HEALTHY SKEPTIC - Miracle? No, but Q10 has promise

Strange name aside, coenzyme Q10 is in fact a vital nutrient for every cell in your body, not to mention every cell in your dog and your office ficus tree. All plant and animal cells are powered by mitochondria, tiny structures that pump out energy for the cells. Mitochondria, in turn, need a steady supply of the vitamin-like antioxidant Q10 to keep the power generators running smoothly.

"It's the quarterback of mitochondria," says Dr. Robert Bonakdar, director of pain management at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla. "Levels of coenzyme Q10 determine whether energy is being made efficiently or sluggishly."

Your body makes its own Q10, and you get a little more from lots of different foods. But some people have unusually meager supplies of this must-have nutrient. Bonakdar says that he often finds low levels in patients with migraine headaches, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome when he does Q10 blood tests.

Studies have found consistently low levels of the nutrient in people who have congestive heart failure or take statin drugs (such as Lipitor or Crestor) to lower cholesterol.

Anybody interested in taking Q10 won't have to look far. Most drug stores and health food stores sell a variety of Q10 pills and powders. Depending on brand and dosage, the supplements can cost anywhere from $50 to $200 a month.

The claims: Not surprisingly, this crucial nutrient has spawned some big claims. Various websites assert that Q10 supplements can speed weight loss, boost energy and treat an astonishing number of illnesses, including AIDS, Parkinson's, cancer and heart disease. One website selling the supplements states that "people across the world use coenzyme Q10 with phenomenal results." Another site claims that most people don't have nearly enough of this "miracle antioxidant."

The bottom line: For now, the promise of coenzyme Q10 supplements is still built largely on hope, assumptions and just a smattering of science, says Dr. Brent Bauer, director of complementary and integrative medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Yet Bauer believes there is promise, saying that Q10 supplements seem extremely safe and the few studies so far have been encouraging.