Learn how CoQ10 can support cellular energy and antioxidant defenses‡
The benefits of CoQ10 include keeping you healthy while protecting you against free radical damage. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is found in every cell of your body, helping to generate cellular energy for everything you do.1 ‡
CoQ10 is essential for cellular energy production in every aspect your body including muscle contraction, organ functions, brain power, and protecting your cells from oxidative damage.1 ‡
Your body naturally makes CoQ10 but as you age, your production of this essential nutrient decreases. The good news is CoQ10 is readily available and accessible through food and in supplemental format.1 ‡
Keep reading to learn the facts and health benefits of CoQ10, including:‡
- What CoQ10 is
- What antioxidants are
- The 6 primary health benefits of CoQ10
- The best sources of CoQ10
Before making changes to your diet, nutrition, and exercise routine, consult your healthcare practitioner. Always discuss any vitamin and mineral supplements you are taking or plan to take, since these may interact differently with medications and health conditions.‡
As always, feel free to contact us with your questions about our vitamins, minerals, supplements, and other products.
What is CoQ10?
CoQ10 is found in the mitochondria inside your cells. Mitochondria are responsible for creating usable energy from the food you eat.1 ‡
Specifically, coQ10 acts as an electron carrier within the mitochondria of each cell and facilitates aerobic respiration. This process generates adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the food you eat. ATP is the molecule that carries energy through your body.2 ‡
CoQ10 is a potent antioxidant. It may help counteract free radical damage, which may affect cellular function. Through this antioxidant activity, CoQ10 supports healthy mitochondrial and cellular health.3 ‡
While CoQ10 is present in nearly every cell in your body, it is concentrated in body systems and organs with the highest energy requirements, particularly your muscles, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys.1 ‡
What are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are molecules responsible for protecting cells from free radicals that are generated during energy production and other normal metabolic processes.4 ‡
Antioxidants are helpful in supporting immune health and allowing muscles to recover from exercise.4 ‡
When free radical levels are higher than your antioxidant levels, this is called oxidative stress. Reducing oxidative stress is one of the goals of a healthy diet and lifestyle.4 ‡
CoQ10 is a fat- and water-soluble antioxidant that helps to protect your cells by limiting oxidative stress.3,5 ‡
What are the Health Benefits of CoQ10?
Make sure you know these CoQ10 benefits1,3 ‡
1. CoQ10 and Your Heart Health
Supplementation with CoQ10 may support cardiovascular health by supporting lipid metabolism and blood vessel function.3,6,7 ‡
Oxidative stress can increase the production of molecules that interfere with the ability of blood vessels to relax. CoQ10 appears to play a role in the relaxation the walls of your arteries.3,8 ‡
Certain medications like statins are often prescribed to decrease cholesterol, but they can deplete levels of naturally occurring CoQ10 in your body. A common side effect noted from statin use is muscle pain, which may be related to low CoQ10.9
It’s also associated with modest improvements in C-reactive protein (CRP), a blood biomarker that doctors measure as part of cardiovascular health evaluation.10 ‡
2. CoQ10 and Fertility
CoQ10 may help with reproductive health for men and women. It’s shown to support improvements in sperm count and motility and may help improve the quality of egg health for women. This may be related to reductions in oxidative stress, something that can impact egg quality.11,12 ‡
CoQ10 supplements may support women with health conditions that affect menstruation and reproductive hormones, helping to support ovulation.13,14 ‡
How to Get the CoQ10 Your Body Needs
Your production of CoQ10 starts decreasing as early as age 20 and accelerates with age. When your CoQ10 production drops, your body can experience increases in oxidative stress and reduced antioxidant activity.28
Additionally, the body converts the oxidized form of CoQ10 (ubiquinone) to a reduced and bioavailable form (ubiquinol) inside the body, but some people have difficulty with this conversion as they age or due to genetic predisposition.15
The good news is you can get the CoQ10 your body needs through diet and CoQ10 supplements.
The following foods contain small amounts of CoQ10:5
- Beef
- Fatty fish
- Chicken
- Soybean, corn, olive, and canola oils
- Nuts and seeds
There are no specific dietary intake recommendations for CoQ10 from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.5
However, given the natural reduction over time and low amounts in foods, many people choose to add CoQ10 supplements to their nutritional and dietary routine. Because CoQ10 is fat-soluble, supplements are optimally absorbed with meals, particularly with those containing fat.5,16 ‡
CoQ10 and Your Health
We know CoQ10 is instrumental in mitochondrial function and antioxidant defenses. However, it is not easy to determine if you’re low in CoQ10.17 ‡
The best way to determine your CoQ10 levels is with a blood test. Your healthcare practitioner may test your CoQ10 levels.30
If you decide to take a CoQ10 supplement, please consult your healthcare practitioner. It’s important that any supplements you take do not impact the efficacy of medications and are safe for your health status.
