What is the history of the discovery and use of CoQ10 as a complementary or alternative treatment for cancer?
Coenzyme Q10 was first identified in 1957. Its chemical structure was determined in 1958. Interest in coenzyme Q10 as a potential treatment for cancer began in 1961, when a deficiency of the enzyme was noted in the blood of cancer patients. Low blood levels of coenzyme Q10 have been found in patients with mycelia, lymphoma, and cancers of the breast, lung, prostate, pancreas, colon, kidney, and head and neck. Studies have yielded information about how CoQ10 works in the body to produce energy and act as an antioxidant. Some studies have suggested that coenzyme Q10 stimulates the immune system and increases resistance to disease. In part because of this, researchers have theorized that Co Q10 may be useful as an adjuvant therapy for cancer. (Adjuvant therapy is treatment given following the primary treatment to enhance the effectiveness of the primary treatment.
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