Hope for Heart Health
Introducing the Anti-Inflammatory Duo
by Aisling Cronin
If you are currently caring for older family members who may be at risk of heart problems, help is at hand in the form of two vital nutrients – selenium and coenzyme Q10.
Inflammation is a common thread in countless diseases, and is a key driver of cardiovascular disease: a leading cause of mortality and reduced quality of life for older people. Luckily, a Swedish KiSel-10 study – published in the International Journal of Cardiology – revealed that the combination of selenium and coenzyme Q10 may present a powerful solution.
Both of these nutrients boast anti-inflammatory properties … and the KiSel-10 study demonstrated that when they are combined in supplement form, they have the capacity to reduce cardiovascular mortality by 54 percent.
Positive impact on inflammatory markers
Eight years on from the publication of the KiSel-10 research, nineteen sub-studies have been published, all supporting the original findings. The nineteenth and most recent study – published in the online edition of Nutrients on April 17th, 2021 – shows that combined supplementation with SelenoPrecise and Bio-Quinone Q10 lowers levels of a compound called D-dimer.
D-dimer is a protein that is commonly used as a biomarker of increased inflammation, blood clotting, and cardiovascular disease. Levels of this protein tend to increase as a natural result of ageing, but they can also rise as a result of blood clots and other cardiovascular problems.
D-dimer is a biological “footprint” of inflammation, as are other blood-borne biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), von Willebrand factor, sP-selectin, and osteopontin. Levels of these compounds, as well as similar biomarkers, go up when inflammation sets in.
This is where it gets really interesting: a number of the sub-studies that have been conducted since the original KiSel-10 trial have shown that selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation has a favourable impact on inflammation biomarkers.
In other words, the supplements appear to have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Over 50,000 blood samples analysed
The original KiSel-10 study was conducted on 443 men and women, all aged between 70 and 88. For four years, they took selenium and coenzyme Q10, or a matching placebo. More than 50,000 blood samples were drawn from the participants during this period.
The scientists concluded that the supplements reduced mortality by over 50 percent, and notably improved heart function.
Afterwards, through further analysis of the blood samples, they have seen again and again how the supplements affect various biomarkers in the blood, and inflammation seems to paint the greater picture.
Sources:
Cardiovascular mortality and N-terminal-proBNP reduced after combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation: a 5-year prospective randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial among elderly Swedish citizens
– International Journal of Cardiology, Sep 1 2013
Dietary Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Prevents Increase in Plasma D-Dimer While Lowering Cardiovascular Mortality in an Elderly Swedish Population
– Nutrients, Apr 17 2021
