By Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS, May 30, 2013, abstracted from “Can Coenzyme Q10 Improve Clinical and Molecular Parameters in Fibromyalgia?” in the April 6, 2013 issue of Antioxidants and Redox Signaling
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic pain, sometimes accompanied by fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances and depression. It affects about 2% of Americans, with each patient costing about $6000 annually (1). Its cause remains unknown. Research has suggested that free-radical damage to cells causes dysfunction in the cell’s energy-producing machinery, the mitochondria, potentially contributing to fibromyalgia onset (2,3).
A new study (4) now suggests that coenzyme Q10 may benefit patients with fibromyalgia.
Twenty diagnosed patients participated: ten received 300 mg CoQ10 daily and ten received placebo, for 40 days. To assess efficacy, researchers obtained patient feedback through the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) (5), including pain severity, fatigue and morning tiredness.
After 40 days, the CoQ10 group’s total FIQ score fell by 52% (57 to 27), compared with a 21.3% increase in the placebo group (61 to 74, p<0.001).
The scores were detailed as follows:
- A 52% reduction in pain (7.4 to 3.8), compared with 21.3% in the placebo group (61 to 74, p<0.001).
- A 47% reduction in fatigue (8.3 to 4.4), compared with a 14.5% reduction with placebo (7.6 to 6.5, p<0.001).
- A 44% reduction in morning tiredness (8.1 to 4.5), compared with 3.9% with placebo (5.1 to 5.3, p<0.001).
Equally important was the finding that CoQ10 affects an enzyme called AMPK. AMPK is described as the regulator of cellular energy levels and is activated when ATP, the cell’s energy currency, is low. It increases both glucose use and fat burning within the cell to raise ATP levels, thereby improving mitochondrial energy production. In this study, AMPK activity increased by 65.7% in the CoQ10 group (108 to 179 arbitrary units), while the placebo group showed no change (115 to 116, p<0.01).
According to the researchers, “Coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves the clinical symptoms of fibromyalgia, and we can hypothesize a central role for AMPK in the pathophysiology of this disease.”
However, this study should be regarded as preliminary because of its small size of 20 patients. A larger study must be conducted before the significance of CoQ10 as an available treatment option for fibromyalgia can be established.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at [email protected] or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
Reference:
1. “Fibromyalgia” posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website
2. Cordero MD, de Miguel M, Carmona-Lo´pez I, Bonal P, Campa F, and Moreno-Ferna´ndez AM. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in fibromyalgia. Neuro Endocrinol Lett 31: 169–173, 2010.
3. Cordero MD, D?´az-Parrado E, Carrio´n AM, Alfonsi S, Sa´nchez-Alcazar JA, Bullo´n P, Battino M, and de Miguel M. Is inflammation a mitochondrial dysfunction-dependent event in Fibromyalgia? Antioxid Redox Signal 18: 800–807, 2012
4. Can Coenzyme Q10 Improve Clinical and Molecular Parameters in Fibromyalgia? Antioxid Redox Signal 2013 Apr 6. [Epub ahead of print]
5.“Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire” posted on the American College of Rheumatology website
6. Hardie DG, Ross FA, and Hawley SA. AMPK: a nutrient and energy sensor that maintains energy homeostasis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 13: 251–262, 2012.