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Coenzyme Q10 as a treatment for fatigue and depression in multiple sclerosis patients: A double blind randomized clinical trial

Meisam Sanoobar, Parvin Dehghan, Mohammad Khalili, Amirreza Azimi, Fatemeh Seifar
Nutritional Neuroscience 2016 19(3):138-143

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 25603363
DOI
10.1179/1476830515Y.0000000002
Funding
Fully sponsored by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Competing interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial.
ModelAdults with multiple sclerosis.
Sample48 randomized; repeated-measures analysis reported with 45 participants.
InterventionCoQ10 500 mg/day versus placebo.
Duration12 weeks.
EndpointsFatigue Severity Scale (FSS); Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

What the study showed, in plain terms

This small double-blind MS trial tested 500 mg/day of CoQ10 for 12 weeks using validated fatigue and depression scales. Fatigue decreased in the CoQ10 group while worsening in placebo, producing a strong time-by-treatment interaction.

For FSS, the time-by-treatment interaction was F(1,45)=55.23, p<0.001, η²=0.56. For BDI, F(1,45)=40.3, p<0.001, η²=0.48. These effect-size statistics indicate substantial separation of the groups over time in this dataset.

The study supports a short-term symptom benefit in multiple sclerosis; it does not establish improved neurologic disability, relapse rate, disease progression or a general anti-fatigue effect in every population.

Key findings

  • Dose: CoQ10 500 mg/day for 12 weeks.
  • FSS time-by-treatment interaction: F(1,45)=55.23, p<0.001, η²=0.56.
  • BDI time-by-treatment interaction: F(1,45)=40.3, p<0.001, η²=0.48.
  • Within-group FSS decreased with CoQ10 (p=0.001) while it increased in placebo (p=0.001).

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Small trial with about 45 evaluable participants.
  • Outcomes were self-reported fatigue and depressive symptoms rather than objective physical performance or MS disease activity.
  • Twelve-week follow-up does not establish durability or long-term safety/effectiveness in MS.
  • Findings are specific to multiple sclerosis and should not be generalized to all causes of fatigue or depression.

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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