Description
COQ10 Ubiquinone 150mg
Benefits of CoQ10 as a dietary supplement:
1.Supplies CoQ10 in a stable, oral form for greater bioavailability and utilization
2.Enhances the production of cellular energy (ATP)
3.Protects the mitochondrial membrane against lipid peroxidation
4.Supports the function of the cardiovascular system
5.May enhance the function of the immune system
6.May support energy and physical performance
7.This particular supplement has been shown to be well tolerated with an extensive history of study and safe use
8.Studies with CoQ10 have mostly focused on its benefits involving certain types of cardiovascular diseases, including congestive heart failure and hypertension. However, this nutrient has also been evaluated for high cholesterol and in diabetes. Patients with high cholesterol levels who are placed on statin drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor should take additional CoQ10 in the amount of 100mg daily, or a few times a week, to counteract the muscle damage from statin drugs
9.One study in patients with heart failure showed significant improvement in functional status, clinical symptoms, and quality of life in end stage heart failure patients who were placed on CoQ10
CoQ10 is poorly absorbed because of its lipophilic nature and its large molecular weight. In 2006, Kaneka Corporation in Japan began marketing the ubiquinol (reduced) form of CoQ10 with claims that it was better absorbed than ubiquinone and hence, more effective. This has been a very successful marketing strategy for Kaneka, but actually, the claims are not scientifically accurate.
Ubiquinol CoQ10 products are substantially more expensive than ubiquinone CoQ10 products. However, when ubiquinol is ingested, it is oxidized by gastric acid to ubiquinone before it is absorbed. Hence, people pay more for ubiquinol, but really do not get added benefit(s). Research has shown that it is not necessary to take ubiquinol in order to significantly increase ubiquinol levels in plasma and in plasma lipoproteins. Taking a ubiquinone supplement will do the same.
Because coenzyme Q10 is a large molecular weight, fat-soluble compound, its absorption is slow and limited. This explains why better blood levels are achieved with divided doses (if you need more than 150mg daily) rather than taking a large single dose of coenzyme Q10. (PMID: 33041702_)
Since CoQ10 was discovered over 55 years ago, its effects have been heavily researched by the scientific and medical communities. Also known as Coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone, this molecule is often described as a vitamin-like antioxidant that is naturally produced by the body.
CoQ10 is largely responsible for energy production within our cells. Making its home the mitochondria around a cell, this coenzyme helps feed cells. Because of its energy producing properties, CoQ10 is largely found near the organs that need the most power — the kidneys, liver and heart.
Because of CoQ10’s energy production and antioxidant properties, the heart tends to benefit the most from this coenzyme. But, as we age, our body produces less CoQ10, which can affect a number of our bodily functions, especially heart health. Here are a few ways adding CoQ10 to your diet, either through food or natural supplements, can keep your heart beating strong as you age.
Clinical studies have well established CoQ10 as a first-line antioxidant in our defense system against oxidative stress. Oxidative stress happens to our cells over time as free radicals roam our cells to steal electrons, deplenishing cell health. Antioxidants, whether naturally produced within our bodies or added to our diets, fight free radicals to maintain cell health.
CoQ10’s location in the lipid mitochondrial membranes is particularly important, as mitochondria are the major site of free radical production and CoQ10 is an excellent free radical scavenger. By defending our cells from free radicals, CoQ10 can help reduce oxidative stress, which can reduce the effects of aging on our skin and aid in overall heart health.
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Supports Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Some studies have shown that CoQ10 could help support normal cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is caused by too many low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in the bloodstream, which carry cholesterol through the bloodstream, allowing it to be deposited in artery walls.
Because CoQ10 is such a powerful antioxidant, it has been shown to keep LDL cholesterol from oxidation while re- energizing the mitochondria in the heart cells, which is where energy metabolism occurs.
Recover After Heart Problems
In a worldwide study conducted with 420 patients with severe heart failure, CoQ10 proved to cut the risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event after heart failure in half and decrease the risk of dying from all causes by half during the 10-year double-blind trial.
After a heart attack, the heart muscle of the patient is often CoQ10 deficient. In addition to the predisposed deficiency, statins, which are often prescribed to heart failure patients to block the synthesis of cholesterol, also block the synthesis of CoQ10, which further decreases the body’s amount of this coenzyme.
By increasing CoQ10 levels in the body after a heart attack, an individual is supplying their heart with the energy producing molecule while providing an excellent antioxidant defense against free radicals. Although CoQ10 can be ingested in certain foods, such as fish, red meats and soybeans, the levels are rarely enough to make a big impact. Supplements are a great option, but you should talk to your doctor before taking CoQ10 supplements to aid with heart attack recovery.
Support Healthy Heart
As helpful as CoQ10 may be after heart problems, the coenzyme is even more useful to the body before heart failure occurs. Although CoQ10 is a naturally occurring enzyme in our bodies, the supply decreases as we age, making it more difficult to fight free radicals and our heart’s natural defenses against congestive heart failure.
