Konstantinos Katogiannis, Ignatios Ikonomidis, Dimitrios Boumpas, Emmanouil Korakas, George Pavlidis, Loukia Pliouta, Aikaterini Kountouri, Vaia Lambadiari, Emmanouil Vrentzos, Eleni Michalopoulou, Emilia Pelekanou
Journal: Cardiovascular diabetology 2024;23(1):245
PMID: 38987784
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common liver condition closely tied to obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular problems. It involves excess fat build-up in the liver and is often associated with damage to blood vessels and heart function. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a natural compound that supports energy production in cells and acts as an antioxidant, potentially improving liver and cardiovascular health. This study aimed to evaluate whether six months of high-dose CoQ10 supplementation could improve liver fat levels, blood vessel function, and heart health in people with MASLD. This research was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients diagnosed with MASLD were randomly assigned to receive either 300 mg/day of CoQ10 or a placebo for six months. Results showed that those who received CoQ10 had reduced liver fat (steatosis) and experienced improvements in blood vessel (endothelial and vascular) and heart (myocardial) function compared to those who took a placebo. The authors concluded that high-dose CoQ10 is a safe and effective supplement which may support both liver health and cardiovascular function in people with MASLD. These findings are clinically relevant for healthcare practitioners because they suggest that targeted antioxidant supplementation such as CoQ10 could be used as part of an integrative strategy to manage MASLD and reduce related cardiovascular risk.
BACKROUND
Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of this Randomized Double-blind clinical Trial was to evaluate the effects of coenzyme-Q10 supplementation in patients with MASLD in terms of endothelial, vascular and myocardial function.
METHODS
Sixty patients with MASLD were randomized to receive daily 240 mg of coenzyme-Q10 or placebo. At baseline and at 6-months, the a)Perfused boundary region of sublingual vessels using the Sideview Darkfield imaging technique, b)pulse-wave-velocity, c)flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, d)left ventricular global longitudinal strain, e)coronary flow reserve of the left anterior descending coronary artery and f)controlled attenuation parameter for the quantification of liver steatosis were evaluated.
RESULTS
Six months post-treatment, patients under coenzyme-Q10 showed reduced Perfused boundary region (2.18 ± 0.23vs.2.29 ± 0.18 μm), pulse-wave-velocity (9.5 ± 2vs.10.2 ± 2.3 m/s), controlled attenuation parameter (280.9 ± 33.4vs.304.8 ± 37.4dB/m), and increased flow-mediated dilation (6.1 ± 3.8vs.4.3 ± 2.8%), global longitudinal strain (-19.6 ± 1.6vs.-18.8 ± 1.9%) and coronary flow reserve (3.1 ± 0.4vs.2.8 ± 0.4) compared to baseline (p < 0.05). The placebo group exhibited no improvement during the 6-month follow-up period (p > 0.05). In patients under coenzyme-Q10, the reduction in controlled attenuation parameter score was positively related to the reduction in Perfused boundary region and pulse wave velocity and reversely related to the increase in coronary flow reserve and flow-mediated dilation (p < 0.05 for all relations).
CONCLUSIONS
Six-month treatment with high-dose coenzyme-Q10 reduces liver steatosis and improves endothelial, vascular and left ventricle myocardial function in patients with MASLD, demonstrating significant improvements in micro- and macro-vasculature function.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
NCT05941910.
© 2024. The Author(s).
© Copyright 2026, Nutrition Evidence
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