Written
by Andrew Shea, Ubiquinol.org
Reviewed
by Risa Schulman, PhD
Heart health is of great interest
across the United States, where many people are confident they can manage
certain health issues through proper nutrition. It’s no wonder, then, that
Americans will spend an estimated $2.5 billion this year on dietary supplements
such as Ubiquinol CoQ10 that support cardiovascular health.
Starting With the Fundamentals
To understand this nutrient, we need
to start with a quick overview of enzymes.
Enzymes play important roles in our
bodies – for example, they make it possible for us to digest the food we eat
and unlock the energy in nutrients. Complex reactions throughout all of nature
are made possible – and most efficient – because of these molecules.
But to function, enzymes need help
from something called coenzymes. These natural compounds assist an enzyme in
doing a certain job such as digesting carbohydrates and protein in our body, or
making the energy our organs need to function.
Introducing Coenzyme Q10
There are many coenzymes. Among the
most important is called Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10. This vitamin-like substance is
made naturally in the body and plays a critical role in the creation of
cellular energy.
It’s no surprise, then, that lots of
CoQ10 is found inside the tissue of energy-demanding organs such as the heart,
brain, liver and kidneys. In fact, it exists in virtually all our cells and
tissues.
CoQ10 Comes in Two Very Different Forms
CoQ10 is one of America’s most
recognized coenzymes. Although millions of us buy the supplement to support
heart health, most don’t know there are two main forms of this
vital nutrient. Each functions differently in the body.
Ubiquinone, also known as
conventional CoQ10, is the most popular form of CoQ10. This is because it was
the only kind of CoQ10 sold in stores until 2007, when a more advanced form of
the nutrient called Ubiquinol (pronounced “you-bik-win-all”) became
commercially available.
The problem with conventional CoQ10 is that your body
must convert it into Ubiquinol (1) (the more advanced type of CoQ10) before it
can help make the cellular energy your heart and other vital organs need to
function at optimal levels.
Unlike conventional CoQ10, Ubiquinol is also a strong
antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals that might otherwise damage
healthy cells in the body (2).
Starting around the age of 30, your body has a harder
time turning conventional CoQ10 into Ubiquinol CoQ10, and the entire process
becomes less efficient. That is why so many “older” adults are now taking the
more advanced Ubiquinol form of CoQ10.
Today, retail sales of Ubiquinol CoQ10 are growing an
estimated seven times faster than those of conventional CoQ10 as the public
becomes more aware of the various advantages of Ubiquinol.
Ubiquinol
CoQ10: Heart Health and More
Both forms of CoQ10 have interested researchers for many
years, but Ubiquinol CoQ10 has been commercially available in America for only
10 years. In that short time, more than 60 research studies have been performed
into the health benefits of Ubiquinol CoQ10.
Ubiquinol CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance that's made
naturally in our bodies and plays a critical role in the creation of cellular
energy. We make less of the heart-healthy nutrient starting around age 30.
Unlike some dietary supplement research, much of this
research took the form of peer-reviewed human clinical studies from scientists
at prestigious universities and medical schools.
This large and still growing amount of research has
found Ubiquinol CoQ10:
·
Supports optimal heart health (3, 4, 5)
·
Supports natural cellular energy production (6)
·
Helps prevent damage in the body caused by
oxidative stress (7)
·
Replenishes CoQ10 blood levels depleted by
many cholesterol medicines (8, 9)
Interest in the health benefits of Ubiquinol is strong.
Right now, researchers from around the world are busy studying the role
Ubiquinol CoQ10 may play in mitochondrial dysfunction, brain health, visual
health and bone metabolism, among other areas.
A
Disadvantage of Conventional CoQ10
Despite its various health benefits, conventional CoQ10
has an important disadvantage: it’s not as efficiently absorbed by the human
body.
Ubiquinol CoQ10 is different. In every published
comparative study to date, Ubiquinol CoQ10 was better absorbed by the body than
conventional CoQ10 (10, 11, 12). The amount your body absorbs will vary based
on your age and overall health, but studies have consistently shown Ubiquinol
to be the form of CoQ10 that’s easier for the body to use.
Ubiquinol CoQ10 is more readily absorbed in the
intestinal tract and therefore considered more “bioavailable” than conventional
CoQ10 (13).
