What Is CoQ10?
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is essential for helping the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses, produce energy. It’s found in every cell throughout the body. Your mitochondria generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which stores and transfers energy to every living cell. CoQ10 plays a crucial role in ATP production, acting like a cup of coffee for your cells! Maintaining sufficient levels of CoQ10 boosts cellular energy production, ensuring your systems and organs function properly. Additionally, CoQ10 serves as a powerful antioxidant, protecting your cells and tissues from harmful free radicals.
CoQ10 is present in every cell, but it is especially concentrated in organs that require the most energy, such as the heart, kidneys, and liver. The brain also uses a significant amount of CoQ10. However, its production declines with age.
Top 12 CoQ10 Benefits
Though not technically a vitamin, CoQ10 is sometimes referred to as “vitamin Q” due to its vitamin-like qualities. Let’s explore some of the health benefits this impressive antioxidant offers.
Supports Heart Health
Heart issues can significantly impact your quality of life. Fortunately, long-term studies suggest that CoQ10 is beneficial for heart health. In Sweden, researchers studied 400 healthy individuals over the age of 70. Half of the group received CoQ10 and selenium (another antioxidant), while the others received a placebo for four years. The CoQ10 group had fewer serious heart concerns and healthier hearts compared to the placebo group. Even twelve years later, those who took CoQ10 for the initial four-year period still had better cardiac health than the placebo group. CoQ10 also promotes normal blood pressure.
Boosts Energy Levels
Feeling less energetic and attributing it to aging? You might have a CoQ10 deficiency. Declining CoQ10 levels can deplete your energy. Taking extra CoQ10 can spark the production of ATP, recharging your system and boosting your energy levels. This helps you get through the day with less fatigue. Scientists have found that CoQ10 improves endurance in individuals with cardiac health concerns, particularly during exercise. More research is needed to determine how CoQ10 affects energy levels in healthy individuals.
Promotes Healthy Aging
As you age, your body requires extra care. A diet rich in plant-based foods, regular exercise, and healthy stress-management techniques are essential. However, sometimes our bodies need additional support. Older adults are more vulnerable to oxidative stress, an imbalance between free radicals and the body’s ability to counteract their harmful effects. CoQ10’s antioxidant properties help protect the body from these harmful free radicals. In a clinical trial, older adults who took both selenium and CoQ10 for four years had fewer health issues requiring hospital visits and reported improvements in physical performance, vitality, and quality of life.
Encourages Mental Sharpness
You’ve likely heard that doing daily crossword puzzles can help keep you mentally sharp. CoQ10 may have a similar effect. Supplementing with CoQ10 may improve cognitive performance and memory, especially when combined with vitamin E. Oxidative stress, caused by environmental toxins, damages brain cells. Researchers have found that cells pretreated with CoQ10 can better protect themselves against neuron and oxidative damage. CoQ10’s antioxidant nature helps bolster the body’s defense against oxidative stress in brain cells, keeping your brain sharp.
Upholds Healthy Joints & Muscles
Your joints and muscles are essential for movement and everyday activities. Over time, they experience wear and tear, leading to occasional muscle weakness and sore joints. Researchers have explored how CoQ10 can reduce strain and discomfort in joints and muscles caused by injury or fatigue. CoQ10 may have a therapeutic effect on joints by minimizing cartilage degradation, easing joint discomfort, and promoting overall joint health. Research also shows that CoQ10 supplementation increases its concentration in muscles, improving exercise performance.
May Ease Occasional Headaches
Headaches are common across all age groups. In older adults, the prevalence of headaches ranges from 12 to 50 percent, with frequent headaches occurring in up to 17 percent of people aged 65 and older. CoQ10 may offer relief by promoting normal levels of inflammatory cytokines, chemicals that affect head discomfort. People taking CoQ10 experienced fewer headaches, and those who did have headaches found them less severe and shorter in duration. In a clinical trial with Gulf War veterans, 80 percent of those receiving CoQ10 supplements reported fewer headaches, improved recall, less fatigue with exertion, reduced irritability, and less muscle discomfort.
Keeps Skin More Youthful
Wrinkles are a natural part of aging, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to keep our skin looking youthful. Skin becomes more vulnerable to damage as you age, partly due to lower levels of CoQ10. Taking CoQ10 supplements can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. In a clinical study, individuals who took CoQ10 supplements for 12 weeks had significantly reduced wrinkles and improved skin smoothness. As a result, CoQ10 is often included as an active ingredient in many skincare products, such as creams and toners.
Supports Oral Health
Sore, bleeding, and receding gums can cause discomfort and interfere with enjoying life. These issues become more common with age. CoQ10 can help reduce chronic redness and swelling in the mouth, supporting oral health. By boosting tissue repair within the gums, CoQ10 helps keep your mouth healthy. It can also help with dry mouth, a common issue among older adults due to reduced saliva production. A clinical trial showed improvement in dry mouth in individuals who received CoQ10 supplements.
Boosts the Immune System
Your immune system keeps you healthy, and it’s important to support it. Living a healthy lifestyle, including eating whole, plant-based foods, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep, is your first line of defense. However, there are times when your immune system may need extra support. CoQ10 helps your body produce the energy needed to keep your immune system functioning properly. Certain medical treatments and medications can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. While some pharmaceuticals can deplete your body of CoQ10, a good supplement can help replenish it and strengthen your immune system.
May Improve Your Workouts
Looking to get the most out of your workouts? CoQ10 may help reduce fatigue during and after exercise. One study found that people who took CoQ10 for just a week were able to pedal faster while riding a bike and felt less tired afterward. However, CoQ10’s effectiveness in this area is not entirely certain, as some studies found no effect on fatigue or performance during exercise. Endurance athletes or those doing high-intensity training may require larger amounts of CoQ10 to fully experience an energy boost and less post-workout fatigue.
Supports Healthy Vision
CoQ10 levels in your retina decline by 40% as you age. Supplementing with CoQ10 can support your eye health throughout life. Researchers discovered that CoQ10 protects retinal cells against oxidative stress, which can otherwise restrict blood supply to the retina and cause damage. Your retina is a thin layer of tissue on the back of your eye that converts light into electrical signals relayed to your brain through the optic nerve. CoQ10 supplementation may benefit your eye health even before any issues begin.
Lung Support
Studies have found that people with lung issues and breathing concerns tend to have low levels of CoQ10. CoQ10 supplements have been shown to improve lung function, performance, and tissue oxygenation during exercise and at rest.
Do You Have a CoQ10 Deficiency?
Most of us are aware of vitamin deficiencies, but did you know you can also be deficient in CoQ10? Signs of a CoQ10 deficiency include fatigue, high blood pressure, aching or stiff muscles, blood sugar imbalance, stomach ulcers, and edema (swelling). If you’re concerned about a deficiency, talk to your healthcare provider, who may perform a blood test to determine your CoQ10 levels. Eating a diet rich in CoQ10 and taking a supplement are two ways to increase levels in your body.
Foods Containing CoQ10
While you can take CoQ10 as a supplement, dietary sources rich in CoQ10 include spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, extra virgin olive oil, strawberries, oranges, hazelnuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, and lentils. Consuming these foods raw ensures you get the maximum benefits.
