Can Anti-oxidants ease Gulf War Syndrome and CFS? One study finds the following:
By Kelly Kennedy, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Anti-oxidant supplements can significantly reduce the symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, suffered by tens of thousands of veterans, according to research to be presented Monday to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The study by Beatrice Golomb of the medical school at the University of California-San Diego tested the value of giving doses of the coenzyme Q10 to veterans of the Persian Gulf War. “Every single one of them … improved,” Golomb said, adding that there was improvement for all 20 symptoms. “For it to have been chance alone is under one in a million.”
More than 20 years after the end of the Gulf War, the 1990-91 conflict that liberated Kuwait after an invasion by Iraq, Golomb’s study is the first research that offers potential relief for sufferers of Gulf War Syndrome, said Jim Binns, chairman of the federal panel investigating the condition.
Roughly one in four of the 697,000 veterans of the war has Gulf War illness, according to the federal Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses. Symptoms include memory and concentration problems, chronic headaches, widespread pain, gastrointestinal problems and chronic fatigue.
“It is the first medication study to show a significant improvement of a major symptom of Gulf War illness in the history of Gulf War illness
research,” said Binns, the committee chairman. Although it’s not a cure, Binns said, and requires further research, “it is extremely encouraging.”
Golomb said the treatments helped veterans with headaches, inability to focus and fatigue after exertion. There were also unexpected benefits, she said, such as fewer symptoms for participants suffering from chronic diarrhea and improved blood pressure levels. She worked with 46 veterans.
Golomb found that those with Gulf War illness (i.e. Gulf War Syndrome) had the same list of symptoms as those with genetic mitochondrial disorders. Mitochondria convert oxygen and glucose into cell energy. The brain and the muscles use more energy than other parts of the body, so those organs are affected first by the disorder.
“Oxidated stress (i.e. oxidative stress) can come from a lot of bad things in the environment,” Golomb said, explaining that causes the problems in the mitochondria. Her past research has involved chemical exposures in the Persian Gulf, such as sarin gas, pesticides and anti-nerve-agent pills.
The unpublished results will be released at a committee meeting at the VA .
The research was funded by the Defense Department through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.
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Personally I’ve used Coenzyme Q10 off and on for years. It really helps with oxidative stress, a problem that all of us face. Looks like I better add it back to my daily regimen. Many thanks to USA today for addressing Anti-oxidants ease Gulf War Syndrome and surely the impact this can have on CFS folks, too!
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Robin Thomas 06.29.11 at 8:57 pm
We have found high potency anti-oxidants such as CoQ10 and USANA’s proflavanol 100C ( mix of grape seed extract and bioavailable ascorbates) significantly help oxidative stress in CFS folks. I’m glad to see that there is also some help for GWS, too.
We need to reach out and support these brave men and women- all of them!
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Cinda Crawford 06.30.11 at 9:30 am
Great comment, Robin. Please feel free to put in a link to your Usana proflavanol compound. I want people to know about it, too!
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Dave 07.04.11 at 10:56 am
Actually, the only placebo-controlled trial into coenzyme q-10 for CFS found that it was not effective – both the active and placebo arms of the trial showed similar improvement.
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Cinda Crawford 07.08.11 at 11:33 pm
That’s a little hard for me to swallow (catch the pun?), but a trial is just that…a trial. It shows some kind of results.
I think Coenzyme Q10 is very beneficial for many conditions. Just my opinion… .
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Robin Thomas 07.09.11 at 4:04 pm
I’ve seen a number of published articles that support the argument for Coq 10 supplementation for CFS: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20010505 is one.
I would like to see the parameters for the study you mentioned, Dave. Another caviat is the quality of the Coq 10- there is a variability, and one needs to be careful- in a research setting and in life- on the source.
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Robin Thomas 07.09.11 at 4:10 pm
Because Cinda requested the link to Proflavanol C-100, a grape seed extract and vit C ascorbates manufactured by USANA Health Sciences using pharmaceutical GMPs, I will also add that USANA has a form of Coq10 that is 1.5 times more bioavailable due to the synergy of alpha-lipoic acid.
