Quercitin and CoQ10 help with High Blood Pressure

A lot of people come to my Wellness Center with high blood pressure determined to do something about it, because they know it can lead to kidney damage, stroke, and heart attack.

What they don’t know, either because their doctors don’t know or don’t say, is that the prescription drugs they’re taking for it can actually do more harm than good.

Yet the warnings are there on the label of these drugs for anyone to see, doctors especially. And there’s plenty of research showing you can effectively treat high blood pressure and other serious heart health problems safely and naturally, without dangerous and expensive drugs. These are things your doctor ought to know.

Just recently I came across another study showing that a natural substance called quercetin lowers blood pressure. Quercetin belongs to a class of potent antioxidants called “bioflavonoids.” Apples, onions, garlic, tea, red grapes, berries, broccoli, and leafy greens are also rich sources of quercetin. It’s off most doctors’ radar screens. But there’s plenty of evidence to suggest it’s a great treatment option for hypertension.

In a recent study researchers took 19 people with “pre-hypertension” – meaning their blood pressure was close to the line, but not over it – and 22 people with full-blown high blood pressure, and gave them 730 mgs of quercetin for four weeks.1

Interestingly, those with pre-hypertension didn’t see any effect, but those with high blood pressure showed significant improvement. The researchers weren’t sure why, but quercetin seems to “know” if you’ve got high blood pressure and launches into action.

This was not the first time quercetin’s been linked to high blood pressure treatment. British researchers found it to be highly effective in animal studies.2

Beta blockers, the most common treatment for hypertension and chest pain, come with a host of serious side effects, including: Fatigue, Lowered Sex Drive, Dizziness, Depression, Nausea and Impotence.

But what’s really worrisome are the long-term effects they have on overall cardiovascular health. They raise your triglyceride levels – the “bad fats” that clog your arteries – and lower your HDL levels – the “good” cholesterol your body needs for optimal health. Not exactly the ideal cure for heart disease.

Calcium channel blockers, including Procardia XL, Dilacor, and Tiazac, have similar side effects. And, like beta blockers, a number of studies have found that people on them ran a much higher risk of heart attack than those on other medications – as much as 60%.3

And nitrate drugs, including Nitroglycerin, Isoptin, and Dilatrate, cause damage to your cardiovascular system, when they’re supposed to be healing it. In the short-term, they’re good at opening up your blood vessels, allowing for better flow. But over time, they destroy the sensitive lining of your blood vessels, called the endothelium.

A recent Japanese study found that people taking nitrate drugs were 2.4 times more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who didn’t.4 And the damage caused to the endothelium made those heart attacks more severe.

So you can see why, in my own practice, I stick to natural agents in treating high blood pressure. As far as quercetin goes, I recommend anywhere from 300 to 750 mgs per day. One thing to keep in mind: it can block the effect of a class of antibiotics called “fluoroquinolones.” If you’re on an antibiotic, check with your doctor before you start taking quercetin.

CoQ10 is another excellent option. I found that most people with high blood pressure have low levels of CoQ10. And most can bring their blood pressure in line with about 100 mgs per day.

I’ve also seen dramatic results with an amino acid called l-arginine. It works the same way as nitrate drugs, without any of the damage. Nitrate drugs deliver nitric oxide (NO) to the endothelium. NO’s cause the endothelium to relax. L-arginine does the same thing, but unlike nitrate drugs, its action is completely harmless, because l-arginine occurs naturally in the body. So the lining of your blood vessels remain healthy. I use 500 mgs of l-arginine per day with my patients.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Sources:
1. Edwards et al, “Quercetin reduces blood pressure in hypertensive subjects,” Journal of Nutrition, 2007, 137(11):2405-11.
2. Duarte et al, “Antihypertensive effects of the flavonoid quercetin in spontaneously hypertensive rats,” British Journal of Pharmacology, 2001, 133, 117–124.
3. Psaty et al, “The risk of myocardial infarction associated with anti-hypertensive drug therapies,” Journal of the American Medical Association, 1995, 274(8):620-625.
4. Circulation Supplement II, Circulation, 2002, 106(19): Preliminary Abstract 1494.

Your Health and Mine