* Inherited or acquired disorders that limit energy production in the cells of the body (mitochondrial disorders). Improvement in symptoms is slow. Some people have to take coenzyme Q-10 for six months to get the most benefit.
*Congestive heart failure (CHF). There is no evidence that taking coenzyme Q-10 alone can help heart failure. But there is some evidence (though controversial) that it might be helpful when taken in combination with other heart failure medications and treatments.
*Decreasing the risk of additional heart problems in people who have had a recent heart attack (myocardial infarction, MI). When started within 72 hours of MI and taken for one year, coenzyme Q-10 appears to significantly lower the risk of heart-related events including non-fatal MI.
*Huntington’s disease (a rare genetic neurological disorder). Ubiquinol, an altered form of coenzyme Q-10, has been granted “Orphan Drug Status” by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This gives the maker of Ubiquinol some financial incentives to study its effectiveness for Huntington’s, a condition that is so rare (affecting less than 200,000 individuals) that pharmaceutical companies might not otherwise invest in developing a drug for it. However, taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth in doses of 600 mg per day or less doesn’t seem to be effective for slowing the progression of Huntington’s disease.
*Preventing blood vessel complications caused by heart bypass surgery. There is some evidence that taking coenzyme Q-10 by mouth for a week before surgery might help to reduce blood vessel damage. But not all research agrees with this finding.