The links are:
Proflavanol C-100 http://shop.usana.com/shop/cart/ProductDetails?ProductID=110.010100
and Coquinine 30: http://shop.usana.com/shop/cart/ProductDetails?ProductID=123.010100
Hope this helps, Cinda
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Dave 07.09.11 at 7:09 pm
The article you mention just shows there is a deficiency in CFS patients, but the same has been found for B-vitamin status (and other measures). It doesn’t automatically follow that supplementing those deficiencies will cure CFS.
Here is the trial of co-enzyme Q-10 (which also included a multi-vitamin):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12324640
As you can see there was no significant difference between the placebo and treatment group, and even in the placebo group 17% improved.
I’m not sure both of you are so pro q-10. Is it because you have seen people improve on it? If so, how do you know that it was not the placebo effect? You have to be careful basing your judgement purely on whether or not people improve – that has resulted in many quacky treatments being sold to CFS patients (and in my opinion it is immoral to recommend a treatment that is purely a placebo).
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Robin Thomas 07.10.11 at 11:56 am
I read the abstract on the study you mentioned and I have a couple of questions: First, the abstract states that “a polynutrient supplement containing several vitamins, minerals and (co)enzymes” was used, along with placebo. What were the specific supplement facts of this multi- including the actual potency of the ingredients? The synergy does make a difference when you look at biological pathways. I would like to know how much coq10 was actually in the multi, also .
Second, Have you seen a longitudinal study longer than 10 weeks? A nutritional approach takes time- and should also include an evaluation and adjustment of the actual foods. No one who eats the standard american diet and pops a couple of vitamin pills is going to see improvement. A body has been comprimised for so long in developing CFS, it takes time for healing.
Third, I don’t believe either Cinda or I said that taking CoQ10 is a CURE for CFS. CFS is a complex syndrome- there is never one “magic pill” for relieving symptoms. Generally, an approach that includes nutrition, (often modified for the individual), meditation or other spiritual mindfulness, improvement of sleep (often sleep is disrupted, and a sleep study can determine helpful adjustments), determining possible toxicities, as well as proper drug therapies, works best.
I wonder at your opinion that it is immoral to recommend a treatment that is purely a placebo. I do not believe that the above treatments are merely placebo- even including the meditation/mindfullness. In fact, most current physicians are also advocating these benefits. But how can having someone feeling better be immoral? Is it only moral to take drugs?
How about the recommendation of treatments- frequently drugs- that include contraindications that are often worse than the original complaint? Is that moral?
Just my own thoughts, based on both personal experience with a son who has multiple health issues and my experience from 25 years of medical research.
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Dave 07.10.11 at 3:31 pm
Here is the full-text of that study:
http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/95/10/677.full
This (AFAIK) is the only study looking at q-10 and CFS. Therefore we have to conclude that q-10 is of no value for CFS. Also there is no evidence that poor diet causes CFS.
The problem with placebos is that it is slightly deceitful – you are saying that the pill will cure you, when in fact it is your own mind doing the healing. How is that different from being a snake-oil salesman?
Meditation and spiritual approaches are essentially the same as a placebo, but there is no deceit involved, and you are getting to the root of the problem. There is good evidence that CFS is caused by stress, so it makes sense that psychological treatments such as meditation would help it.
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Cinda Crawford 07.10.11 at 10:21 pm
Dave, this is a friendly place. I don’t consider you accusing me or anyone of being snake-oil salesmen as being friendly or helpful.
Most research reports are written with an “agenda” in mind, by people who have something to gain from the perception “they” want you to have. When it comes down to it, the average person benefits from supplements. Our soil is quite depleted to say nothing of the average person’s poor diet. Add stress into the equation and you can come out with something akin to malnourishment that surely promotes more dis-ease.
