Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. According to this study, children with Downs Syndrome had higher BMI, blood glucose levels, and IL 6 and TNF-alpha when compared to healthy controls. These children also had lower levels of CoQ10, suggesting that young Downs Syndrome children could potentially benefit from supplementation with CoQ10.
Down syndrome is characterized by an abnormality of the 21st chromosome (called “Trisomy 21”) and results in significant cognitive disability and neurologic deficiencies. The syndrome affects as many as 1 in 700 births 1. Because cell damage in the form of oxidative stress “is known to have a substantial role” in the severity of cognitive dysfunction and neurological deficiencies of Down syndrome patients 1,2, ways to help maintain cellular health in people with Down syndrome is needed.
A 2016 study 3 involved 86 children between the ages of 5 and 8 (43 children with Down syndrome, 43 children without Down syndrome). They were given CoQ10 supplements (no dosage was provided) for 8 months. Before and after the study, blood samples were obtained to measure for blood sugar, CoQ10, and the inflammatory proteins IL-6 and TNF-apha. IQ tests were also administered.
Before the study began, researchers noted the following differences between the children with Down syndrome and age-matched controls without Down syndrome:
Control Group Down Syndrome Group p-value
I.Q. 95 60
(36.9% lower)
0.001
Body Mass Index
(kg/m)
15.6 20.9
(33.9% higher)
0.001
Blood Sugar
(mg/dL)
93.4 103.6
(10.9% higher)
0.004
IL-6
(picograms/milliliter)
1.9 8.9
(368% higher)
0.001
TNF-alpha
(pg/mL)
3.6 19.8
(450% higher)
0.002
CoQ10
(micromole/Liter)
0.9 0.3
(66.7% lower)
0.002
Unfortunately, the researchers did not provide data after the supplementation period ended, only that “There was a significant positive correlation between CoQ10 levels and IQ scores as well as between IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels.” The researchers provided something called a “Pearson correlation coefficient” as a measure of the significant effect of CoQ10 on the above-mentioned variables, with a 0.4 correlation coefficient between CoQ10 and IQ and 0.9 between CoQ10 and both the inflammatory proteins IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
When suggesting how CoQ10 may elicit these benefits to children with Down Syndrome, the researchers pointed to research showing that CoQ10 protects cells against free radical damage scavenger 4,5. Other research suggests that CoQ10 may protect the function of a cell structure called the mitochondrion that provides energy for the cell to function 6.
For the researchers “Coenzyme Q10 might have a role as a good supplement in young children with Down syndrome to ameliorate the neurological symptoms.”
Source: Zaki ME, El-Bassyouni HT, Tosson AM, Youness E, Hussein J. Coenzyme Q10 and pro-inflammatory markers inchildren with Down syndrome: clinical and biochemical aspects. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2016.04.012
© 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Click here to read the full text study.
Posted January 2, 2017.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Perluigi M, Pupo G, Tramutola A, Cini C, Coccia R, Barone E,et al. Neuropathological role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis in Downsyndrome brain. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014;1842:1144—53
- Tiano L, Carnevali P, Padella L, Santoro L, Principi F, BrugèF, et al. Effect of coenzyme Q10 in mitigating oxidative DNAdamage in Down syndrome patients, a double blind randomizedcontrolled trial. Neurobiol Aging. 2011;32:2103—5
- 4. Perluigi M, Butterfield DA. Oxidative stress and Down Syndrome:a route toward Alzheimer-like dementia. Curr Gerontol GeriatrRes. 2012;2012:724904.5.
- Zaki ME. Coenzyme Q10 and pro-inflammatory markers in children with Down syndrome: clinical and biochemical aspects. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2016 Oct 19. pii: S0021-7557(16)30174-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2016.04.012. [Epub ahead of print]
- Tiano L, Padella L, Santoro L, Carnevali P, Principi F, BrugèF, et al. Prolonged coenzyme Q10 treatment in Down syn-drome patients: effect on DNA oxidation. Neurobiol Aging.2012;33:626, e1—8
- Miles MV, Patterson BJ, Chalfonte-Evans ML, Horn PS, Hickey FJ,Schapiro MB, et al. Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol-10) supplemen-tation improves oxidative imbalance in children with trisomy21. Pediatr Neurol. 2007;37:398—403
- Tiano L, Busciglio J. Mitochondrial dysfunction and Down’s syndrome: is there a role for coenzyme Q(10) ?