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which there is weakening of heart muscle function so that fluid or congestion backs up and causes swelling or edema in the liver, lungs, the lining of the intestine, and the lower legs and feet. If you are predisposed for congestive heart failure, CoQ10 has been shown to support healthy inflammation in legs and fluid in lungs, while also energizing your heart to keep it beating strong.
Although CoQ10 is not a cure for heart failure, the science is promising. Taking a CoQ10 supplement as you age could help strengthen your heart.
Support Blood Pressure
Because of CoQ10’s energizing properties, it may assist in lowering the oxygen demands of the heart, improving the heart’s energy efficiency and supporting healthy blood pressure. Although there have been no significant study results for lowering blood pressure with the help of CoQ10 alone, the coenzyme has shown little to no side effects and may even combat some side effects when paired with other blood pressure medication.
Antioxidant Supplement
Even if you aren’t predisposed for heart failure or don’t experience heart-related issues, CoQ10 can be a useful antioxidant supplement. This coenzyme is the only fat-soluble antioxidant synthesized by our body and capable of regeneration back to its reduced or antioxidant form through normal cellular enzyme systems, which means our bodies produce it naturally for much of our lives. But, when those processes become less efficient, our bodies may need help producing this powerful molecule.
When fighting free radicals, especially as we age, our cells can use all the help they can get. Maintaining cell health helps our bodies fight signs of aging, ward off disease, and can improve, or at least maintain, the function of major organs.
Each cell in the body needs a source of energy to survive, so cells break down sugars, fats, and amino acids to make energy. Small enclosures within cells that make this energy are called mitochondria. CoQ10 exists naturally in our mitochondria and carries electrons involved in energy metabolism. CoQ10 is essential in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic energy molecule of each cell.
In the bloodstream, CoQ10 is mainly transported by lipoproteins such as LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high- density lipoprotein). It is thought that CoQ10 is one of the first antioxidants to be depleted when LDL is subjected to oxidation. Hence, CoQ10 is an important nutrient that prevents the oxidation of lipoproteins, thus potentially reducing the risk of arteries from forming plaques and getting damaged.
In healthy individuals, CoQ10 is found in high concentrations in the heart, kidneys, and liver.
Now let’s clear up what the difference is in the CoQ10 supplements on the market today. When you start reading about CoQ10 you’ll notice two words keep coming up: Ubiquinol and Ubiquinone. Understanding these two “forms” of CoQ10 is vital.
Ubiquinone is the “oxidized” form of CoQ10 and is the more common form that has been around for years.
RECENT STUDIES COMPARING UBIQUINONE TO UBIQUINOL (PMID: 32380795)
A lack of understanding of the processes determining the absorption and subsequent metabolism of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has resulted in some manufacturers’ making incorrect claims regarding the bioavailability of their CoQ10 supplements, with potential consequences for the use of such products in clinical trials. There are unsubstantiated manufacturers’ claims circulating on the internet that individuals over 40 years of age may be progressively less able to absorb supplemental ubiquinone. Simply not true.
As detailed IN THE MOST RECENT STUDY, the process of CoQ10 absorption is complex. It is not surprising that the absorption and bioavailability of CoQ10 supplements can vary widely and does indeed do so. This variability depends primarily on the formulation of the preparation. As there is considerable inter-individual variability in the uptake of CoQ10, the absorption and bioavailability of CoQ10 also depends on the capacity of a person to absorb a preparation with a given formulation. Thus, studies by both Wahlqvist et al. [53] and Lopez-Lluch et al. [13] demonstrate the ability of some individuals to absorb a particular formulation better than other formulation. The inter-individual variations in the absorption of CoQ10 were demonstrated as large inter-individual variations in the 36 h AUC and 48 h AUC, respectively, following the CoQ10 administration.
With regard to the relative importance of ubiquinone and ubiquinol supplemental forms of CoQ10, there now seems to be evidence that there are multi-functional systems in place to convert ubiquinone to ubiquinol, involving as many as five different enzymes. Studies by Nordman et al. [38], Ross and Siegel [39], Bersuker et al. [40], Doll et al. [41], and Takahashi et al. [42] are of relevance. Takahashi et al. [42] established that isolated liver cancer cells are able to convert ubiquinone, either in the external medium or associated with LDL cholesterol, to ubiquinol, and that this conversion occurs due to the action of an outward-facing membrane-associated entity that was not further identified. The authors further consider that many other cell types may have the capacity to reduce ubiquinone to ubiquinol in the external cellular environment; if this is found to be the case, then presumably any of the various cell types lining the gastrointestinal tract would be able to facilitate this conversion, and the requirement for supplemental CoQ10 in reduced form to maximise absorption would be negated.