Use our Purely For You personalized supplement plan to provide you with tailored wellness recommendations to meet your specific nutritional needs.
Remember, we are here to support you in achieving optimal personal wellness. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news, promotions, and nutritional/lifestyle content Purely For You.
1. 9 Benefits of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): Healthline.org (Accessed September 27, 2021) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coenzyme-q10
2. Mancuso, M., D. Orsucci, L. Volpi, V. Calsolaro, and G. Siciliano. Current Drug Targets 11, no. 1 (January 2010): 111–21. https://doi.org/10.2174/138945010790031018.
3. Hernández-Camacho JD, Bernier M, López-Lluch G, Navas P. Front Physiol. 2018 Feb 5;9:44. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00044/full
4. Antioxidants Explained in Simple Terms: Heatlhline.org (Accessed September 27, 2021) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/antioxidants-explained
5. Coenzyme Q10: Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute (Accessed September 27, 2021) https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/coenzyme-Q10
6. Rosenfeldt, F. L., S. J. Haas, H. Krum, A. Hadj, K. Ng, J.-Y. Leong, and G. F. Watts. Journal of Human Hypertension 21, no. 4 (April 2007): 297–306. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002138.
7. Mazza, Alberto, Salvatore Lenti, Laura Schiavon, Ezio Di Giacomo, Monica Tomasi, Roberto Manunta, Gioia Torin, Danyelle M. Townsend, and Domenico Rubello. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie 105 (September 2018): 992–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2018.06.076.
8. Rosenfeldt, F. L., S. J. Haas, H. Krum, A. Hadj, K. Ng, J.-Y. Leong, and G. F. Watts. Journal of Human Hypertension 21, no. 4 (April 2007): 297–306. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002138.
9. Skarlovnik, Ajda, Miodrag Janić, Mojca Lunder, Martina Turk, and Mišo Šabovič. “Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation Decreases Statin-Related Mild-to-Moderate Muscle Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Study.” Medical Science Monitor : International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research 20 (November 6, 2014): 2183–88. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.890777.
10. Mazidi, Mohsen, Andre Pascal Kengne, and Maciej Banach. “Effects of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Plasma C-Reactive Protein Concentrations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.” Pharmacological Research 128 (February 1, 2018): 130–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2017.08.011.
11. Lafuente, Rafael, Mireia González-Comadrán, Ivan Solà, Gemma López, Mario Brassesco, Ramón Carreras, and Miguel A. Checa. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 30, no. 9 (September 2013): 1147–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-013-0047-5.
12. Xu, Yangying, Victoria Nisenblat, Cuiling Lu, Rong Li, Jie Qiao, Xiumei Zhen, and Shuyu Wang. “Pretreatment with Coenzyme Q10 Improves Ovarian Response and Embryo Quality in Low-Prognosis Young Women with Decreased Ovarian Reserve: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology: RB&E 16, no. 1 (March 27, 2018): 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-018-0343-0.
13. Izadi, Azimeh, Sara Ebrahimi, Shabnam Shirazi, Shiva Taghizadeh, Marziyeh Parizad, Laya Farzadi, and Bahram Pourghassem Gargari. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 104, no. 2 (February 1, 2019): 319–27. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2018-01221.
14. Refaeey, Abdelaziz El, Amal Selem, and Ahmed Badawy. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 29, no. 1 (July 1, 2014): 119–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.03.011.
15. Langsjoen, Peter H., and Alena M. Langsjoen. “Comparison Study of Plasma Coenzyme Q10 Levels in Healthy Subjects Supplemented with Ubiquinol versus Ubiquinone.” Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development 3, no. 1 (January 2014): 13–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpdd.73.
16. Zhang, Ying, Jin Liu, Xiao-Qiang Chen, and C.-Y. Oliver Chen. “Ubiquinol Is Superior to Ubiquinone to Enhance Coenzyme Q10 Status in Older Men.” Food & Function 9, no. 11 (November 14, 2018): 5653–59. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8fo00971f.
17. Vitamin Deficiencies and Nutrition Levels From Blood Testing: Healthtestcenters.com (Accessed September 27, 2021) https://www.healthtestingcenters.com/can-blood-test-detect-vitamin-deficiency/
‡ These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.