Statins - The CoQ10 Theft

Your doctor says your cholesterol is too high. You need to take a statin or you'll have a heart attack.

You take the pill every day. Your cholesterol drops. Your doctor is happy.

But you feel terrible. Your muscles ache. You're exhausted. You can't exercise like you used to. Walking up stairs leaves you winded.

Your doctor says this is normal. Just keep taking the statin.

Here's what your doctor didn't tell you: statins are stealing the fuel your heart needs to beat.

How Statins Work (And Why That's a Problem)

Statins lower cholesterol by blocking an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase.

This enzyme is required for your liver to make cholesterol. Block the enzyme, and cholesterol production drops. Your LDL numbers go down. Your doctor is satisfied.

Problem solved, right?

Not even close.

HMG-CoA reductase doesn't just make cholesterol. It also makes something else your body absolutely requires: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

CoQ10 is required for energy production in every cell of your body. Your mitochondria—the cellular powerhouses that produce ATP—cannot function without it.

And your heart muscle has more mitochondria than any other tissue in your body because it has the highest energy demand.

So when you block HMG-CoA reductase to lower cholesterol, you're also blocking CoQ10 production.

You're starving your heart of the fuel it needs to beat.

What Happens When You Deplete CoQ10

CoQ10 is critical for the electron transport chain—the process inside your mitochondria that generates ATP (cellular energy).

Without adequate CoQ10, your cells can't produce energy efficiently.

This affects every tissue in your body, but it hits hardest where energy demand is highest:

Your Heart Muscle

Your heart beats 100,000 times per day. It never rests. It has the highest energy demand of any organ.

Deplete CoQ10, and your heart muscle weakens. This can lead to:

• Fatigue and exercise intolerance
• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness or discomfort
• Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
• Heart failure

You're taking a drug to "prevent heart disease" that's actively causing heart muscle dysfunction.

Your Skeletal Muscles

This is why muscle pain and weakness are the #1 side effect of statins.

Your muscles can't produce the ATP they need for contraction and recovery. They become weak, sore, and easily fatigued.

Severe cases develop rhabdomyolysis—a condition where muscle tissue breaks down and releases proteins into the bloodstream that can damage your kidneys.

Your Brain

Your brain is 60% fat by dry weight and requires enormous amounts of cholesterol and CoQ10 to function.

CoQ10 depletion contributes to:

• Brain fog and memory problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Cognitive decline
• Increased risk of dementia

Studies show statin users have higher rates of cognitive impairment and dementia.

Your Mitochondria (Everywhere)

Every cell in your body relies on mitochondria for energy. CoQ10 depletion creates system-wide dysfunction:

• Chronic fatigue
• Weakness and exercise intolerance
• Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage)
• Liver dysfunction
• Sexual dysfunction

These aren't minor inconveniences. These are signs your body is failing at the cellular level.

The Studies Pharmaceutical Companies Don't Want You to See

The link between statins and CoQ10 depletion has been known since the 1990s.

Merck—the company that makes Zocor (simvastatin)—filed patents in the 1990s for a statin combined with CoQ10 because they knew statins depleted it.

They never brought that product to market. Instead, they sold statins without CoQ10 and never told doctors or patients about the depletion.

Why? Because acknowledging the CoQ10 problem would raise questions about whether statins actually prevent heart disease or just cause different heart problems.

Studies consistently show:

• Statin use reduces CoQ10 levels by 40-50% within weeks
• CoQ10 depletion correlates directly with severity of muscle symptoms
• CoQ10 supplementation reduces statin-related muscle pain in most patients
• Heart failure patients on statins have worse outcomes if CoQ10 isn't supplemented

Yet most doctors never mention this to their patients.

Do Statins Even Prevent Heart Attacks?

Here's the question pharmaceutical companies don't want asked: if statins deplete the fuel your heart needs to function, do they actually prevent heart disease?

The data is not as impressive as you've been led to believe.

For primary prevention (people who've never had a heart attack):

The NNT (number needed to treat) for statins is about 100. That means 100 people have to take statins for 5 years to prevent one heart attack.

99 out of 100 people get zero benefit but experience all the side effects.

For secondary prevention (people who've already had a heart attack):

The benefit is slightly better—about 1 in 50 people avoid another heart attack.

But you have to ask: is that benefit from lowering cholesterol, or from statins' anti-inflammatory effects?

Because cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease. Inflammation does.

Statins reduce inflammation (which is beneficial). But they also deplete CoQ10 (which harms the heart). The net effect is questionable at best.

