Key Takeaways
- CoQ10 is a coenzyme that plays a key role in cellular energy production and supports the body’s natural antioxidant defenses, along with healthy blood pressure already within normal range. Your body makes less CoQ10 after age 40, and certain medications, such as statins and some beta blockers, may lower CoQ10 levels, so talk to your doctor if you take them.
- When choosing the best CoQ10 supplement, check four things: an absorption booster like piperine, a 100 mg daily dose, a disclosed source and purity, and a softgel form.
- YoungLong Milk Thistle & CoQ10 combines 100 mg of CoQ10 with milk thistle in one formula, plus piperine (black pepper extract) to support absorption. It’s a simple way to support liver health and antioxidant activity in a single daily softgel.
Today, we will take a closer look at Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a powerful antioxidant that plays a vital role in cellular energy production.
It is widely known that the body's natural production of CoQ10 gradually declines after the age of 40. Furthermore, certain lipid-lowering ingredients (such as statins) or specific blood pressure-managing ingredients may affect CoQ10 levels in the body.
Therefore, if you are taking these medications long-term or seeking healthy antioxidant support, supplementing with CoQ10 after consulting with your healthcare professional can be an excellent option.
Try supplementing your daily nutrition with CoQ10 to maintain vitality and support healthy blood pressure already within the normal range.
You take CoQ10 for your health, but are you choosing the right product?
Choosing the wrong product isn't just ineffective; it can actually be harmful to your health.
You might soon regret investing in ordinary, low-absorption supplements once you realize they aren't working.
CoQ10 is highly sought after by those experiencing the initial signs of aging.
To make sure the CoQ10 you take for its features doesn't end up doing more harm than good, you absolutely need to know how to choose properly.
So which is the best CoQ10 supplement to take?
Contents
- What Is CoQ10?
- Features of CoQ10
- Why CoQ10 Levels Drop
- How to Choose the Best CoQ10 Supplement
1. What Is CoQ10?
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) goes by several names, including ubiquinone and ubidecarenone.
It's one of the key components of the mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy inside our cells, and it's found in high concentrations in organs that need a lot of energy, such as the heart and liver.
That's why CoQ10 is an essential nutrient for all living mammals, and it's a coenzyme that's indispensable for generating energy (ATP) in the mitochondria, the energy factories of our cells.
The U.S. FDA identifies coenzyme Q10 as a dietary ingredient used in dietary supplements, and it's known for its "antioxidant" action, which helps clear free radicals, and for "supporting healthy blood pressure."
Lately, it has also been drawing attention as an ingredient in cosmetics, not just in over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements.
So let's take a closer look at exactly what coenzyme Q10 does for our health and how it works.
2. Features of CoQ10
Features 1) Supports Healthy Blood Pressure
Coenzyme Q10 is an ingredient the U.S. FDA lists as a dietary ingredient, and it's known for "supporting healthy blood pressure."
Because there aren't many ingredients known to help regulate blood pressure, interest in coenzyme Q10 remains high.
According to a study that looked at how deficient people with high blood pressure were in coenzyme Q10, only 6% of healthy adults were deficient in CoQ10, while 39% of people with high blood pressure were found to have a CoQ10 deficiency.
Because the frequency of CoQ10 deficiency differed so clearly between healthy people and the high blood pressure group, researchers began studying the link between CoQ10 and blood pressure.
Human studies reported since then have also found that taking CoQ10 over the long term was associated with meaningful effects on blood pressure.
Many other research findings also point to a link between CoQ10 and blood pressure.
Features 2) Antioxidant
CoQ10 is a widely used dietary supplement ingredient in the U.S., and in addition to supporting healthy blood pressure, it's also known for its "antioxidant" function.
Free radicals, which are produced along with energy, are unstable molecules that cause cell damage and contribute to aging and oxidative stress.
The problem is that as your body ages, its ability to remove free radicals declines. As damage builds up in these injured cells, they have a harder time recovering, and cells begin to age, which is what we call aging.
