Garlic Extract, CoQ10 Combo Shows Cardiac Benefits in Firefighter Study

A supplement called Kyolic CoQ10, which contains 300 mg of Kyolic brand aged garlic extract and 30 mg CoQ10, showed cardiovascular benefits, such as a reduction in the progression of coronary artery calcification, in a year-long study in firefighters.

The one-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed on 65 firefighters at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. The firefighters in the study already had established cardiovascular disease. Both at the beginning and the end of the study, subjects’ arterial plaque build-up was measured using Cardiac CT, a 3-D imaging technique. Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were also measured.

Each day for a year, the firefighters were given either placebo or four capsules of Kyolic CoQ10, with each capsule containing 300 mg Kyolic aged garlic extract and 30 mg CoQ10. After 12 months, the UCLA researchers found that the Kyolic CoQ10 group showed significant reductions in the progression of coronary artery calcification. Specifically, they said, the Kyolic group showed a fourfold decrease in the progression of arterial calcification.

The subjects also showed significant reduction in biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, including a sevenfold reduction in the lipoprotein-associated inflammatory biomarker phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2).

Matthew Budoff, MD, who led the study, said that previous studies by his research team showed that Kyolic aged garlic extract combined with other nutrients improved oxidative biomarkers and vascular function. Previous studies also showed that Kyolic garlic extract may slow the progression of atherosclerosis, which is the gradual narrowing and hardening of arteries implicated in heart attack and stroke.

The results of this latest firefighter study were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s recent symposium in Chicago.

The study was performed on firefighters because, according to researchers, sudden cardiac death accounts for nearly half of all on-duty fatalities among firefighters. Kyolic CoQ10 is a product of Wakunaga of America.