(NAPSA)—Somehealthy habits have bad consequences. For example, nearly 16 million Americans take drugs, such as Zocor, Lipitor and Pravachol, to help lower their cholesterol levels. But according to physician Michael Hirt, M.D., who teaches at the UCLA School of Medicine, drugs taken to lower cholesterol —called statins—mayalso deplete a vital nutrient. Statins deplete CoQ-10 Statins block the production of excess cholesterol in the liver. Yet the same part of the liver that produces cholesterol also produces a beneficial antioxidant called coenzyme Q10 (CoQ-10). A vitamin-like nutrient, it is essential for energy production and heart health. Blocking CoQ10 production can cause the body to experience a CoQ-10 deficiency. Taking a CoQ-10 supplement can raise your levels back to normal. “When statin drugs inadvertently reduce CoQ-10 levels as they reduce cholesterol production, it can lead to muscle weakness,” Hirt says. “CoQ-10 provides powerful health benefits to your most important muscle, the heart, by helping the heart produce the energy it needs to expand and contract.” Help for Parkinson’s According to Hirt, the supplement has also been clinically shownto help people with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological disorder which currently It would take eating six pounds of sardines a day to equal the amount of CoQ-10 con- tained in one 200 mg softgel. has no treatment to slow its progression. For Hirt’s patients who aren’t suffering from Parkinson’s dis- ease, he recommends a lower dosage of CoQ-10: “100-300 mg a day is a safe and appropriate dosage,” said Hirt. He also advises checking with the family doctor first to determinethe right dosage for your needs. Although CoQ-10 is naturally present in foods such as beef heart, pork, anchovies and sardines, the average American falls well short of the recommended intake. It would take eating six pounds of sardines a day to equal the amount of CoQ-10 contained in one 200 mgsoftgel. For more information about the benefits and scientific support of CoQ-10, call 1-800-276-2878 or visit www.NatureMade.com.