When Statins Might Be Justified (Rarely)

I'm not saying statins are never appropriate. There are rare cases where the benefit might outweigh the harm:

1. Familial hypercholesterolemia (genetic condition causing extremely high cholesterol from birth)

2. After a major cardiac event (heart attack, stroke) where acute inflammation needs to be controlled

3. Very high-risk patients with multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors who have failed all other interventions

But even in these cases, CoQ10 supplementation should be mandatory.

If you must take a statin, take 100-200mg of ubiquinol (the active form of CoQ10) daily.

Most people on statins? They don't fall into these categories. They're taking a drug they don't need that's depleting nutrients their heart requires.

What Actually Prevents Heart Disease

If you want to prevent heart attacks, address the actual causes: inflammation and arterial damage.

1. Remove Inflammatory Foods

The biggest dietary driver of heart disease: industrial seed oils.

Canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, vegetable oil. These oils oxidize LDL cholesterol and directly damage arterial walls.

Remove them completely. Replace with olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, butter, and animal fats.

Also remove: sugar, wheat, corn, soy, dairy.

2. Stabilize Blood Sugar

Blood sugar dysfunction damages arterial walls through glycation (sugar binding to proteins).

Every blood sugar spike creates oxidative stress and inflammation.

Eat protein and fat at every meal. Remove refined carbohydrates. Don't skip meals.

3. Manage Stress

Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which damages arterial walls, raises blood pressure, and drives inflammation.

Sleep 7-9 hours. Set boundaries. Meditate. Walk in nature.

4. Exercise Appropriately

Balance high-intensity and low-intensity training. 80% low-intensity aerobic work, 20% high-intensity intervals.

Chronic cardio creates oxidative stress that damages heart tissue. 1-2 HIIT sessions per week maximum.

5. Supplement Strategically

Support your heart with nutrients it actually needs:

• CoQ10 (ubiquinol): 100-200mg daily (especially if over 40 or on a statin)
• Magnesium: 400-600mg daily (glycinate form)
• Omega-3s: 2-3g daily from wild fish or fish oil
• Vitamin D: Optimize to 50-80 ng/mL
• Vitamin K2: 100-200mcg daily (directs calcium to bones, not arteries)

For comprehensive nutrition strategies, visit the Fuel Your Body pillar page.

If You're Already on a Statin

DO NOT stop taking it without talking to your doctor. Sudden statin cessation can cause rebound inflammation.

Here's what to do:

1. Start CoQ10 supplementation immediately

Take 100-200mg of ubiquinol daily. This will help restore energy production and may reduce muscle pain within weeks.

2. Address root causes

Remove inflammatory foods (especially seed oils). Stabilize blood sugar. Manage stress. Exercise appropriately.

If you fix the underlying inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, your doctor may be willing to reduce or discontinue the statin.

3. Request advanced lipid testing

Don't settle for total cholesterol and LDL. Get:

• LDL particle number (LDL-P)
• Particle size
• ApoB
• Lp(a)
• hs-CRP (inflammation marker)
• Homocysteine (arterial damage marker)
• Fasting insulin (metabolic health)

For more on what these numbers actually mean, read: What Your Cholesterol Numbers Actually Mean.

4. Work with a practitioner who understands functional health

Most conventional doctors only know how to prescribe statins. Find someone who can help you address root causes.

The Bottom Line

Statins block HMG-CoA reductase to lower cholesterol.

But HMG-CoA reductase also makes CoQ10—the fuel your heart muscle absolutely requires to beat.

Block the enzyme, and you deplete both cholesterol and CoQ10.

The result:

• Muscle pain and weakness
• Chronic fatigue
• Exercise intolerance
• Heart muscle dysfunction
• Brain fog and memory problems
• Increased risk of heart failure

You're taking a drug to "prevent heart disease" that's actively harming your heart.

Pharmaceutical companies have known about CoQ10 depletion since the 1990s. They filed patents for statins combined with CoQ10. They never brought it to market. They never told doctors. They never told patients.

Why? Because acknowledging the problem would expose the truth: cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease.

The real causes are inflammation, oxidative stress, blood sugar dysfunction, and arterial damage from inflammatory foods (especially industrial seed oils).

Fix those, and you don't need statins.

If you must take a statin, supplement with CoQ10. It won't eliminate all the harm, but it will reduce it.

Better yet: address the root causes and avoid statins altogether.

Your heart will thank you.

Concerned about your heart health or statin side effects? Dr. JJ Gregor provides comprehensive functional health evaluations and cardiovascular risk assessments at his Frisco, Texas practice. Schedule a consultation to understand your unique risk factors and develop a personalized strategy for heart health without harmful medications.