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Health News Archive 318 - Oral Contraceptives
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Oral Contraceptive Causes Depletion of CoQ10 and Vitamin E

Women taking oral contraceptives have lower levels of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E, and could possibly benefit from supplements, suggests a new study.

“If our findings are confirmed by larger studies, women who receive oral contraceptives may be considered for coenzyme Q10 and/or alpha-tocopherol supplementation,” wrote lead author Prabhudas Palan from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

Coenzyme Q10 and alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) are both lipid-soluble antioxidants found in cell membranes. CoQ10 and alpha-tocopherol are two antioxidants important in managing inflammation.  Coenzyme Q10 enables cellular energy production in the mitochondria.  A lack of both these nutrients is linked to a variety of disease including Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The new study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, recruited 55 pre-menopausal women (average age 33) with regular menstrual cycles. 15 women were taking an oral contraceptive (norgestimate/ethinylestradiol) while the other 40 were not taking any oral contraceptive. Women taking multivitamins or Co-Q10 supplements were excluded.

Non-fasting blood samples were taken randomly during the menstrual cycle and serum levels of a variety of antioxidants measured. Gamma-tocopherol, alpha- and beta-carotene, and lycopene levels were similar between the groups. However, serum levels of Co-Q10 were 37 per cent lower in the oral contraceptive group, and alpha-tocopherol levels were 24 per cent lower.

“The results clearly show that the use of oral contraceptives significantly depleted the serum levels of coenzyme Q10 and alpha-tocopherol, compared with levels in non-oral contraceptive users,” wrote the researchers.

There are several limitations with the study, most notably the small sample size, blood samples were non-fasting and were taken randomly during the menstrual cycle. In answer to the last limitation, the researchers point out that lipid-soluble antioxidants are related directly to lipid stores and not affected significantly by changes in daily intakes.

“The potential value, if any, for coenzyme Q10 and alpha-tocopherol supplementation in oral contraceptive users and the effect of menstrual cycle phase on oxidative stress deserve further investigation,” they concluded.

A study published in 2004 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that CoQ10 together with alpha-tocopherol could reduce levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) a pro-inflammatory protein linked to cardiovascular disease.  The question thus arises, is long-term use of oral contraceptives to be implicated in coenzyme Q10 deficiency diseases such as increased cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's?

Source: Palan, P. R., A. T. Magneson, et al. (2006). "Effects of menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive use on serum levels of lipid-soluble antioxidants." Am J Obstet Gynecol 194(5):e35-8.

presented in part in May, 2005, at the 53rd Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, San Francisco.

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