CoQ10: The Why and How
The human body is amazing! It is made up of multiple complex organs and systems that all work together to allow us to think, move, and breathe. But that’s not all it does. Your body also naturally produces a number of substances that it needs in order to keep all those organs and systems functioning. Isn’t that amazing?
One of these substances is a compound known as CoQ10, which is a complex substance that is vital to human health. Let us explain.
What is CoQ10?
CoQ10 is short for Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant compound found in almost every cell in your body. By definition, coenzymes are small molecules that assist enzymes in the process of catalyzing important chemical reactions throughout the body.
CoQ10 plays a large role in the generation of cellular energy. It helps with the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is often thought of as the “energy currency” of your cells. This is because ATP is a compound that can store and release energy to fuel various cellular processes. In addition, CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant for your body, which means it can positively impact your health in a variety of ways. But more on that in a minute.
The CoQ10 produced by your body is constantly shifting back and forth between two forms ubiquinone and ubiquinol. While these two terms are often used interchangeably, they are different in one very important way. Ubiquinone is the oxidized form of CoQ10 while ubiquinol is the reduced form. What does this mean? Without getting too deep into the science, the reduced form, ubiquinol, is more bioavailable, or easily recognized and accessed by the body. This makes ubiquinol the preferred form when we are talking about supplements. But before we get there, let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of CoQ10.
Health Benefits of CoQ10
CoQ10 is important for your overall health and wellness. Here are just a few ways this antioxidant can impact your health.
Boosts Energy
We’re sure we don’t need to remind you, but we’re going to anyway—the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, and it comes into play when we are talking about CoQ10. This is because the mitochondria is where those very important ATP molecules are created. Of course, your cells can’t create these ATP molecules if they don’t have the proper resources, including CoQ10. Ensuring your cells have enough CoQ10 to help push the production of ATP along means your body will experience a boost of energy.
Protects Brain Function
Your brain is arguably one of the most important organs in your body. It’s also the single organ that is most susceptible to oxidative stress, which is caused by harmful compounds known as free radicals. When your brain is under high levels of oxidative stress, both your cognitive functions and mental health can be negatively affected. Thankfully, antioxidants like CoQ10 can help combat this. The purpose of antioxidants is to help your body clear out those harmful free radicals, and CoQ10 is more effective than other antioxidants, like vitamin E and vitamin C, making it one of the most powerful antioxidants out there.
Promotes Heart Health
The antioxidant properties of CoQ10 also help promote a healthy heart. When your circulatory system experiences high levels of oxidative stress, it puts extra pressure on your arteries and veins. This makes it difficult for your body to regulate things like blood pressure and cholesterol, which you already know are both important factors that contribute to a healthy heart.
Sources of CoQ10
We mentioned earlier that your body naturally produces the CoQ10 it needs, but here’s the catch—this production starts decreasing around the age of 30, even though your body still needs it. So how can you make sure your body has enough of this important antioxidant? Through both diet and supplementation.
Let’s start with diet. There are a number of foods that contain CoQ10 in some form, such as:
- Fruits and vegetables like spinach, broccoli, avocados, strawberries, and oranges
- Fatty fish like sardines and trout
- Nuts and seeds like pistachios and sesame seeds
- Vegetable and seed oils like olive oil
- Meats like liver, chicken, and beef
- Legumes like lentils and peanuts
Even if you’re already including many of these foods in your day-to-day meals, there’s a good chance you still aren’t consuming enough extra CoQ10 to make a difference. The daily recommended intake of CoQ10 is 100 mg. We know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but let’s put it in perspective. A single avocado has about 1.9 mg of CoQ10 while a 100-gram serving of peanuts has about 2.6 mg. Animal organs are known to contain the highest concentrations of this important compound, but with the most potent containing roughly 11.6 mg per serving, you’d have to eat a lot of liver to get your daily dose. Thankfully, CoQ10 supplements were created so you don’t have to do that.
The challenge? Not all supplements are created equal. As you now know, your body prefers ubiquinol over ubiquinone. However, in the supplement industry, the terms ubiquinol and CoQ10 are often used interchangeably. This means that finding a supplement that contains CoQ10 doesn’t necessarily mean it contains ubiquinol. However, supplements that contain ubiquinol are guaranteed to contain CoQ10.
All that to say: be sure to carefully read the ingredients label to ensure that the supplement you are buying contains ubiquinol instead of ubiquinone.
Fuel Your Body with Energize
As you age, it’s important to be aware of the changing needs of your body. Having adequate levels of CoQ10 in your diet so you meet the recommended daily intake is important for your energy levels as well as your overall health. Enter Energize—our all-natural CoQ10 supplement. This powerful supplement combines ubiquinol with superfoods like mushrooms and organic Wild Microalgae® to nourish and support your body at a cellular level.
The best part? You can put it to the test risk-free with our 90-day money-back guarantee.
At New Earth we are on a mission to positively impact the health of every body and soul we come in contact with. We specialize in producing third-party certified, organic whole food supplements including a variety of probiotics, and digestive support. Our supplements feature a rare, yet highly nutritious superfood, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA). Also known as organic Wild Microalgae®, AFA is a unique type of microalgae that is available in many forms including tablets, capsules, and powders all designed to help you on your journey to holistic wellness. The best part? We offer a 90-day money-back risk-free guarantee on all of our products. Visit our website to learn more.
