Does oral Coenzyme Q10 plus NADH supplementation improve fatigue and biochemical parameters in [CFS]

[MikeJackmin]

Does oral Coenzyme Q10 plus NADH supplementation improve fatigue and biochemical parameters in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Antioxid Redox Signal. 2014 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Castro-Marrero J1, Cordero MD, Segundo MJ, Saez-Francas N, Calvo N, Román-Malo L, Aliste L, Fernandez de Sevilla T, Alegre-Martin J.

NIH link here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25386668

Summary here:

http://www.bioportfolio.com/resourc...prove-fatigue-and-biochemical-parameters.html

"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a chronic and extremely debilitating illness characterized by prolonged fatigue and multiple symptoms with unknown cause, diagnostic test, or universally effective treatment. Inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and CoQ10 deficiency have been well documented in CFS. We conducted an 8-weeks randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the benefits of oral CoQ10 (200 mg/day) plus NADH (20 mg/day) supplementation on fatigue and biochemical parameters in 73 Spanish CFS patients. This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02063126). A significant improvement of fatigue showing a reduction in FIS total score (p< 0.05) was reported in treated group vs. placebo. In addition, a recovery of the biochemical parameters was also reported. NAD+/NADH (p< 0.001), CoQ10 (p< 0.05), ATP (p< 0.05) and citrate synthase (p< 0.05) were significantly higher and lipoperoxides (p< 0.05) were significantly lower in blood mononuclear cells (BMCs) of the treated group. These observations lead to the hypothesis that the oral CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation could confers potential therapeutic benefits on fatigue and biochemical parameters in CFS. Larger sample trials are warranted to confirm these findings."
​

More details here:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02063126

They tested substance was "oral ReConnect supplementation ( NADH: 20 mg/day, Coenzyme Q10: 200 mg/day; 4 tablets/day)".

 

[alex3619]

This is not a surprise. Many of us find combining these two very helpful,. What we do not know is which patients improve. It would be good to see what the responder versus non responder rates are. Also the effect size is important, and whether or not objective function measures were used.

 

[Hip]

Both these supplements have individually been previously shown to be of benefit in ME/CFS:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10071523
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8241699

 

[Simon]

Interesting results given a reasonable sample size of 73 and a double-blind placebo control.

@Hip, those studies are from 1999:

Therapeutic effects of oral NADH on the symptoms of patients with c... - PubMed - NCBI

Within this cohort of 26 patients, 8 of 26 (31%) responded favorably to NADH in contrast to 2 of 26 (8%) to placebo. Based upon these encouraging results we have decided to conduct an open-label study in a larger cohort of patients.

I'm assuming there was no report on that open label study, which makes me suspect it didn't work, assuming it went ahead. I do remember these supplements were both much vaunted in the late 1990s so was slightly surprised to see a new study on it now.

 

[Hip]

I regularly used Q10 and NADH both before I developed ME/CFS 10 years ago, and afterwards too. They tended to have more powerful effects on me before I developed ME/CFS, but they still work to reasonable degree with my ME/CFS. Both supplements seem to perk up my mood and increase energy for me, particularly NADH. Doses I use are typically Q10 300 mg, and NADH 10 mg. NADH must be taken sublingually.

The effects of a single dose of NADH I find last a whole day, whereas Q10 wears off after half a day or so. It's best not to take NADH in the evening, as the zing it creates in your mind can keep you awake. Though it's fine if you take NADH in the morning, because it then wears off by bedtime.

 

[Dolphin]

Does oral Coenzyme Q10 plus NADH supplementation improve fatigue and biochemical parameters in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Antioxid Redox Signal. 2014 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Castro-Marrero J1, Cordero MD, Segundo MJ, Saez-Francas N, Calvo N, Román-Malo L, Aliste L, Fernandez de Sevilla T, Alegre-Martin J.

NIH link here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25386668

Summary here:

http://www.bioportfolio.com/resourc...prove-fatigue-and-biochemical-parameters.html

"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a chronic and extremely debilitating illness characterized by prolonged fatigue and multiple symptoms with unknown cause, diagnostic test, or universally effective treatment. Inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and CoQ10 deficiency have been well documented in CFS. We conducted an 8-weeks randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the benefits of oral CoQ10 (200 mg/day) plus NADH (20 mg/day) supplementation on fatigue and biochemical parameters in 73 Spanish CFS patients. This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02063126). A significant improvement of fatigue showing a reduction in FIS total score (p< 0.05) was reported in treated group vs. placebo. In addition, a recovery of the biochemical parameters was also reported. NAD+/NADH (p< 0.001), CoQ10 (p< 0.05), ATP (p< 0.05) and citrate synthase (p< 0.05) were significantly higher and lipoperoxides (p< 0.05) were significantly lower in blood mononuclear cells (BMCs) of the treated group. These observations lead to the hypothesis that the oral CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation could confers potential therapeutic benefits on fatigue and biochemical parameters in CFS. Larger sample trials are warranted to confirm these findings."
​

More details here:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02063126

They tested substance was "oral ReConnect supplementation ( NADH: 20 mg/day, Coenzyme Q10: 200 mg/day; 4 tablets/day)".

Full text now available free here: http://www.tritolonen.fi/files/pdf/ARS-2014-6181-Castro-Marrero_1P.pdf

 

[Dolphin]

The size of the improvement on the FIS is not large

 

[Pyrrhus]

A follow-up, more rigorous, study:

Effect of coenzyme Q10 plus nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide supplementation on maximum heart rate after exercise testing in chronic fatigue syndrome - A randomized, controlled, double-blind trial (Castro-Marrero et al., 2016)
https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(15)00189-2/fulltext

Excerpt:

Background & aims
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex condition, characterized by severe disabling fatigue with no known cause, no established diagnostic tests, and no universally effective treatment. Several studies have proposed symptomatic treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) supplementation. The primary endpoint was to assess the effect of CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation on age-predicted maximum heart rate (max HR) during a cycle ergometer test. Secondary measures included fatigue, pain and sleep.

Methods
A proof-of-concept, 8-week, randomized, controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in 80 CFS patients assigned to receive either CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation or matching placebo twice daily. Maximum HR was evaluated at baseline and at end of the run-in period using an exercise test. Fatigue, pain and sleep were evaluated at baseline, and then reassessed at 4- and 8-weeks through self-reported questionnaires.

Results
The CoQ10 plus NADH group showed a significant reduction in max HR during a cycle ergometer test at week 8 versus baseline (P = 0.022). Perception of fatigue also showed a decrease through all follow-up visits in active group versus placebo (P = 0.03). However, pain and sleep did not improve in the active group. Coenzyme Q10 plus NADH was generally safe and well tolerated.

Conclusions
Our results suggest that CoQ10 plus NADH supplementation for 8 weeks is safe and potentially effective in reducing max HR during a cycle ergometer test and also on fatigue in CFS. Further additional larger controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

 

[msf]

I have found that Chinese skullcap is very effective in reducing my maximum heartrate during exercise. I noticed this effect minutes after taking my first dose (and starting to work out). Since starting to take it I can pretty much exercise normally again, with little or no PEM.

 

[Jo from Austria]

Since starting to take it I can pretty much exercise normally again, with little or no PEM.

how do you take the skullcap? as a tee or as a capsule?

 

[msf]

Sorry, just saw this. I have posted about it on a thread on this forum. It take it as a tea.

 

[Alvin2]

One of the questions i have not been able to figure out is how much NADH is in the body of a normal non ME/CFS patient.
I have seen 5, 10 and 20mg tablets, but i have no idea if this is adding 1%, 25%, 100% or more of what a normal human has or uses per day.