Coenzyme Q10 and L-carnitine Supplementation and Myocardial Infarction: Improved Quality of Life

More than 1 million Americans suffer myocardial infarctions annually. After patients are discharged, they are still at risk of rehospitalization. Researchers looked for factors that may cause or contribute to rehospitalization to identify interventions that might reduce risk.

One factor that seems to increase the likelihood of rehospitalization is poor quality of life (QoL). Most programs advocate for lifestyle interventions, and increasing antioxidant intake seems to improve QoL. Some studies have demonstrated that L-carnitine and coenzyme Q10 are potent antioxidants and have contributed to improved QoL in heart failure, hemodialysis, and COPD patients.

The Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research has published a new article indicating that supplementation with coenzyme Q 10 and L-carnitine improved the well-being of patients with myocardial infarction. The authors suggested that this could be used as a potential intervention for QoL and as a secondary prevention tool.

The study enrolled 128 patients who had been hospitalized for a recent myocardial infarction. The researchers randomly enrolled patients into 4 study arms: therapeutic lifestyle diet change alone, 150 mg per day of coenzyme Q10 plus 1200 mg per day L-carnitine, the supplements plus the therapeutic diet intervention, and routine care.

Patients in all treatment arms had significantly better global, physical, and emotional health. The interventions had no effect on social functioning.

Patients who received vitamin supplementation also had similar improvements in physical status.

The authors suggested that the coenzyme Q 10 and L-carnitine may affect muscle cells and red blood cells, an outcome that has been demonstrated in hemodialysis patients. Additionally, researchers noted that previous study has shown that coenzyme Q 10 supplementation can often ameliorate statin myalgia. This may also improve QoL.

The researchers concluded that improving these 2 factors could lead to an improved overall sense of well-being in patients with myocardial infarction.

Reference

Sharifi MH, Eftekhari MH, Ostovan MA, Rezaianazadeh A. Effects of a therapeutic lifestyle change diet and supplementation with Q10 plus L-carnitine on quality of life in patients with myocardial infarction: A randomized clinical trial. J Cardiovasc Thorac Res 2017;9(1):21-28. doi: 10.15171/jcvtr.2017.03.