Effect of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Cardiac Function and Quality of Life in Patients with Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 40507436 · doi:10.3390/jcm14113675
What was done
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on cardiac function and quality of life in 120 patients with heart failure. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either CoQ10 at a dose of 60 mg twice daily (120 mg/day) or a placebo for six months. Primary outcomes were changes in global longitudinal strain (GLS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Secondary outcomes included functional capacity (6-minute walk test), blood pressure, quality of life, and NT-proBNP levels.
What was found
At 6 months, the CoQ10 group demonstrated significant improvements compared to placebo in GLS (-11.7% to -14.9%, p < 0.001), NT-proBNP levels (815.6 vs. 1378.5 pg/mL, p = 0.012), and 6-minute walk test distance (349.3 vs. 267.0 m, p = 0.008). Blood pressure was reported to improve, but exact values were not provided. LVEF changed slightly from 38.9% to 40.6% in the CoQ10 group but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.170), while remaining unchanged in the placebo group. Numerical scores for quality of life were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study provides randomized trial evidence that 120 mg/day of CoQ10 improves myocardial mechanics (GLS), lowers neurohormonal cardiac stress markers, and increases exercise capacity in heart failure patients over 6 months.
Limits
The sample size was relatively small (n = 120) from a single study and the follow-up duration was limited to six months. One of the primary endpoints (LVEF) did not reach statistical significance. The abstract omitted numerical values for blood pressure and quality of life measurements, and did not evaluate hard clinical outcomes such as heart failure hospitalizations or mortality.
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