title: Coenzyme Q10 Status as a Determinant of Muscular Strength in Two Independent Cohorts.
abstract: Aging is associated with sarcopenia, which is a loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is involved in several important functions that are related to bioenergetics and protection against oxidative damage; however, the role of CoQ10 as a determinant of muscular strength is not well documented. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the determinants of muscular strength by examining hand grip force in relation to CoQ10 status, gender, age and body mass index (BMI) in two independent cohorts (n = 334, n = 967). Furthermore, peak flow as a function of respiratory muscle force was assessed. Spearman's correlation revealed a significant positive association between CoQ10/cholesterol level and hand grip in the basic study population (p<0.01) as well as in the validation population (p<0.001). In the latter, we also found a negative correlation with the CoQ10 redox state (p<0.01), which represents a lower percentage of the reduced form of CoQ10 (ubiquinol) in subjects who exhibit a lower muscular strength. Furthermore, the age of the subjects showed a negative correlation with hand grip (p<0.001), whereas BMI was positively correlated with hand grip (p<0.01), although only in the normal weight subgroup (BMI <25 kg/m2). Analysis of the covariance (ANCOVA) with hand grip as the dependent variable revealed CoQ10/cholesterol as a determinant of muscular strength and gender as the strongest effector of hand grip. In conclusion, our data suggest that both a low CoQ10/cholesterol level and a low percentage of the reduced form of CoQ10 could be an indicator of an increased risk of sarcopenia in humans due to their negative associations to upper body muscle strength, peak flow and muscle mass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Prevention, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Prevention, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onur
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Datteln, Witten/Herdecke University, Datteln, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niklowitz
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Datteln, Witten/Herdecke University, Datteln, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Menke
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laudes
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rimbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Prevention, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Döring
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012737:Sex Factors; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014451:Ubiquinone; D002784:Cholesterol; D003404:Creatinine; D003402:Creatine Kinase; C024989:coenzyme Q10