (Ubiquinol). Maximum production of CoQ10 occurs in our early to mid-twenties and declines with aging – so by the time we are over 50, we may have reduced CoQ10 production by 20-50%.

Why does this matter?

Every living cell in your body needs energy to do its job – and this energy comes from the “internal furnaces” in each cell, called mitochondria. Their job is to produce ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) – the “currency” of energy in each cell. CoQ10 happens to line the inside of each mitochondrion where it acts as a kind of “insulation” that allows these power-producing elements or “organelles” to “run hot” making lots of ATPs without “burning down the house” or otherwise damaging these same organelles. This same “insulation” is also capable of passing electrons along a chain leading to the formation of ATP – so CoQ10 has a dual role in producing ATP. Unfortunately, less CoQ10 means less energy can be produced in each cell.

Statins block a pathway responsible for producing cholesterol – but simultaneously also blocking production of CoQ10 – and LDL cholesterol is also the transport mechanism for moving CoQ10 throughout the body – so statins cause you to produce less CoQ10 and then reduce the ability to get it to where you need it. This is a 2-pronged problem that is also a necessary byproduct of how statins reduce cholesterol.

The answer to this problem appears to likely be as simple as taking supplements of CoQ10. Younger patients (under 50 years of age) may do well to take the cheaper Ubiquinone as they are generally capable of changing it to the active Ubiquinol form. Older (over 50) people on statins may be better served by taking the active form. If you are on a statin, I recommend checking with the doctor who is prescribing your statin to see how much and what kind of CoQ10 might be best for you. It is important to note that CoQ10 can affect the level of Warfarin in people taking that drug to limit the risk of blood clots – so many doctors will recommend NOT taking CoQ10 if you are on that blood thinning medication. I personally am not on Warfarin and take a 100 mg capsule with my daily statin. While I can’t claim that it has greatly elevated my energy level, I can also say that I don’t find myself lacking the energy of many I see around my age, either! (& yes, I’m over 50:) For a conservative look at statins from the highly regarded Harvard Health Publication, you can check this link: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/4-myths-about-statins

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jaccoma, call Excellent Vision at this dry eye office:

155 Griffin Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 574-2020

PLEASE NOTE – Excellent Vision has CLOSED its office at 3 Woodland Rd, STE 112 Stoneham, MA 02180 (near Boston) (781) 321-6463 and no longer offers any appointments there.