The National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) picked up where the 2002 study left off. The researchers are in the initial phases of a study with 600 patients in an attempt to expand disease treatment information further. The new study is looking at a 2400 mg daily dose to determine if even greater effects might be obtained with this higher dose.
Many people with Parkinson’s tell us that their physicians approve their decision to take CoQ10 while some of the medical community waits for more science. Many physicians generally tell their patients that taking it could not hurt. Please consult with your physician prior to supplementing with it.
As we researched the world of Coenzyme Q10, we discovered that there are a number of different products wearing the “CoQ10†label. Furthermore, the FDA regulates CoQ10 as a food, not a drug. To understand what this means, My Parkinson’s Info visited with Cheryl Myers, a registered nurse, and Director of Health Sciences at Enzymatic Therapy, Inc. Her company provided the Coenzyme Q10, Vitaline CoQ10, for the 2002 clinical trial mentioned above.
“There are two forms of CoQ10. There’s natural, and there’s synthetic. Only part of what’s in synthetic CoQ10 looks like what’s in your body. The other part is an unknown,†said Myers. “Natural CoQ10 is 100% identical to what is in your body. We call it bioidentical.â€
Nutritional experts still do not know exactly how the body handles the synthetic form of Coenzyme Q10. The designers of the 2002 study reported in the Archives of Neurology, were careful to use only the natural or trans form of Coenzyme Q10. The NINDS also selected Vitaline to provide the CoQ10 for the current ongoing study.
The FDA does not monitor Coenzyme Q10 production in a strict fashion like it monitors the production of drugs. Ingredients, product quality and potency may vary significantly in factories producing Coenzyme Q10 under FDA food productions guidelines. “Other products are usually manufactured to food standards, and ours is to strict drug standards,†stated Myers.
Vitaline voluntarily adopts pharmaceutical manufacturing standards. It brings together optimal ingredients with a strictly uniform process. This ensures that each wafer of Vitaline Coenzyme Q10 contains exactly what the label states. You will also notice that the label guarantees that the product is 100% natural CoQ10.
To learn more about how the body uses CoQ10, My Parkinson’s Info also asked Myers about the body’s method of delivering CoQ10 to cells. “CoQ10 is very hard to absorb. I often say that it is like trying to squeeze an elephant through a keyhole. It can be done but you’ve got to do some special stuff to get the elephant through the keyhole. We have it in a chewable wafer, because it gives us a lot more room to put in a natural, yet sophisticated delivery system to make sure that the CoQ10 gets absorbed,†said Myers. “. . . so that you get peak levels of CoQ10.â€
Propylene glycol is a common chemical that many manufacturers use to deliver Coenzyme Q10 from the stomach to the cell. It is effective, and safe in smaller daily doses. However, many people with Parkinson’s choose to take 1,200 mgs per day, following the pattern of the 2002 study. In this Prevention article, registered dietician Allison Sarubin Fragakis, points out that:
"Many CoQ10 supplements are made with propylene glycol to improve absorption. At 100- to 200-mg doses, it’s harmless. But if you take higher amounts, you may be getting too much propylene glycol. That’s why study researchers used a pharmaceutical-grade natural form of CoQ10 that doesn’t contain propylene glycol."
Myers also points out that Vitaline is the only CoQ10 proven to predictably cross the blood/brain barrier, and to be safe and well tolerated at high doses in human studies. “One of the most important things that our product can do is to predictably get where it needs to get, and raise those CoQ10 levels in the brain cells,†said Myers. “It doesn’t cure the disease. What it does is help the cell to endure. If you can keep the cells alive longer, you’re going to stay healthier and functional much longer. You can hopefully slow down the disease until a cure is found.â€
To learn more about Vitaline Coenzyme Q10, click here.