Why heart health is a concern when glucose control is compromised
Uncontrolled blood glucose, which can wreak havoc on many systems of the body, including the brain, eyes, and especially the heart. In fact, the heart is one of the first systems showing dysfunction when systems that control blood glucose become unbalanced. As the heart becomes more and more strained from poor glucose metabolism and low energy output, it loses its ability to adequately pump blood throughout the body. Poor blood flow leads to many other challenges such as inability to perform everyday tasks, such as walking upstairs, and great limits an individual’s quality of life and longevity.
A new approach to supporting cardiometabolic health
A recent study presented at the British Cardiovascular Society conference indicated that Mitoquinone, also known as MitoQ® or Mitoquinol Mesylate, may help people with blood glucose concerns keep their heart healthy.
Promising results from the MitoQ* study
Henry Proctor, the lead author and Eylem Levelt, the senior author, explained that Mitoquinone supplements given for 4 months improved heart efficiency in pumping and using energy. In fact, the 70 patients who took Mitoquinone supplements had their heart’s energy use improve up to 15%. This is due to Mitoquinone’s unique ability to reduce mitochondrial oxidative stress, which can interfere with how well heart cells can make energy.
How MitoQ® supports cardiovascular function
Mitoquinone, popularly known as MitoQ® Mitoquinol, commercially available as a dietary supplement, has been shown to improve mitochondria function in subjects with heart function concerns. Moreover, MitoQ® helps improve vascular function and blood flow in healthy older adults. MitoQ®’s capability as a potent mitochondria antioxidant that combats age-related damage in animal models, suggests it can help many aspects of cardiovascular health.
In this recent study, participants’ hearts functioned better under physical stress, recovered more efficiently after exercise, and showed signs of improved blood vessel flexibility, an important indicator of good heart health. These results suggest that MitoQ may help the heart stay more flexible and resilient.
Safety and what comes next
Importantly, none of the subjects reported any adverse events or bad side effects, meaning Mitoquinone (MitoQ®) may be easy to incorporate into a lifestyle plan.
While further research is underway, these findings offer hope to the millions of Americans concerned about their heart health and blood glucose, showing that early intervention with a targeted antioxidant like MitoQ* could help support long-term cardiovascular health.
*MitoQ® is self-affirmed GRAS up to 20mg per day as a commercially available dietary supplement