It's coenzyme Q10 that neutralizes and removes free radicals, the cause of aging, and it's known to protect cells by becoming oxidized in their place.
In other words, it neutralizes free radicals, helping to prevent cell damage and maintain normal cell function.
Benefit 3) Energy Production
The root cause of fatigue is that energy isn't being produced efficiently.
Chronic fatigue is a state in which one part of the many processes involved in energy metabolism breaks down, so the fatigue doesn't go away no matter how much you rest.
Fatigue can have many causes, but a lack of coenzyme Q10 can lead to problems with energy metabolism.
As I mentioned earlier, coenzyme Q10 is a coenzyme that's indispensable for generating energy (ATP) in the mitochondria.
The mitochondria, which can be called the energy factories of our cells, not only produce free radicals in the process of making energy but are also easily damaged by free radicals, so maintaining mitochondrial function is important.
If you're low on coenzyme Q10, mitochondrial function can decline, which can make energy production more difficult. This can lead to fatigue and various metabolic problems.
If your fatigue doesn't go away no matter how much you sleep, you may want to consider taking coenzyme Q10.
3. Why CoQ10 Levels Drop
Reason 1) Aging
Coenzyme Q10 can be made in the body, but its production gradually declines with age.
If you look at how coenzyme Q10 is distributed in the body, as we age, the heart, where coenzyme Q10 is most concentrated, sees the steepest decline, followed by the kidneys, lungs, and liver.
Organs with high metabolic demands, like the heart, lose CoQ10 very quickly.
Since production drops with age, it's a good idea to supplement with coenzyme Q10, and the need for CoQ10 supplementation becomes even greater after age 40.
Reason 2) Taking Medications
1. Cholesterol-Management Regimens
If you are currently on a routine cholesterol-management plan prescribed by your healthcare provider, there is a strong possibility it includes a statin-class ingredient.
Statins have relatively few side effects and clear effectiveness, so they're the first-line medications used to treat high cholesterol.
Statin medications work by blocking HMG-CoA reductase, the most important enzyme in cholesterol production, which means they work by stopping the body from making cholesterol.
In other words, they block cholesterol production to lower blood cholesterol, which is how they help with high cholesterol.
The problem is that statins don't just block cholesterol production; they also block the production of coenzyme Q10, which shares the same pathway.
That's why, if you take cholesterol-lowering medication long term, your coenzyme Q10 levels can be very low.
According to a study published in Archives of Neurology (2004), when people took Atorvastatin (Lipitor), the most commonly used cholesterol-lowering medication, for 30 days, their blood coenzyme Q10 levels dropped by 49%. This is because statins block not only cholesterol production but also the production of coenzyme Q10.
Also, one of the serious side effects of statins, a condition in which muscle tissue breaks down, and according to a journal of the American Heart Association, taking coenzyme Q10 reduced statin-related muscle side effects by about 40%.
On top of that, statins can put a burden on the liver, so supplementing with CoQ10, which has an antioxidant effect, is one way to help protect liver cells.
In other words, if you take cholesterol-lowering medication long term, CoQ10 can help in many ways, so I recommend taking a coenzyme Q10 supplement alongside it.
2. Specialized Blood Pressure Regimens
Some beta blockers, a type of blood pressure medication, may interfere with how CoQ10 works in the mitochondria and affect CoQ10 levels in the body.
As a result, a coenzyme Q10 deficiency in the body can disrupt antioxidant activity and energy production, which can lead to various health problems.
If you take any of these medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist about CoQ10, which may help prevent a deficiency.
4. How to Choose the Best CoQ10 Supplement
Tip 1) Contains BioPerine ★
To make up for CoQ10, which is easy to fall short on, you've probably looked carefully at everything from the ingredients to how to take it and chosen with care.
But is it really absorbed 100%, just as you take it?
Even if you choose a great CoQ10 product, it means nothing if your body can't absorb it properly.
