If i don't have enough vitamin E inmy diet, could i take the antioxident supplement Coenzyme Q10 to replace it

Answer 1

Hi Biohelp. I feel compelled to answer by disagreeing with the others here. There have been several recent medical studies documenting Vitamin E deficiency in preschoolers in the United States. In one study, two out of three children were grossly deficient in their blood levels of vitamin E! So, it is very COMMON to be vitamin E deficient as a result of eating the Standard American Diet.

Another person is confused about the safety of vitamin E and its potential role in cancer causation. The two studies he seems to be referencing were performed on life-time heavy smokers with extreme risks for lung cancer. These two studies used high doses of synthetic beta-carotene and vitamin E supplements. The beta-carotene was blamed for the increased risk of lung cancer, NOT vitamin E.

Additionally,numerous leading researchers have debunked the 'vitamin E is dangerous' reports of late. The big 'report' was a bogus meta-analysis that mis-represented its own findings!

Now, to answer your question. Generally speaking, CoQ10 will not replace vitamin E in the diet. Vitamin E has specific functions that cannot be replaced by CoQ10. However, CoQ10 may 'spare' vitamin E (because both are involved in the anti-oxidant network that recycles vitamins C and E), thus helping to mitigate the damage of a vitamin E insufficiency.

I hope you find this helpful. Best wishes and good luck.

Answer 2

You're talking apples and oranges here. Vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10 are not interchangeable -- one does not substitute for the other.

It would be difficult to have a diet truly deficient in Vitamin E, and there is no need whatsoever to take Vitamin E supplements.

Coenzyme Q10 may be helpful in cardiovascular health, and it may be especially important to take supplemental Co-Q10 if you are on a statin. Statins reduce natural levels of Co-Q10 in the body by about half. Statins are a class of medications used to lower cholesterol, and they include Mevacor (lovastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Lipitor (atorvastatin), Lescol (fluvastatin) and Crestor (rosuvistatin), and one that was withdrawn from the market, Baycol (cerivistatin).

Answer 3

In addition, there is some evidence that TOO MUCH Vitamin E is harmful; there are at least a couple of studies that associate excessive Vitamin E with increased risk of lung cancer. Also, I don't think that there have been any controlled studies that have conclusively demonstrated a cardiovascular benefit from Vitamin E supplementation; in fact, most of the studies on the non-alternative medicine side have demonstrated no benefit from Vitamin E supplementation.