STUDY: CoQ10 improves Gulf War Illness physical function, symptoms

(91outcomes.com) - A newly published medical study reports that Coenzyme Q10 improved physical function and an array of symptoms in Gulf War Illness patients.  

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 46 participants who were veterans meeting Kansas and Centers for Disease Control criteria for Gulf War illness. 

The dosage of 100mg per day of CoQ10 was found to be significantly beneficial, including when compared to a placebo control and to a dosage of 300mg per day.

The long awaited publication of this study, led by Dr. Beatrice Golomb of the University of California at San Diego, is in the August 22, 2014 issue of Neural Computation.   

The study authors recommend examination in a larger sample, and suggest that, "findings from this study can inform the conduct of a larger trial."

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SOURCE:  Neural Computation, Aug. 22, 2014

http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/NECO_a_00659?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub=pubmed#.VAEDAktR0ww


ARCHIVED ARTICLE:

Early Access
Posted Online August 22, 2014.

(doi:10.1162/NECO_a_00659)

© Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: Results of a Randomized Double-Blind Study

Beatrice A. Golomb

Departments of Medicine and of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A.bgolomb@ucsd.edu

Matthew Allison

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A. mallison@ucsd.edu

Sabrina Koperski

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A. skoperski@ucsd.edu

Hayley J. Koslik

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A. hkoslik@ucsd.edu

Sridevi Devaraj

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95817, U.S.A.sxdevara@texaschildrens.org

Janis B. Ritchie

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A. jbritchie@ucsd.edu

S.D. is now at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas.

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We sought to assess whether coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) benefits the chronic multisymptom problems that affect one-quarter to one-third of 1990–1 Gulf War veterans, using a randomized, double-blink, placebo-controlled study. Participants were 46 veterans meeting Kansas and Centers for Disease Control criteria for Gulf War illness. Intervention was PharmaNord (Denmark) CoQ10 100 mg per day (Q100), 300 mg per day (Q300), or an identical-appearing placebo for 3.5 ± 0.5 months. General self-rated health (GSRH), the primary outcome, differed across randomization arms at baseline, and sex significantly predicted GSRH change, compelling adjustment for baseline GSRH and prompting sex-stratified analysis. GSRH showed no significant benefit in the combined-sex sample. Among males (85% of participants), Q100 significantly benefited GSRH versus placebo and versus Q300, providing emphasis on Q100. Physical function (summary performance score, SPS) improved on Q100 versus placebo, A rise in CoQ10 approached significance as a predictor of improvement in GSRH and significantly predicted SPS improvement. Among 20 symptoms each present in half or more of the enrolled veterans, direction-of-difference on Q100 versus placebo was favorable for all except sleep problems; sign test 19:1,p=0.00004) with several symptoms individually significant. Significance for these symptoms despite the small sample underscores large effect sizes, and an apparent relation of key outcomes to CoQ10 change increases prospects for causality. In conclusion, Q100 conferred benefit to physical function and symptoms in veterans with Gulf War illness. Examination in a larger sample is warranted, and findings from this study can inform the conduct of a larger trial.