Clinical trials have attempted to study relationship between CoQ10 and many chronic diseases including, but not limited to, heart disease, cancer and AIDS. But heart disease has gained most attention; congestive heart failure being one of primary subjects. Because heart muscle cells require so much energy to function and CoQ10 is at core of cellular energy process it makes sense to suspect that congestive heart failure might be linked to CoQ10 deficiency. With that theory in mind many studies like ones that follow have been conducted. These trials have been presented in this essay in thumbnail format.

One early Japanese trial (1972) involved 197 patients with varying levels of severity of cardiac failure. The study reported significant improvement of cardiac function supplementing with 30 mg per day of CoQ10. Another Japanese study demonstrated similar results with 38 patients also supplementing with 30 mg. In 1985 a U.S. clinical study prescribed daily supplementation with 100 mg of coenzyme for treatment periods of three months for patients with low ejection fraction measurements. The ejection fraction is measure of heart’s ability to pump blood. A low ejection fraction is a classic symptom of congestive heart failure. Again, significant improvements in heart function were reported. Other clinical trials followed prescribing same level of supplementation with similar results.

Studies in early 1990s showed improvement for patients suffering from ischemic cardiomyopathy (a low oxygen state usually due to obstruction) with supplemental levels of 200 mg per day. Supplementing with 100 mg per day demonstrated improvement for patients suffering from idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart syndrome of unknown cause.

One of largest trials of 1990s involves 641 patients randomly divided into two groups. The first group received a placebo. The other group received CoQ10 supplements. During one-year follow-up period 118 patients in placebo group were hospitalized for heart failure compared to 73 in group that received supplements.

It is no surprise that much of developed world suffers from heart disease because of diet and other lifestyle habits. In United States heart disease remains number one killer among adults and demonstrates similar statistics in many other modern countries. The surprise comes in knowing that majority of heart disease is avoidable yet educated people continue to ignore dangers and promote lifestyles conducive to cardiac damage. Though many factors contribute to heart disease current essay will focus on one, in two parts. First we will consider relation of fish consumption and myocardial infarction. Secondly we will consider effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 and vitamin E for those who had previously survived a heart attack.

Fish consumption and heart disease has been a topic of innumerable studies. One research project combined data taken from several such studies including Chicago Western Electric Study, Zutphen, Rotterdam and Swedish studies and Study of U.S. Physicians among others. The goal of this research was to examine relationship between fish consumption and 30-year risk of death from coronary disease.

The participants of study included 1,822 men between ages of forty and fifty-five who were free of cardiovascular disease. For first ten years annual examinations were given and mailed questionnaires and/or telephone interviews were used for next fifteen years. Death certificates were used to classify cause of death for each patient.

During 30-years follow up there were a total of 430 deaths from cardiovascular disease with 293 due to myocardial infarctions. Of latter 196 were sudden, 94 were non-sudden and remaining three could not be classified as either. Almost all of sudden deaths were caused by myocardial infarction.

Detailed dietary history was kept on each participant with daily fish consumption as primary focus. Each participant was categorized into one of four groups. The first group reportedly consumed no fish. The second group consumed between one and seventeen grams of fish per day. The third and fourth groups measured consumption as eighteen to thirty-four grams per day and greater than thirty-four grams per day respectively.