Coenzyme Q10 for migraine sufferers
Update 09/07/2013 – Ubiquinone, better known as coenzyme Q10, may help prevent migraine. This is what the results of a clinical trial indicate1 double-blind with placebo, obtained by researchers at the University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, and the University of Liège, Belgium.
For three months, 43 subjects with recurrent migraines took either 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 three times a day or a placebo. The results indicate that, in subjects who took this supplement, the frequency of attacks was lower than in subjects in the placebo group. Ubiquinone was also found to be more effective than placebo in reducing the frequency of nausea episodes that accompany migraine.
It seems that the effects of CoQ10 start to be felt after one month and peak after three months of treatment. According to the results of this trial, 33% of subjects who took the coenzyme saw a decrease in the frequency of migraine episodes from which they suffered compared to 14% in subjects in the placebo group.
These results compare with those already obtained in trials with conventional drugs for the treatment of migraine. Although its effectiveness should be confirmed by longer trials involving more subjects, CoQ10 would be a good alternative to conventional synthetic drugs.
The study authors note that its safety makes coenzyme Q10 an ideal treatment for children and women of childbearing age struggling with migraines.
Close relative of vitamin K by its chemical structure, coenzyme Q10 activates the production of energy on the cellular level. It is also present throughout the body, especially in the heart, stomach, liver, kidneys and prostate. The body is able to synthesize CoQ10 according to its needs. But due to age or a health problem, it may produce less.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies (FACT).
1. Sandor PS, Di Clemente L, Coppola G, Saenger U, Fumal A, Magis D, Seidel L, Agosti RM, Schoenen J. Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial.Neurology. 2005 Feb 22; 64 (4): 713-5.