What makes selenium and Coenzyme Q10 a good heart health combination supplement? Here, of course, we are talking about supplementation of individuals who have low selenium and CoQ10 blood levels.
How much selenium is enough? How much Coenzyme Q10 is enough? Roughly estimated, individuals with serum selenium levels below 80 mcg/L may need more selenium than they are getting in their diets. The same estimate applies to individuals with plasma CoQ10 levels below 0.8 mg/L. The goal of the selenium supplementation is to raise the circulating selenium levels to approximately 125 mcg/L [Larsen 2024]. The purpose of the CoQ10 supplementation is to raise the circulating CoQ10 levels to about 2.5 mg/L [Langsjoen 2014].
Evidence for Combined Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation?
KiSel-10 Study
What did the KiSel-10 Study protocol look like?
In Sweden, Prof Urban Alehagen and his research team randomly assigned 443 community living elderly individuals (average age: 78 years) to take a combined supplement or matching placebos for four years. The daily dosages were 200 mcg selenium in selenium-enriched yeast tablets and 2 times 100 mg CoQ10 in the ubiquinone form [Alehagen 2013].
What were the selenium and CoQ10 blood levels at the beginning of the KiSel-10 study?
Both levels were low, the selenium levels particularly so. At the study start, the mean selenium level was 67 mcg/L. Four years of selenium supplementation raised the mean selenium level to 210 mcg/L. At the study start, the mean CoQ10 level was 0.82 mg/L. After four years, the level had risen to 2.17 mg/L [Alehagen 2020].
What were the primary outcomes of the KiSel-10 study?
Compared to placebo, the combined selenium and CoQ10 supplementation produced the following significant results [Alehagen 2013]:
- reduced cardiovascular mortality
- improved heart function scores on echocardiography
- reduced the levels of cardiac biomarker NT-proBNP
What were important secondary outcomes of the KiSel-10 study?
The combined supplementation of elderly individuals low in selenium and CoQ10 conferred significant health benefits through the following biological mechanisms [Alehagen 2022]:
- reduced blood levels of biomarkers for inflammation
- reduced blood levels of biomarkers for oxidative stress
- reduced blood levels of biomarkers for fibrosis
- improved heart muscle function
Was there a persistent beneficial effect in the KiSel-10 study?
The significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality associated with the combined supplementation persisted for another eight years after the four-year study period [Alehagen 2018].
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Study
What did the CFS Study protocol look like?
This was an open-label exploratory study evaluating the effects of combined selenium and CoQ10 supplementation on 27 CFS patients. The researchers administered 200 mcg of selenium and 400 mg of CoQ10 daily for 8 weeks [Castro-Marrero 2022].
What effects did eight weeks of combined supplementation have on CFS patients?
The researchers observed the following significant clinical effects [Castro-Marrero 2022]:
- improvements in overall fatigue severity and global quality of life
- increases in total antioxidant capacity
- reductions in lipoperoxide levels
- decreases in circulating cytokine levels
Conclusion: Who Benefits from Combined Selenium and CoQ10 Supplementation?
Elderly individuals low in selenium and/or Coenzyme Q10 can benefit from combined supplementation.
Individuals diagnosed with low-energy syndrome disorders can benefit from combined supplementation.
Sources
Alehagen U et al. 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. Int J Cardiol. 2013 Sep 1;167(5):1860-6.
Alehagen U et al. 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. 2018 Apr 11;13(4):e0193120.
Alehagen U et al. Supplemental selenium and coenzyme Q10 reduce glycation along with cardiovascular mortality in an elderly population with low selenium status – A four-year, prospective, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2020 Sep;61:126541.
Alehagen U et al. Improved cardiovascular health by supplementation with selenium and coenzyme Q10: applying structural equation modelling to clinical outcomes and biomarkers to explore underlying mechanisms in a prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intervention project in Sweden. Eur J Nutr. 2022 Sep;61(6):3135-3148.
Castro-Marrero J et al. Does Coenzyme Q10 plus selenium supplementation ameliorate clinical outcomes by modulating oxidative stress and inflammation in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome? Antioxid Redox Signal. 2022 Apr;36(10-12):729-739.
Langsjoen PH & Langsjoen AM. Comparison study of plasma coenzyme Q10 levels in healthy subjects supplemented with ubiquinol versus ubiquinone. Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev. 2014 Jan;3(1):13-7.
Larsen C et al. Selenium supplementation and placebo are equally effective in improving quality of life in patients with hypothyroidism. Eur Thyroid J. 2024 Jan 1;13(1):e230175.
The information presented in this review article is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used as such.