Tier 2 — strong

Oral coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: effects on serum vaspin, chemerin, pentraxin 3, insulin resistance and oxidative stress

Mahdieh Abbasalizad Farhangi, Beytollah Alipour, Elnaz Jafarvand, Manouchehr Khoshbaten
Archives of Medical Research 2014 45(7):589-595

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 25450583
DOI
10.1016/j.arcmed.2014.11.001
Funding
No industry funding was identified for this trial in the 2026 systematic-review trial-characteristics table. A specific grant/funding statement from the original article was not available in the accessible PubMed record checked.
Competing interests
A specific author conflict-of-interest statement was not identified in the accessible publication record checked during this audit.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
ModelRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial in adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Sample44 enrolled and randomized (22 CoQ10, 22 placebo). Later systematic-review extraction reports 20 CoQ10 and 21 control participants contributing analyzable outcome data, indicating three non-completers/exclusions.
InterventionCoQ10 100 mg/day versus placebo for 4 weeks.
Duration4 weeks
EndpointsWaist circumference; BMI/waist-to-hip ratio; AST; ALT; Fasting serum glucose; Insulin resistance; Vaspin; Chemerin; Pentraxin-3; Total antioxidant capacity; Malondialdehyde

What the study showed, in plain terms

This small randomized double-blind trial enrolled 44 adults with NAFLD and assigned them to CoQ10 100 mg/day or placebo for four weeks. It measured anthropometry, liver enzymes, glucose/insulin-resistance variables, adipokines/inflammatory proteins and oxidative-stress markers.

After four weeks, waist circumference, AST and total antioxidant capacity changed significantly within the CoQ10 group, while the placebo group did not show corresponding significant changes. The abstract does not report a clear between-group improvement for the entire panel of vaspin, chemerin, pentraxin-3, insulin resistance or malondialdehyde.

A stepwise regression found change in fasting serum glucose strongly predicted changes in vaspin, chemerin and pentraxin-3 (p<0.001), but this is an association within the dataset rather than proof that CoQ10 directly changed those adipokines. The authors appropriately called for longer studies and higher-dose evaluation.

Key findings

Design/exposure: 44 randomized; CoQ10 100 mg/day versus placebo for 4 weeks. Later meta-analytic trial extraction lists 20 active and 21 control participants with analyzable data.

Within the CoQ10 group, waist circumference and serum AST changed significantly after four weeks (p<0.05); the abstract does not report equivalent significant placebo changes.

Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) changed significantly after CoQ10 supplementation (p<0.05), supporting a biochemical antioxidant signal.

Fasting serum glucose change was a significant predictor of changes in vaspin, chemerin and pentraxin-3 in stepwise multivariable regression (p<0.001). This predictive association should not be confused with a randomized between-group treatment effect for each adipokine.

The study duration was only four weeks, and the authors concluded that longer studies with higher doses were needed before stronger clinical conclusions.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Very small and short trial: 44 randomized and only four weeks of supplementation.

Later systematic-review extraction indicates 20/21 analyzed rather than the original 22/22 randomized, suggesting attrition that is not fully characterized in the accessible abstract.

Many biomarkers and anthropometric endpoints were tested in a small sample, increasing the possibility of chance findings and making multiplicity important.

Several reported findings are within-group changes or regression associations; those are weaker causal evidence than prespecified between-group randomized comparisons.

The trial did not assess fibrosis progression, liver-related clinical events or long-term histologic outcomes.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology