These days, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet, and vices like smoking and alcohol can all lead to cardiovascular disease. It is therefore no longer surprising that it is considered the leading cause of death around the world, what with 17 million people dying from it every single year.
It has seemed for years that cardiovascular disease and how it affects our society is formidable and inevitable. But recently, new research on cardiovascular disease offers hope and healing in the form of two safe and natural supplements that when combined, have been found to help reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease by an astounding 50 percent.
The International Journal of Cardiology features a five-year study conducted by Swedish researchers where it was discovered that when you combine CoQ10 with selenium, you can reduce deaths from cardiovascular complications. This double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed with 443 adults of good health all between the ages of 70 and 88.
They administered 200 mgs a day of CoQ10 and 200 mcg a day of selenium to one group, while the other received a placebo. The incredible results showed that over a span of 5.4 years after the study was conducted, 12.6 percent of the placebo group had died of cardiovascular disease, while only 5.9 percent from the supplement group suffered the same ending.
In a follow up study published in Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging in 2015, over the course of four years, the supplement group also reported a quality of life that is far better than that of the placebo group. One evidence is that they spent 246 fewer days in the hospital than the latter group.
Researchers also found that 10 years after the initial study was conducted, the combination of CoQ10 and selenium was still effective. What is astonishing is that despite the fact that the subjects were no longer taking the supplements, their protective effect seemed continuous. Death rates from stroke, congestive heart failure, and heart attack were about 49 percent lower in the supplement group and both male and female subjects equally benefited from that protection.
So what are CoQ10 and selenium?
Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 for short is a really powerful antioxidant that assists cells in the management and utilization of energy. It protects cell mitochondria and makes them more efficient at releasing energy that comes from food molecules.
Selenium, on the other hand, is an essential mineral and also a co-factor for many enzymes used by your body’s free radical-scavenging systems. Both these nutrients can protect against oxidative stress that greatly accelerate aging and opens the door to chronic disease.
You can get CoQ10 from oily fish like tuna and salmon, or organ meats like liver. Selenium can be found in brewer’s yeast and wheat germ, as well as liver, sunflower seeds, and more.
If you choose to take supplements, or you want to know more about the benefits of CoQ10 and selenium, call us at Sloan Natural Health Center!
