Background: Studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease. Hypertension is a commonly measured surrogate marker for non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular endpoints such as heart attacks and strokes. Clinical trials have suggested that coenzyme Q10 supplementation can effectively lower blood pressure (BP).
Objectives: To determine the blood pressure lowering effect of coenzyme Q10 in primary hypertension.
Search strategy: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2009 Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966 -May 2008), EMBASE (1982 - May 2008), and CINAHL (1970 - May 2008) as well as the reference lists of articles were searched for relevant clinical trials in any language.
Selection criteria: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel or crossover trials evaluating the BP lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for a duration of at least 3 weeks in patients with primary hypertension.
Data collection and analysis: The primary author independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted the data. The second author verified data extraction.
Main results: Three clinical trials with a total of 96 participants were evaluated for the effects of coenzyme Q10 on blood pressure compared to placebo. Treatment with coenzyme Q10 in subjects with systolic BP (SBP) > 140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) > 90 mmHg resulted in mean decreases in SBP of 11 mmHg (95% CI 8, 14) and DBP of 7 mmHg (95% CI 5, 8).
Authors' conclusions: Due to the possible unreliability of some of the included studies, it is uncertain whether or not coenzyme Q10 reduces blood pressure in the long-term management of primary hypertension.