FOR PAXILED AND FORUM PART # 1

[deepdiver]

I understand what you're saying, that is why I suggest consumerlab.  I also check with my son he is the princple scientist at a major pharmacutical co.
and knows the consumerlab people. the folowing is part of the lab web site and what they test for in coq10.
I will call this post # 1. I will try to post the testing results in part # 2.
What It Is:
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), also known as ubiquinone, is a naturally occurring anti-oxidant compound and is used for energy production within cells. It's manufactured in the heart, liver, kidney and pancreas. The body normally produces sufficient CoQ10, although some medications such as statins may interfere with this process and CoQ10 levels in the body may decline with age and heart disease. Only small amounts of CoQ10 are available from food, mainly beef and chicken. Consequently, dietary supplements are the most common way to increase the body's CoQ10 levels.

After being absorbed into the body, more than 90% of CoQ10 is converted to its active form, known as (CoQH2-10) or ubiquinol.  Ubiquinol has strong antioxidant properties.  Conditions that cause oxidative stress on the body, like liver disease, decrease the ratio of ubiquinol to CoQ10.  Increasing age is also associated with a decreased ratio of ubiquinol to CoQ10.   Like CoQ10, ubiquinol is available as a dietary supplement. (For more information about forms sold, see What to Consider When Buying and Using.)

What It Does:
Taken orally, coenzyme Q10 may help treat congestive heart failure, a disease in which the heart doesn't adequately maintain circulation. CoQ10's role in cell energy production may be the mechanism by which it assists the heart. CoQ10 may help prevent migraine headaches, reduce the likelihood of more heart problems in some people who've had a first heart attack, and delay the progression of Parkinson's disease. CoQ10 may also be useful in treating diseases including muscular dystrophy, AIDS, hypertension, and mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. There is also evidence that it may increase sperm motility. CoQ10 might help reverse side effects experienced by people who have taken "statin" drugs to lower high cholesterol. In children with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) ubiquinol supplementation has been shown to increase the ratio of ubiquinol to CoQ10 to normal levels – although it is unknown if this provides medical benefit.  Although sometimes touted for enhancing athletic performance and treating gum disease, these uses haven't been well demonstrated.

More information about CoQ10's uses and clinical studies is found in the review article in the Encyclopedia on the ConsumerLab.com website.

Quality Concerns and What CL Tested for:
No government agency is responsible for routinely testing CoQ10 or ubiquinol supplements for their contents or quality. Research by ConsumerLab.com in 2000 and 2004 found that not all CoQ10 supplements contained their claimed amounts, although all products tested in 2006 met their claims. Because products on the market are constantly changing, ConsumerLab.com recently evaluated more CoQ10 products, as well as ubiquinol products, to determine whether they contained the amounts of CoQ10 stated on their labels. All non-chewable tablets were also tested to be sure that they would properly disintegrate. (See How Products Were Evaluated for information on testing methods and passing score.)

What CL Found:
All but one of the products tested were found to contain their labeled amounts of CoQ10 and/or ubiquinol. Healthy America Coenzyme Q10 provided only 86.7% of its claimed 150 mg of CoQ10 per softgel, despite a quality guarantee and “cGMP” claim -- suggesting that it was made according to the FDA’s good manufacturing practices for dietary supplements.

Although most products passed testing, it is important to note that the amount of CoQ10 or ubiquinol across products ranged from 22 mg to as much as 600 mg. It is important, therefore, that you determine the proper dose for your intended use rather than rely on a product's suggested serving size. (See the ConsumerTips section for dosage information and consult your doctor.) Switching from a low dose to high dose product, or vice versa, may affect the efficacy and side-effects associated with use of CoQ10.

Test Results by Product:
Listed alphabetically below are the test results for forty-one  CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements. ConsumerLab.com selected twenty. Twenty-one others (each indicated with an asterisk) were tested at the request of their manufacturers/distributors through CL's Voluntary Certification Program and are included for having passed testing. Also listed is one product similar to one that passed but sold under a different brand name.

Shown for each product is the labeled amount of CoQ10 and/or ubiquinol per unit, the daily serving size, and the expected dose per day. The full list of ingredients is available for each product by clicking on the word "Ingredients" in the first column.

[deepdiver]

P.S. Don't talk about alternative med. in other forums that's how you could be expelled!!

[deepdiver]

you could be expelled from MedHelp!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paxiled]

Just  for kicks, why were you expelled?  I'm in the anxiety community, my problem was phobias, but now it's all sorts of things that happened to me after tapering off Paxil.  I'm like the walking dead now!  But I get some adverse comments there because they seem to be so pro-medication.  I'm much more cautious.  Just curious.  Am I going to get expelled from the anxiety forum?

[deepdiver]

I have posted in the heart forum and I was not liked. I was expelled!!!
That is why when you buy new supplements you're to take your old bottle and check
ingredients. I can't speak for all pharmaceutical companies but what my son says
about some co. is good!

[Paxiled]

Only one problem with this, which is what I was getting at -- just because one random sampling found the labels conformed to the product doesn't mean the product itself was absorbable by the body.  Obviously, that's a tough question, because research on food and natural supplements isn't as plentiful as we'd like since there's no money to be made here -- no patents.  And most of the best research is done in foreign countries, which is usually discounted by American science, which is almost purely motivated by income from pharmaceutical companies.  Sad state of affairs when we still don't know what food does and contains.  

Very happy to see you indicate to people that statins and other drugs used to treat heart disease, and even to prevent heart disease, can rob the body of nutrients that the body uses to prevent heart disease like CoQ10.  Another problem nutrient is magnesium, which relaxes the heart muscle but which is leached out of the body by too much calcium or inadequate supplies of potassium.  We live in ignorance.  You should post this in the heart disease forum, if there is one, because doctors don't tell patients about the nutrient disturbing effects of medication.

Keep up the good work.