It’s a fact that people everywhere are talking about CoQ10 and its many forms. With discussion come points of view – some of which are better informed than others. We hope that this article helps you better discern fact from fiction on this subject.
When you visit the vitamin aisle in any drug or grocery store, or when you go to one of the many supplement super stores out there – you’ll often find shelves filled with a variety of CoQ10 products.
If you google search “CoQ10” you’ll get millions of results. And if you investigate heart healthy nutrients for heart function support, CoQ10 is sure to be featured.
At Healthy Habits®, we like to help our customers stay informed about our supplements by answering questions and offering information and advice related as appropriate. That said, we always recommend checking with you doctor or pharmacist if you have medical questions.
One of the areas that is causing quite a bit of confusion these days is the “ubiquinone vs. ubiquinol” debate.
Recently, some people have been describing ubiquinone—the form of CoQ10 that has been available for years—as inferior now that a new form called ubiquinol has emerged.
We’ve seen a lot of conflicting and misleading information on this debate and hope to shed a little light on the real story.
What is CoQ10? Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin-like, fat-soluble compound produced naturally in virtually every cell of your body. It is concentrated in organs that have high energy requirements — such as the heart, liver, muscles and kidneys. The reason for this is that it is essential to the process of producing cellular energy from the food you eat.
What are the differentiators between ubiquinol versus ubiquinone? What’s neat is that CoQ10 exists in our bodies as either ubiquinone in its oxidized form, or as ubiquinol in its reduced form. When reduced, CoQ10 (ubiquinol) becomes ubiquinone as it does its job in our bodies. When oxidized CoQ10 (ubiquinone) is used by the body, it transforms into ubiquinol.
To expand on how this works further… let’s take a look at CoQ10 and cellular-energy production. CoQ10 is found inside our cells mitochondria (the cells power store), which is where energy production occurs. It acts as an electron acceptor or donor in the chain of reactions that lead to energy production. When oxidized CoQ10 (ubiquinone) accepts an electron from another molecule in the chain, it becomes reduced (ubiquinol) and when reduced CoQ10 (ubiquinol) donates an electron, it becomes oxidized (ubiquinone). Maintaining this state of equilibrium is how the body benefits from CoQ10.
Should I take ubiquinone or ubiquinol as a CoQ10 supplement? Regardless of what form of CoQ10 you take as a supplement, the body is able to convert the consumed form to the other form as needed. For example, if you take a Nature Made Ubiquinol CoQ10 supplement, the body can convert the CoQ10 (ubiquinol) to the oxidized CoQ10 (ubiquinone) and vice versa. This conversion takes place to maintain a state of equilibrium between reduced CoQ10 (ubiquinol) and oxidized CoQ10 (ubiquinone).
Which form of CoQ10 is more effective? The fact is that both forms—ubiquinone and ubiquinol—are valuable to the body, and in states of need, either form can be reduced or oxidized to form the other.
However only one form has been demonstrated over decades through vast numbers of clinical studies to deliver specific benefits.
That form and the form that we recommend as a result is Ubiquinone.
While Ubiquinol is present and has value in the body, it just does not have the dearth of scientific evidence to support its use as a supplement when compared to Ubiquinone.
How much CoQ10 should I take? Although no formal recommendations exist from professional organizations for CoQ10 supplementation, most physicians recommend 100-400 mg/day.
Relevant Healthy Habits® Products:
Ubiquinone CoQ10—Few supplements are as essential to your health and heart as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). It’s used by the mitochondria (”the power plants”) of your cells to produce energy. Click here to learn more.
Learn more about the clinical studies supporting the this article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/ubiquinone