Natural therapies  are not always a topic of medical discussions for treating  the symptoms of  people with fibromyalgia. 

Yet there are many nutritional deficiencies  and/or dysfunctions in how certain systems in the body  behave that warrant this therapy.  CoQ10 is one of those nutrients and it affects fibromyalgia.    

During this Q&A, Dr. Smith will  use some terms you may not be familiar with but the bottom line is that CoQ10 helps fibromyalgia. So share this information with your health care provider and start the conversation for a non-drug  therapy option.

What is this new treatment for fibromyalgia?

Progress has been made towards discovery of a simple treatment for fibromyalgia (FM). Clinicians are beginning to realize that the number of people suffering with fibromyalgia makes this a serious health issue in the U.S. Several clinical studies are pointing to a lack of antioxidants in fibro sufferers. More recently, studies providing FM subjects with liberal doses of the antioxidants coenzyme Q10, selenomethionine and vitamins C and E  improved their quality of life and reduced pain.  There also seems to be a correlation between FM and circulation health. Both  conditions may be improved with antioxidants.

Does this treatment address the root cause of fibromyalgia? 

While the root cause of fibromyalgia is not understood, this should not deter us from seeking relief! About six years ago a clinical study reported that patients taking the antioxidants coenzyme Q10, selenium, vitamins C and E for a period of six months recovered many important health markers. Markers such as lower hemoglobin A1C, lower blood pressure and greater arterial elasticity. Just a year later encouraging results were reported by another small study for fibromyalgia who were treated with 300 mg/day of CoQ10 for nine months. These people began with low CoQ10 levels which increased during treatment and correlated with significant pain reduction.  

Are there other findings on CoQ10 and FM?

These results were so encouraging that this very research group initiated a larger study with 20 fibro sufferers for three months. They not only measured FM pain but also the clinical antioxidant marker lipoid peroxidation (LPO) and catalase activity. 

In addition, the study included a headache impact test (HIT) to see if this symptom correlates to fibromyalgia, CoQ10 levels and to the antioxidant stress markers. 

After the three months,  those taking CoQ10 showed both stress markers greatly reduced. Not only was FM pain diminished but the HIT scores were drastically improved, too. 

What specifically is the new finding?

There is a new concept which has recently arisen in pain metabolism and control with direct implications for fibromyalgia which is important to understand. This is the discovery of a protein complex called the inflammasome which is located in certain myeloid cells called macrophages. These macrophages are very important "white" blood cells in our immune system. As the name suggests, this protein complex within macrophages is largely responsible for inducing inflammation when stimulated by insults. These insults maybe small bits and pieces from invasive bacteria, host cell damage, viral components or even non-living fragments from asbestos. 

Inflammasome activity seems to be an indicator for metabolic stress and chronic pain. This activity has been  correlated with diseases such as gout, type-2 diabetes and obesity-induced insulin resistance. It is also suspected as playing a major role in human pathologies like cancer and Alzheimer's disease. 

How do inflammasome affect fibromyalgia?

As early as 2014, a correlation between fibromyalgia and a specific inflammasome NIRP was reported. Although several markers of oxidative stress were previously correlated with fibromyalgia,  these markers also correlated with insulin-resistance and a variety of cardiovascular diseases, too.  Thus, having high levels of markers such as lipoid per oxidation and catalase activity may suggest fibromyalgia these markers alone are not conclusive enough evidence for fibromyalgia. 

Other markers exist that are tied specifically with CoQ10 levels. These clinicians also found a negative correlation between interleukin-1b and -18 levels (more inflammation) with CoQ10 levels. What's more, the level of oxidative stress (ROS) levels in mitochondria correlated with pain scores (the higher theROS, the more pain). 

What this means in layman's terms is that these findings support the hypothesis that inflammation and pain in fibromyalgia are dependent on mitochondrial   function.  Since there is a known dysfunction in FM, supporting mitochondrial function could help lower inflammation and pain in this syndrome. 

It is widely accepted that CoQ10 deficiency is directly and immediately responsible for poor mitochondrial performance. 

Thus, a CoQ10 deficiency is a key player leading to inflammasome activation, the release of pro-inflammatory  cytokines and badly performing mitochondria. All these dysfunctions are found in and exacerbate fibromyalgia. In the previous study on FM mentioned, CoQ10 reduced these markers and improved fibromyalgia symptoms.  

What is the final takeaway?

It is clear that CoQ10 therapy for fibromyalgia would be beneficial for mitochondrial function. Talk to your health care provider and try CoQ10 to see if it can help your pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms. 

Who else could benefit from CoQ10? 

Interestingly, as one might expect, CoQ10 taken in combination with selenium and vitamins C and E is beneficial in general. For example, in a large, well-controlled study, seniors were given CoQ10 and selenium, along with C and E over a four  year period. Even after another  6 years, their quality of life was up and mortality down compared with the control groups. The startling statistic indicated a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality by 50%.  The positive effects of CoQ10 supplementation in this study were observed for smokers and those  with high blood pressure, too. As mentioned earlier, there seems to be a correlation between fibromyalgia and circulatory health. If CoQ10 helps an older group with their quality of life and heart health, the benefits are available for fibromyalgia as well as many other people.

TyH has several CoQ10 Bio-Blends and one is just right for you! Try David's Fibro-Q10, a CoQ10  based specifically on Dr. Cordero's fibromyalgia study.  If you need help with other natural , non-drug therapies for fibromyalgia, give us a call or email [email protected]. We're here for  you!

Resources:  Shargorodsky, M et al, Nutrition & Metaolbism. Cordero, MD et al, Mitochondrian, PloS ONE, Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.   Alehagen U et al, PloS ONE. 

©TyH Publications (M. Squires). For informational purposes only. 

Dr. Smith has advanced studies in biochemistry, physiology and medicine,  is published in numerous scientific and medical journals and lectured extensively. He has designed many new diagnostic tests for clinical use.  He was previously on the  Advisory Panel and written articles  for TyH Publications in the past.