What Is CoQ10?
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is essential for helping the mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, produce energy. It’s found in every cell throughout the body. The mitochondria generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which stores and transfers energy to every living cell. CoQ10 plays a crucial role in ATP production, essentially acting like a cup of coffee for your cells. Maintaining adequate 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
Supports Heart Health
Heart issues can significantly impact your quality of life. 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 other half 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
If you’re 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 prevent their harm. CoQ10, with its antioxidant properties, helps 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
CoQ10 supplementation may improve cognitive performance and memory, especially when combined with vitamin E. Oxidative stress, caused by aging and 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
Over time, joints and muscles encounter wear and tear, leading to occasional muscle weakness and sore joints. Researchers have explored how CoQ10 can reduce the effects of 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. Additionally, CoQ10 supplementation helps increase 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. Clinical trials have shown that CoQ10 supplementation can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. In a study involving 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 maintaining youthful skin is still desirable. As you age, your skin becomes more vulnerable to damage 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 a CoQ10 supplement for 12 weeks had significantly reduced wrinkles and improved skin smoothness. Consequently, CoQ10 is a common 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. 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 decreased saliva production. A clinical trial showed improvement in dry mouth in individuals who received a CoQ10 supplement.
Boosts the Immune System
Your immune system is crucial for maintaining health, and it’s important to support it. Living a healthy lifestyle is the first line of defense, but sometimes extra support is needed. CoQ10 helps your body produce the energy necessary for a robust immune system. Certain medical treatments and medications can weaken your immune system, but CoQ10 supplementation can help build it back up and strengthen your immune defenses.
May Improve Your Workouts
CoQ10 supplementation may help reduce fatigue during and after workouts. One study found that people who took CoQ10 for 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 engaging in high-intensity training may require larger amounts of CoQ10 to experience an energy boost and less post-workout fatigue.
Supports Healthy Vision
CoQ10 levels in the retina decline by 40 percent with age, which can contribute to vision problems. Supplementing with CoQ10 can support eye health by protecting retinal cells against oxidative stress, which can otherwise restrict blood supply to the retina and cause damage. Maintaining adequate CoQ10 levels may benefit your eye health even before any issues arise.
Lung Support
People with lung issues and breathing concerns often have low levels of CoQ10. Studies have shown that CoQ10 supplementation can improve lung function, performance, and tissue oxygenation during exercise and at rest.
Do You Have a CoQ10 Deficiency?
Many people are aware of vitamin deficiencies, but you can also become 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, consult 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 your levels.
Foods Containing CoQ10
While supplements are a reliable way to ensure adequate CoQ10 intake, dietary sources include vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower; extra virgin olive oil; fruits like strawberries and oranges; nuts and seeds such as hazelnuts, pistachios, and sesame seeds; and lentils. Consuming these foods raw is the best way to maximize their CoQ10 content.
Which Is Better: CoQ10-Rich Foods or a Supplement?
While an organic, plant-based diet that includes CoQ10-rich foods is beneficial, taking a CoQ10 supplement is the best way to ensure consistent intake, especially as natural production declines with age. Environmental toxins, age, or illness may require higher levels of CoQ10 than food alone can provide. Over-the-counter supplements come in two forms: CoQ10 (ubiquinone, the oxidized form) and ubiquinol (the non-oxidized form). When you take ubiquinone, your body converts it to ubiquinol. CoQ10 is a safe and effective supplement that should be taken with a fat-containing meal for best absorption.
Consider taking Global Healing’s CoQ10 & BioPQQ with Shilajit, an exclusive blend combining the most well-researched CoQ10 with BioPQQ, a compound that energizes your cell’s mitochondria, and shilajit, a mineral-rich Himalayan substance that enhances the bioavailability of the other ingredients. This combination provides an energy boost at the cellular level. Additionally, taking vitamin B-6 along with CoQ10 is recommended, as the body requires adequate vitamin B-6 levels to synthesize CoQ10.