This difference makes Ubiquinol quite special. When
conventional CoQ10 is ingested, the body must turn it into Ubiquinol CoQ10 so
it can contribute to the production of cellular energy, which our hearts and
other major organs need to function at optimal levels.
But the process of turning conventional CoQ10 into
Ubiquinol becomes harder and less efficient as we get older and especially
after age 45. That’s a big reason why many experts encourage “older” adults who
take a CoQ10 supplement to consume it as Ubiquinol.
For many people and often to their surprise,
conventional CoQ10 simply does not deliver the same benefits of Ubiquinol
CoQ10.
Source: ubiquinol.org/ubiquinol-coq10-supplement-facts
At the time of publication,
Andrew Shea is a Director of Marketing at Kaneka North America LLC, a
manufacturer of CoQ10 ingredients.
Drs. Barry and Funahashi
are employees of Kaneka, and
Dr. Schulman is a paid
consultant to the company.
References
1 Mohr D, Bowry VW, Stocker R. Dietary supplementation
with coenzyme Q10 results in increased levels of ubiquinol-10 within
circulating lipoproteins and increased resistance of human low-density
lipoprotein to the initiation of lipid peroxidation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1992
Jun 26;1126(3):247-54.
2 Frei B, Kim MC, Ames BN. Ubiquinol-10 is an effective
lipid-soluble antioxidant at physiological concentrations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U
S A. 1990 Jun;87(12):4879-83.
3 Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM. Supplemental ubiquinol in
patients with advanced congestive heart failure. Biofactors.
2008;32(1-4):119-28.
4 Langsjoen PH and Langsjoen AM. Supplemental Ubiquinol
in congestive heart failure: 3 year experience. 6th International Q10
Conference Brussels, 27–30 May 2010; 29–30.
5 Mohr D, Bowry VW, Stocker R. Dietary supplementation
with coenzyme Q10 results in increased levels of ubiquinol-10 within
circulating lipoproteins and increased resistance of human low-density
lipoprotein to the initiation of lipid peroxidation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1992
Jun 26;1126(3):247-54.
6 Beamer WM and Deamer DW. Energy from Chemical Bonds:
The aerobic mode. In: The World of the Cell, 2nd Ed., The Benjamin Cummings
Publishing Company, Inc, Redwood City , CA., pps. 275-313.
7 Ernster L, Forsmark-Andrée P. Ubiquinol: an endogenous
antioxidant in aerobic organisms. Clin Investig. 1993;71(8 Suppl):S60-5.
8 Zlatohlavek L, Vrablik M, Grauova B, Motykova E, Ceska
R. The effect of coenzyme Q10 in statin myopathy. Neuro Endocrinol Lett.
2012;33 Suppl 2:98-101.
9 Fedacko J, Pella D, Fedackova P, Hänninen O, Tuomainen
P, Jarcuska P, Lopuchovsky T, Jedlickova L, Merkovska L, Littarru GP. Coenzyme
Q(10) and selenium in statin-associated myopathy treatment. Can J Physiol
Pharmacol. 2013 Feb;91(2):165-70.
10 Miles MV, Horn P, Milesc L, Tanga P, Steele P,
DeGrauwa T. Bioequivalence of coenzyme Q10 from over-the-counter supplements.
Nutr Res. 2002:22(8):919-929.
11 Bhagavan HN, Chopra RK. Plasma coenzyme Q10 response
to oral ingestion of coenzyme Q10 formulations. Mitochondrion. 2007 Jun;7
Suppl:S78-88.
12 Evans M, Baisley J, Barss S, Guthrie N. A randomized, double-blind trial on the
bioavailability of two CoQ10 formulations. Journal of Functional Foods. 2009.
1: 65-73.
13 Miles MV, Horn P, Milesc L, Tanga P, Steele P,
DeGrauwa T. Bioequivalence of coenzyme Q10 from over-the-counter supplements.
Nutr Res. 2002:22(8):919-929.
14 Crane FL, Navas P. The diversity of coenzyme Q
function. Mol Aspects Med. 1997;18:s1–s6.
15 Bentinger M, Brismar K, Dallner G. The antioxidant
role of coenzyme Q. Mitochondrion 2007;7S:S41–S50.
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