THE VIRILITY-ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM: THE COENZYME Q EFFECT
A mighty antioxidant with the capacity to help prevent and combat heart disease—and therefore protect the vessels of the penis as well— coenzyme Q (Co-Q-10) is actually present in every cell of the human body. Critical to the conversion of food to energy, it is found more abundantly in some tissue cells than in others. Concentrations of the enzyme are particularly high in the heart, researchers believe, because that organ requires an enormous amount of energy to pump blood throughout the body.
First isolated in this country over forty years ago, the workings of Co-Q-10 are still not fully understood. Animal studies have shown that, by stabilizing cell membranes and keeping them from being destroyed, Co-Q-10 acts as an effective antioxidant that prevents free radicals from attacking and damaging cells.
Various research has revealed that as we age, we lose significant amounts of this enzyme in the heart muscle. In some elderly patients, the levels are as much as 75 percent lower than those of healthy patients. In fact, these diminished levels may be a strong indicator of impending death from heart disease. In one Swedish study, ninety-four hospital patients aged fifty years and older who had died within the prior six months had considerably lower Co-Q-10 than the surviving patients.
Co-Q-10 can also have a dramatic impact on elevated blood pressure. In a study conducted by cardiologist Peter Langsjoen, along with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, 109 patients with hypertension were administered 225 milligrams of Co-Q-10 every day. After a few months, this quantity significantly lowered the blood pressure of more than half of the test subjects, enabling many to stop taking between one and three blood-pressure drugs.
The patients who showed improvement rallied within four months of daily use. Their systolic (upper number reading) pressure was down, from an average of 159 to 147, as was their diastolic (lower number reading) pressure, from an average of 94 to 85. With the Co-Q-10 supplementation, more than forty of them were able to stop taking one or more of their hypertension medications. Another twenty began using the enzyme alone to manage their conditions.
Remember: 1/you are currently using antihypertensive medication, do not stop taking it. Consult with your physician about starting supplementation of Co-Q-10 in addition to your medicine.
Co-Q-10 is found in small quantities in seafood, eggs, and in all fruits and vegetables. The average person consumes approximately five milligrams of Co-Q-10 daily. Many experts believe that this amount is much too low to meet the needs of the body—especially after the age of fifty. As we age, Co-Q-10 levels begin to drop; by the time we reach middle age, many of us have barely 20 percent of the amount we had in our twenties. This steep drop-off may be due to free radical activity in the mitochondria, the area in the cells where nutrients are converted to fuel for the body’s use.
For men in their forties and fifties 1 recommend daily supplementation of at least 30 milligrams of Co-Q-10. A more accurate dosage recommendation is based on your body weight: 2 milligrams of Co-Q-10 for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) body weight. If you already have heart disease, or risk factors for it, I suggest you take higher dosages after consulting with your physician. Co-Q-10 is available in health food stores and many pharmacies. I find that the softgel, mixed with oil, is more easily absorbed than the dry tablets.
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