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A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of coenzyme Q10 therapy in hypertensive patients with the metabolic syndrome

Joanna M Young, Christopher M Florkowski, Sarah L Molyneux, Roberta G McEwan, Christopher M Frampton, M Gary Nicholls, Russell S Scott, Peter M George
American Journal of Hypertension 2012 25(2):261-270

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 22113168
DOI
10.1038/ajh.2011.209
Funding
PubMed classifies the study as Research Support, Non-U.S. Government; a more specific sponsor was not identified in the accessible record reviewed during this audit.
Competing interests
A specific competing-interest declaration was not identified in the accessible record reviewed during this audit.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial
ModelHypertensive adults with metabolic syndrome and inadequate blood-pressure control despite stable conventional antihypertensive therapy.
Sample30 participants.
InterventionCoQ10 100 mg twice daily (200 mg/day) versus placebo in crossover periods.
Duration12 weeks per treatment period.
Endpoints24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure; 24-hour ambulatory diastolic blood pressure; Heart rate; Daytime blood-pressure load; Tolerability

What the study showed, in plain terms

This randomized crossover trial tested 200 mg/day CoQ10 in hypertensive adults with metabolic syndrome who remained inadequately controlled on stable antihypertensive medication.

Unlike several older office-blood-pressure studies, it used 24-hour ambulatory monitoring and found no significant reduction in the primary systolic or diastolic outcomes. The trial is an important counterweight to large positive estimates from older small studies.

Key findings

The primary 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood-pressure outcome was not significantly reduced by CoQ10 (P=0.60).

The primary 24-hour ambulatory diastolic blood-pressure outcome was also not significant (P=0.12).

Heart rate was not significantly changed (P=0.10), although selected secondary daytime blood-pressure-load measures showed favorable signals.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Only 30 participants were studied, limiting precision.

Participants had metabolic syndrome and were already taking conventional antihypertensive therapy, so the findings may not generalize to untreated primary hypertension.

Secondary blood-pressure-load findings should not outweigh the null prespecified 24-hour ambulatory primary outcomes.

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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