Coenzyme Q10 and L-Carnitine Help You Avoid Heart Risk Factors

I have long considered CoQ10 a wonder nutrient because of its ability to help prevent cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke. 

The heart is one of the few organs in the body to function continuously without resting; therefore, the heart muscle (myocardium) requires the highest level of energetic support. Any condition that causes a decrease in CoQ10 could impair the energetic capacity of the heart, thus leaving the tissues more susceptible to free radical attack.

Recommended dose: Take at least 100–400 mg of CoQ10 per day. Dietary sources of CoQ10 come mainly from beef heart, pork, chicken livers, and fish (especially salmon, mackerel and sardines). Vegetarians typically will not get enough CoQ10 unless they eat large quantities of peanuts and/or broccoli. The average person only gets 2–5 mg CoQ10 a day from diet. (You may consult other blog entries for additional tips on cardiovascular nutrition.)

If your response to your initial dose is less than optimal, work with your physician or holistic health practitioner to increase the dosage and maintain it over time. As with most nutritional supplements, it is best to take CoQ10 in divided doses with your meals.

Occasionally, patients report a sense of “too much energy,” and a few even say it’s as though they’ve had too much caffeine. Should this occur, adjust the dose down to a more comfortable level.

L-Carnitine: Fuel for the Heart

While CoQ10 sparks energy within the cells, L-carnitine is like a shuttle, bringing fuel into heart cells to be burned as energy. I’ve observed some dramatic effects in my patients teaming up these two nutritionals.

Recommended dose: Take 250–500 mg L-carnitine fumarate three to four times daily. Start at the low end of the dosage scale and work up until you achieve the effect desired. Both L-carnitine and coenzyme Q10 may require fine-tuning to obtain the optimal therapeutic blood level and symptom relief.

CoQ10 and L-carnitine work together to promote healthy blood pressure and to reduce a wide variety of heart risk factors.

To learn more on how to avoid heart risk factors, visit www.drsinatra.com.