What is pre-diabetes? According to the National Diabetes Education Program,1

(NDEP) “Pre-diabetes is a condition in which individuals have high blood glucose or hemoglobin A1C levels but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.” Diabetes carries with it the risk of pre-mature death from heart

attack and stroke as well as complications of kidney, eye and nerve damage. Even if you’ve been diagnosed as “pre-diabetic” based on blood tests, get out of that diagnostic box! According to the American Diabetes Association

2 (ADA)

– which is tracking a large number of pre-diabetic people in their preventionprogram – diabetes is not inevitable. Intervention can delay or prevent it entirely.The scary news is that at current diagnosis rates, the ADA estimates 64% will

be diabetic by 2025. Forewarning: the person that decides whether to be one of those numbers or not is you.

Pre-diabetes, why should we be concerned? After all, it’s not really a disease entity – yet. Praemonitus, praemunitus. To be

forewarned is to be forearmed!

Both the NDEP and the ADA have sensible lifestyle changes on their websites but will not tell you about the “inside” role one nutrient plays in changing your pre-diabetes odds. That nutrient is coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10. In fact, one study in 1976 raised a red flag on CoQ10 deficiency in diabetes. Could being forearmed with CoQ10 help you stay out of the box?

Let me be honest; the FDA, which oversees supplement regulation, forbids a claim on preventing, treating or diagnosing any medical condition unless evidence has been submitted to and approved by them that such a claim is valid. We all know that the pharmaceutical business is a big money business while it’s difficult to make that profit line on supplements. So I’ll present the evidence to you that will justify CoQ10’s value in pre-diabetes, let the evidence speak for itself and then you can decide.

CoQ10 is called ubiquinone for a reason; it means “everywhere”. CoQ10 is a substance found in almost every cell in the body that helps convert your food to energy. Since metabolism problems are part of the pre-diabetes profile, CoQ10 could be part of the solution. Although you do make CoQ10, levels decline with age so supplementation seems wise given (coincidentally or not) that diabetes risk increases with age. Plus, a more active form of CoQ10 is available, ubiquinol CoQ10.

CoQ10 is low in the two primary types of diabetes. Type 1 is autoimmune and genetics obviously play a critical role. Type 2, commonly called adult onset diabetes, accounts for

95% of diagnosed cases and develops over time. Lifestyle choices, especially dietary, the state of mitochondria health and antioxidant status are factors. This article addresses the last two.

For type 2, the body’s abilty to effectively metabolize carbohydrates, fats and protein is compromised. This may be due to problems with insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin’s job is to get sugar from digested foods into cells for the energy needs of cells and tissues, especially in the brain. If the body does not secrete enough insulin or cells become resistant to insulin, sugar remains in the bloodstream and causes problems. So how does CoQ10 factor in?

Uncontrolled blood sugar is associated with excess free radicals and a decrease in antioxidant defense that leads to oxidative stress. Specific nutrients that play a role in sugar metabolism (magnesium, chromium, alpha lipoic acid, B vitamins) reduce the glycemic or sugar load. Antioxidants (alpha lipoic, vitamin C and CoQ10) help protect the cell from oxidative stress and subsequent cell damage, continual perpetuation of more free radicals and progression toward insulin resistance.

Additionally, mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the development of type 1 and 2 diabetes. There are thousands of mitochondria in each cell working to get the energy job done efficiently and CoQ10 directly impacts them. CoQ10 levels are already known to be low in diabetes. This CoQ10

Pre-Diabetes

Continued

Pre-Diabetes & CoQ10get out of the box!

by Margy Squires

deficiency in the pancreas may impair energy metabolism and affect insulin response. Plus, as an antioxidant, CoQ10 also protects mitochondria from injury in the process of energy production when free radicals are generated (which happens 24/7).

Whatever the mechanism, there’s no doubt CoQ10 helps glycemic control and more in these three selected published studies. The first example is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 64 patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Subjects were divided into two groups and for 12 weeks received either placebo or 200 mg daily of CoQ10. At the end of the study, those receiving CoQ10 had lower fasting blood tests than non-supplemented patients and lower LDL cholesterol.

The second example had a surprising outcome. The diabetics given 200 mg ubiquinol CoQ10 had improved glycemic test markers but so did the healthy controls. This finding clearly shows CoQ10’s preventative role in “normals”.

When compared to a lipid lowering drug in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, CoQ10 again offered bonus benefits. In this third example, diabetics with elevated fat in their blood (dyslipidemia) were divided into three groups receiving 100 mg CoQ10 twice daily, a lipid lowering drug plus CoQ10 or neither for 12 weeks. While the lipid drug did help the dyslipidemia, CoQ10 lowered blood pressure and improved blood sugar scores. Bottom line: CoQ10 has multiple advantages to reduce the risk of becoming “pre-diabetic” if you have protective levels of this “everywhere” nutrient.

SummaryWill you get pre-diabetes? CoQ10 could be a healthy way to be forearmed against this diagnosis by increasing your antioxidant defense and decreasing oxidative stress. CoQ10 further aids the metabolism of foods to energy, plus protects the mitochondria, the “energy factories” in every cell. When your metabolism is healthy, you are well able to handle (and enjoy) an occasional sugar treat. CoQ10, along with other supportive nutrients, gives you the protective edge to keep sugar under control – your control – and keep you out of the pre-diabetes box altogether.

Resources1. NDEP is a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 200 public and private organizations. http://ndep.nih.gov/

2. ADA website www.diabetes.org

©TyH Publications (M. Squires)

Addendum: You can read more about CoQ10’s role in fatigue, Parkinson’s, periodontal disease, statin use and more in TyH’s Online Health Library, plus:

u Diabetes: Type 2 Diabetes, A Runaway Train u Pre-Diabetes Predicament

Try TyH's Get with the Program below.

Pre-Diabetes & CoQ10continued

CoQ10 Short Accolades ListBy helping with blood sugar response,

CoQ10 also helps offset collateral damage to

u reinforce & protect mitochondriau enhance metabolism of food to energyu improve cell insulin sensitivityu lower LDL cholesterolu improve blood pressureu decrease vascular inflammationu reduce nerve damage/pain

For informational purposes only and not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any medical condition.

Originally published in Health Points. For a free newsletter, email customerservice@e-tyh.com. For more information on TyH products, visit TyH Online at www.e-tyh.com or call 800-801-1406.

Get with the Program™

Blood Sugar Health

u Multi-Gold™ (4/day)u Fibro-Care™ (4-6 Caps/day)u Alpha Lipoic Acid (100 mg 3x/day)u Buffered C (1000 mg/day)u Omega-3 (Fish, Flax or Krill)u CoQ10 (100 mg 1-2x/day)

Source: The Pre-Diabetes Predicament