That's why "absorption" has recently become one of the key factors people look at when choosing supplements.
The higher the absorption rate, the more effective the results you can get, and another key advantage is that it reduces the discomfort people felt with older forms.
BioPerine is a natural bioavailability enhancer made by processing piperine, the compound that gives black pepper its spicy taste. It helps increase the absorption of various nutrients.
BioPerine is generally shown to boost nutrient absorption by 30% or more, which is why it's used in a wide range of products.
Thanks to these advantages, BioPerine is included in products such as selenium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and curcumin to increase their absorption and bioavailability.
In a clinical study comparing people who took an ingredient with BioPerine to those who took the ingredient alone, there was a meaningful difference in absorption.
When healthy adult men took CoQ10 together with 5 mg of BioPerine, their plasma CoQ10 levels rose by about 30% compared with the group that took CoQ10 alone, and the absolute change in concentration also increased by about 32%, a statistically significant difference.
Since BioPerine helps increase CoQ10 absorption, it's a good idea to check whether the ingredient list and amounts on the package include "BioPerine (black pepper extract)."
Tip 2) Maximum Dose: 100 mg
Coenzyme Q10 is made in the body and can also be obtained from meat, fish, and vegetable oils, but the CoQ10 you get from food is only about 5 mg, which falls far short of the effective daily amount of 30–60 mg.
The amount of coenzyme Q10 varies from product to product. In particular, many products these days are misleading, containing only about 10 mg of coenzyme Q10 per day, so you need to check the amount carefully.
Most related studies have shown meaningful effects based on 100 mg of CoQ10 per day.
To take it effectively and safely, I recommend choosing a product that contains 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 per day.
Tip 3) Is the Country of Origin Disclosed?
Coenzyme Q10 is an ingredient whose country of origin often isn't disclosed.
Ingredients from less transparent sources often don't disclose where they come from.
That's why, if you look at products on the market, there are more than you might think that disclose the amount or purity but not the country of origin. (It's probably more accurate to say they can't disclose it.)
On top of that, the purity of the ingredient matters for CoQ10. If an ingredient with poor extraction quality and low purity is used, it can contain impurities or extraction solvents, so it's best to choose a high-purity ingredient.
A trustworthy company accurately discloses not only the country of origin of its coenzyme Q10 but also its purity and amount. Since supplements are something you take for a long time, it's important to check carefully so there are no problems.
In other words, a product that clearly states its country of origin and purity is a truly trustworthy product.
Tip 4) Form
Many papers and studies have confirmed that coenzyme Q10, a fat-soluble nutrient, is absorbed best in capsule form.
In particular, softgels with a small amount of added oil are known to have high bioavailability.
To boost absorption, I recommend softgels over tablets or hard capsules.
Why YoungLong Milk Thistle & CoQ10 Is Different
There are hundreds of CoQ10 products on the market. So what makes YoungLong Milk Thistle & CoQ10 different?
First, milk thistle and CoQ10 make one of the best-matched combinations. Looking at their functions alone, the pairing lets you support both liver health and healthy blood pressure at the same time.
Blood pressure and liver health are actually connected. When your liver isn't in good shape, blood pressure can rise, and high blood pressure can make the liver more vulnerable to damage, which is a common concern for people in their 40s and 50s.
Also, taking cholesterol-lowering or blood pressure medication long term can put a burden on the liver, so caring for your liver with milk thistle is important.
On top of that, taking milk thistle and CoQ10 together is known to offer synergistic antioxidant features that support healthy liver function and healthy cholesterol levels as we age.
That's why YoungLong combined CoQ10 with milk thistle into one "Milk Thistle & CoQ10" formula, so you can take care of your liver at the same time.
- Milk thistle + CoQ10 combination formula
- Contains piperine (black pepper extract)
- 100 mg of CoQ10
Start supporting healthy blood pressure and liver health with YoungLong Milk Thistle & CoQ10. Wishing you good health today.
References
[3] Drugs.com. Drug Information Database.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
