Why Healthy CoQ10 Levels are So Vitally Important

By Dr. Kevin Passero

CoQ10 is the biochemical spark plug that ignites energy production in every one of your roughly 30 trillion cells. A powerful antioxidant produced naturally by your body, CoQ10 fuels and protects your mitochondria, the cellular energy factories that turn oxygen into energy to power your organs.

Organs requiring a lot of energy like your heart and brain have the highest concentrations of mitochondria, which means they require higher concentrations of CoQ10 and are significantly impacted when levels of this nutrient declines. This also helps to explain why a vast body of scientific evidence has demonstrated supplemental CoQ10’s beneficial effects on cardiovascular and cognitive health.

Your body’s ability to produce CoQ10 naturally starts to decline beginning around age 30. Aging aside, other factors—most notably, certain widely-used drugs, such as cholesterol lowering statins, can accelerate this decline, leading to a CoQ10 deficiency that can exact a toll on your heart, brain, kidneys, muscles and overall energy. 

Your mitochondria take the foods you eat and turn them into energy for your cells to use. While certain foods such as meat, fish and nuts have high levels of CoQ10, it is estimated that only about 25% of the CoQ10 in the body is derived from diet.*

As CoQ10 production declines with age, supplementation can offer benefits when it comes to supporting cellular energy production and protecting your body from oxidative stress. Oral supplementation has been shown to be effective at increasing tissue levels of CoQ10 and these important anti-aging benefits.*

What are Some Specific Benefits of CoQ10?

As a powerful antioxidant made by your body, CoQ10 prevents damaging alterations caused by oxidative stress. When damaged by oxidative stress, the energy production in the mitochondria decline. CoQ10 plays a vital role in helping to protect mitochondria from this damage.

CoQ10 also prevents LDL – the ‘bad’ kind of cholesterol from becoming oxidized. This is very important, because it is oxidized LDL that most significantly contributes to dangerous artery causing plaque.

As we age, our production of CoQ10 declines, but our production of cholesterol does not, making supplementation very important for overall cardio-protection. Studies show that oral supplementation effectively increases the concentration of CoQ10 in human LDL helping to prevent artery clogging plaque.**

In addition to being a potent antioxidant, CoQ10 helps improve overall immune function. Immune responses require an exceptional amount of energy and CoQ10 helps fuel the cells responsible for responding to immune challenges.

CoQ10 levels are highest in organs that use a lot of energy, also known as having high rates of metabolism. Organs like the heart, liver, brain and kidneys use CoQ10 as a way of generating the energy they need to maintain proper function.* 

The human heart beats roughly 100,000 times per day and uses CoQ10 to generate the massive amounts of energy needed for this constant activity. All that energy production also means lots of oxidative stress and the heart uses CoQ10 to protect itself from free radical damage (caused by reactive oxygen species). 

CoQ10 also contributes to how you feel on a daily basis, impacting your energy and stamina. One study of CoQ10 and selenium supplementation involving older adults over a four-year period showed increased vitality, physical performance and quality of life.* 

What Causes CoQ10 to Become Depleted?

Since CoQ10 is needed in every single cell of your body, it’s extremely important to your overall health and vitality. Unfortunately, there are several factors that can lead to a CoQ10 deficiency.

Age is the biggest factor when it comes to CoQ10 depletion, but there are specific medications that can interfere with CoQ10 production. For example, statins, a class of drugs used to treat high cholesterol, have been shown to impair CoQ10 synthesis and contribute to CoQ10 depletion.* 

Even short-term use of statin therapy (as little as two weeks!) can drastically reduce your CoQ10 levels.* This is especially troubling since many people with cardiovascular issues are prescribed statin therapy to reduce their cholesterol. This is one of the many reasons why I recommend natural cholesterol remedies such as citrus bergamot to support healthy cholesterol levels for my patients.

Supplementing with CoQ10    

While you may not have thought much about your CoQ10 levels – this vital nutrient is working hard for you. From helping your cells get the energy they need, to fighting off free radicals, to supporting your immune system, to protecting your cardiovascular system, CoQ10 is a powerhouse which has a big impact on how your body functions every day.

When it comes to supporting your CoQ10 levels, perhaps the biggest drawback for many widely available CoQ10 supplements is that they are so poorly absorbed that they do little to raise your CoQ10 levels.

Durable CoQ10® is a next-generation CoQ10 formula with unmatched absorption and effectiveness. It features 300 mg of a new, breakthrough form of CoQ10 called Ubiqsome® CoQ10 phytosome which mimics nature to deliver CoQ10 directly into cells where it’s most needed and has been clinically proven to more than double circulating CoQ10 levels in the body within just 2 weeks (a 114% increase).

Click here to learn more about Durable CoQ10.