Blood pressure lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for primary hypertension.

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). To determine the blood pressure lowering effect of coenzyme Q10 in primary hypertension. 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. 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. The primary author independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted the data. The second author verified data extraction. 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). 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.