Return to the Bioenergetic Support Page

Co-Enzyme Q10 Overview

Co-Enzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble vitamin critical to multiple aspects of our physiology.  Co-Enzyme Q10 (which I will refer to as CoQ or CoQ10), serves as an essential anti-oxidant, charged with preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.  Co-Q can reduce oxidized Vitamin E, allowing Vitamin E to re-enter the battle against free radical stress, and Co-Q can inactivate superoxide, the free radical generated as a by-product of normal energy metabolism.  Co-Q also stabilizes the membranes that surround our cells, and protects them from degradation by enzymes such as phospholipase.  Co-Q10 is a member of the electron transport chain.  In other words, without CoQ10, we cannot generate energy.  We cannot convert the energy stored in the Carbon-electron bond in sugar and fat in to the high energy bond between ADP and Phosphorus in ATP.  Without Co-Q we die of energy failure.  High energy organs, such as the heart, liver, brain, and kidney contain a lot of Co-Q10, and are the first to suffer when CoQ10 is in short supply.  We will not get in to it much on this site, but clinical studies have demonstrated benefits of Co-Q10 supplementation in brain disease and in kidney disease, not really a surprise (by the way, with drug medicine we help a target organ in distress and cause side-effects elsewhere - with nutritional medicine when we help a target organ in distress we often see side-benefits elsewhere in the body).  The table below summarizes the studies that demonstrate benefits of Co-Q supplementation in cardiovascular disease states.

RCTs refers to randomized, placebo controlled studies.  Open intervention refers to studies where the subjects knew that they were receiving CoQ.  Literally, hundreds of positive papers exist in the world scientific literature.  Co-Q10 is fat soluble, which means that it is best absorbed with food.  Co-Q gel preparations contain Co-Q in a fatty matrix, and are better absorbed than is CoQ10 in powder or wafer form.  Hydrosoluble CoQ, known as Q-gel, consists of CoQ in a readily absorbable form.  Idebenone is CoQ in a non-oxidizable form; it is actually less expensive than standard CoQ10 and is probably more effective.  Please refer to Reverse Heart Disease Now for more information on CoQ10 dosing.

                                                                                                                                                                James C. Roberts MD FACC
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1/01/07