There are clear differences in the metabolic profiles of elderly men who took 200 micrograms of selenium and 2 x 100 milligrams of Coenzyme Q10 daily for at least 18 months as compared with the metabolic profiles of elderly men who took matching placebos [Alehagen 2019].
Drawing on data from a sub-analysis of the KiSel-10 Study, Professor Urban Alehagen reported that the major differences were seen primarily in the following biological pathways [Alehagen 2019]:
- pentose phosphate pathway (the pathway for the generation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, which is a substance that reduces ubiquinone Coenzyme Q10)
- mevalonate pathway (the pathway for the synthesis of cholesterol, Coenzyme Q10, and dolichol)
- beta-oxidation pathway (the pathway for the breaking down of fatty acid molecules to produce energy and to produce acetyl-CoA, FADH2 and NADH, which are needed for the citric acid cycle [Krebs cycle]
There were other significant metabolic changes associated with the selenium and Coenzyme Q10 supplementation of senior citizens as well [Alehagen 2019].
Changes in Metabolic Profile After Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10
In this study, Professor Alehagen and his team of researchers analyzed the metabolic patterns of 95 metabolites in the plasma of elderly men.
- Metabolite is the bio-medical term for a substance that is formed during or is necessary for the process of metabolism.
- Metabolism is the term for the chemical processes inside organisms that are necessary to sustain life, e.g. the processes for converting food to energy.
The research team’s analysis showed that 19 metabolites out of the 95 identified metabolites were significantly decreased in the elderly men who were treated with the combination of selenium and Coenzyme Q10 [Alehagen 2019].
Furthermore, none of the other metabolites had levels that were significantly higher than the corresponding metabolite levels in the men who took the matching placebos, indicating that there were no harmful effects of the combined selenium and Coenzyme Q10 intervention [Alehagen 2019].
Significant Heart Health Outcomes from the KiSel-10 Study
Professor Alehagen’s research group has earlier reported clinical data from the KiSel-10 Study showing that senior citizens with low baseline serum selenium concentrations (mean: 67.1 micrograms per liter) benefited from daily supplementation with 200 micrograms of selenium and 2 x 100 milligrams of Coenzyme Q10 for four years [Alehagen, 2013; Johansson, 2015; Alehagen, 2016]:
- significantly lower risk of death from heart disease
- significantly improved heart function
- significantly reduced plasma concentrations of the heart disease bio-marker NT-proBNP
- significantly improved health-related quality of life
- observed reduction in sense of fatigue
Biochemical Mechanisms Behind the KiSel-10 Heart Health Outcomes
In his attempts to understand the biochemical mechanisms underlying the beneficial heart health outcomes in the senior citizen participants in the KiSel-10 Study, Professor Alehagen has previously suggested the following explanations:
- reduced levels of oxidative stress [Alehagen 2015]
- reduced levels of inflammation [Alehagen 2015]
- reduced levels of fibrosis [Alehagen 2017]
- increased levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 [Alehagen 2017]
The changes in the metabolic profiles associated with the daily supplementation with selenium and Coenzyme Q10 may be yet another aspect of the positive health effects reported in earlier published articles [Alehagen 2019].
A 2018 follow-up study of the surviving KiSel-10 Study participants revealed that a persistent reduced cardiovascular mortality 12 years after the supplementation with selenium and Coenzyme Q10 for four years [Alehagen 2018].
Importance of Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation of Senior Citizens
Selenium and several of the selenium containing selenoproteins – the glutathione peroxidases, the thioredoxin reductases, and the iodothyronine deiodinases – have an important role in anti-oxidative stress defense and in immune function [Alehagen 2019].
In selenium-poor regions of the world, e.g. Sweden, low intakes of selenium and low serum selenium status are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease [Alehagen 2019].
Moreover, there is an important inter-relationship between selenium and Coenzyme Q10 in the body. Adequate concentrations of selenium are necessary for optimal Coenzyme Q10 function [Alehagen 2015].
Coenzyme Q10 molecules are redox molecules that play an essential role in cellular bio-energetics and in antioxidant defense of cells [Alehagen 2019].
In an international randomized controlled multi-center study, the Q-Symbio Study, daily adjunctive treatment of chronic heart failure patients with 3 x 100 milligrams of Coenzyme Q10 daily for two years resulted in significantly improved symptoms and survival for the patients in the CoQ10 adjunctive treatment group [Mortensen 2014]. In a sub-analysis of the European segment of the Q-Symbio Study, researchers showed that the CoQ10 adjunctive treatment was significantly associated with an improvement in the patients’ ejection fraction.
Sources
Alehagen U, Johansson P, Aaseth J, Alexander J, Surowiec I, Lundstedt-Enkel K & Lundstedt T. (2019). Significant changes in metabolic profiles after intervention with selenium and Coenzyme Q10 in an elderly population. Biomolecules, 9(10): 10.3390/biom9100553. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/9/10/553
Alehagen, U., Aaseth, J., Alexander, J., & Johansson, P. (2018). Still reduced cardiovascular mortality 12 years after supplementation with selenium and coenzyme Q10 for four years: A validation of previous 10-year follow-up results of a prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in elderly. Plos One, 13(4), e0193120.
Alehagen, U., Johansson, P., Aaseth, J., Alexander, J., & Brismar, K. (2017). Increase in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 after supplementation with selenium and Coenzyme Q10. A prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial among elderly Swedish citizens. Plos One, 12(6), e0178614.
Alehagen, U., Aaseth, J., Alexander, J., Svensson, E., Johansson, P., & Larsson, A. (2017). Less fibrosis in elderly subjects supplemented with selenium and coenzyme Q10-A mechanism behind reduced cardiovascular mortality? Biofactors (Oxford, England),
Alehagen, U., Lindahl, T. L., Aaseth, J., Svensson, E., & Johansson, P. (2015). Levels of sP-selectin and hs-CRP Decrease with Dietary Intervention with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Combined: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Plos One, 10(9), e0137680.
Alehagen, U., Aaseth, J., & Johansson, P. (2015). Less increase of copeptin and MR-proADM due to intervention with selenium and coenzyme Q10 combined: Results from a 4-year prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial among elderly Swedish citizens. Biofactors (Oxford, England), 41(6), 443-452.
Alehagen, U., & Aaseth, J. (2015). Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 interrelationship in cardiovascular diseases–A clinician’s point of view. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 31157-162.
Alehagen, U., Johansson, P., Björnstedt, M., Rosén, A., & Dahlström, U. (2013). Cardiovascular mortality and N-terminal-proBNP reduced after combined selenium and Coenzyme Q10 supplementation: a 5-year prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial among elderly Swedish citizens. International Journal of Cardiology, 167(5), 1860-1866.
Johansson, P., Dahlström, Ö., Dahlström, U., & Alehagen, U. (2015). Improved Health-Related Quality of Life, and More Days out of Hospital with Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Combined. Results from a Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Prospective Study. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 19(9), 870-877.
Mortensen, S. A., Rosenfeldt, F., Kumar, A., Dolliner, P., Filipiak, K. J., Pella, D., & Littarru, G. P. (2014). The effect of coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure: results from Q-SYMBIO: a randomized double-blind trial. JACC. Heart Failure, 2(6), 641-649.
Mortensen, A. L., Rosenfeldt, F., & Filipiak, K. J. (2019). Effect of Coenzyme Q10 in Europeans with chronic heart failure: A sub-group analysis of the Q-Symbio randomized double-blind study. Cardiology Journal, 26(2): 147-156.
The information presented in this review article is not intended as medical advice and should not be used as such.
16 October 2019