I agree that meditation and spirituality are important to living well. My spirituality is a big part of who I am. I am big into mindfulness and enjoy every single moment that I engage in it.
That being said…I make a point of putting out a well-rounded message here at the Health Matters Show to share with everyone. They can take away the info that it’s smart to have a well-rounded approach to getting well and then living well. That includes how you eat, drink, sleep and choose to live your life in a spiritually-aware way. I hope the Health Matters Show fulfills some of those needs within you and that you come back to comment with good, helpful intentions in mind. Thanks, Cinda
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Dave 07.10.11 at 10:53 pm
I don’t think you could accuse the authors of the above-mentioned study as having an agenda. The study authors were from a university hospital, as well as the nutrition company who provided the supplements for the study. It would be pretty bizarre for them to falsify the study to show that their own supplements were useless!
On the contrary, it seems that the main people who have an agenda are the people selling supplements to people and ignoring the research. There is no evidence that “the average person benefits from supplements” as far as I am aware, and for illnesses like CFS and fibromyalgia there is good evidence that supplements have no effect.
I didn’t mean to offend, but I am very passionate about CFS and scientific research in general, and it irks me when people push pseudoscience to patients. I speak as someone who has recovered from CFS and researched it quite thoroughly over the last 10 years. I don’t like people giving unhelpful advice to patients and pushing treatments that have been proven to be useless. Such advice is bad for patients and will do more harm than good.
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Cinda Crawford 07.11.11 at 11:25 am
I admire all studies which seek to expose the truth about CFS and other chronic illnesses. We don’t have enough good, thorough studies…for sure. My opinion is that some supplements do benefit some people. Co Q10 has been found especially beneficial to people who take statins and have heart issues. (A lack of Co Q10 caused from taking statin drugs can be truly dangerous for the heart! Many regular docs are now recommending that their patients take the supplement if they’re going to take a statin drug for any period of time.) Plus, we are all complicated individuals. What helps you might not help me or the person sitting beside me…because our bodies are all different.
And Dave, don’t get me wrong. I admire your passion! I’m a passionate person, too. I want to see a LOT OF PEOPLE get well and feel better!
However, I think we must be careful not to let what we individually believe unduly castigate others (through our opinions) who choose to think and believe differently. Do I think scientists would be better offer NOT to keep looking for one dastardly virus that might trigger CFS in a host of people? Yes, I do! My gut tells me that CFS isn’t that simple. In my personal way of viewing this big problem, I suspect that most people come down with CFS or ME/CFS for very individual reasons, including 1) being malnourished (e.g. vitamins, minerals, adequate protein consumption, clean water hydration, etc.); 2) allowing stress and life worries to tip you over the edge of taking care of yourself (from a mind/body/spirit perspective -and- from getting de-conditioned and I’m sure more reasons that I can think of just this moment); and 3) not paying attention to what is going on in your life. Too much stress => ILLNESS. If we humans constantly are working, striving and “doing” to the point of overuse and self-abuse, there is little of “us” left over to build our good health on! As soon as we all realize that we’re human BEINGS and not human DOINGS…well, the healthier we can be.
Can all of these issues promote a weakened immune system? YES!
An immune system pumping out the wrong signals and prompting autoimmune reactions and attack? YES!
A weakened, dysfunctional gut lining with holes in it from taking too many antibiotics and drugs? YES!
(The list could continue, but that’s probably not necessary because I’m hoping most of this is self-evident to those reading my comment, who are doing their homework.)
Dave, I’m happy that you’ve recovered. Joining the ranks of the living after CFS is something to crow about. Unfortunately, not everyone can do it. Why don’t you share with everyone the technique that you used to get well? Truly
This is a great offer and one I extend from the heart. (You may contact me further at cinda(at)getwellhealth.com, if you’d like to private message. I’m happy to call you or we can Skype, etc.)
Blessings and have a great day!
Cinda
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Cinda Crawford 07.11.11 at 11:29 am
Yes, I’m sure it will help Robin. I like all these good products
Blessings, hon~ Cinda
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