In a small study, supplements conferred a considerable benefit.
Statin use is associated with a variety of muscle-related symptoms. Might supplementation with coenzyme Q10, an essential mitochondrial energy-production cofactor that is inhibited by statins, reduce muscle pain accompanying statin treatment? To find out, investigators randomly assigned 32 patients taking statins for hyperlipidemia and reporting myopathic symptoms to receive a daily supplement of 100 mg coenzyme Q10 (n=18) or 400 IU of vitamin E (n=14) for 30 days. Vitamin E was selected as a control because coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant.
All participants completed the trial and complied entirely with their dietary supplement regimens. There was no between-group difference in statin treatment. The intensity of myopathic pain, as assessed by…