Coenzyme Q10 (ubichinone)

Coenzyme Q10 (ubichinone)

We can produce coenzyme Q10 ourselves as well as ingesting it in our food. In order to produce it ourselves, we need certain amino acids (the building blocks of protein) as well as folic acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 and other B Vitamins such as B3, B5 and B6. If we have insufficient quantities of these precursors, then we cannot make enough coenzyme Q10, and must then ingest it via our food or nutrition supplements.

Particularly good sources of coenzyme Q10 are:

  • Meat
  • Eggs
  • Oily fish (e.g. herring, sardines, mackerel)
  • Cold-pressed plant oils such as olive oil and wheat germ oil
  • Nuts (e.g. pistachios)
  • Onions, potatoes, spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli

By eating a balanced diet, we can expect to ingest anywhere from 2 to 20 mg of coenzyme Q10 per day. But just as with vitamins, the amount contained in food can be affected by cooking, storage and preservatives.

For doses of up to 30 mg, no negative side effects have so far been reported. However this applies only to natural coenzyme Q10, which is produced by fermentation and therefore exhibits the coenzyme's natural structure (trans-conformation). Synthetic versions of the coenzyme exhibit a different structure (cis-confirmaton), so the research undertaken with the natural version cannot necessarily be applied to the synthetic version.

Caution is advised for patients taking blood-thinning medication. Because coenzyme Q10 also influences blood clotting, supplements containing the coenzyme should only be taken in consultation with a doctor or subject to the results of a series of prothrombin time (PT) tests conducted at short intervals at the start of the course. Nonetheless it is precisely the age group 50+ where this type of medication is most common for whom a long-term course of coenzyme Q10 can be especially beneficial.

Our normal average requirement for coenzyme Q10 has never been precisely established. Even the German Nutrition Association offers no clear guidelines. But what is clear is that our need for it can increase according to circumstances, e.g.

  • Stress increases energy usage
  • Sport increases energy usage
  • Age: from the age of about 40, our body's own production of coenzyme Q10 gradually declines
  • Smoking increases oxidative stress
  • Medication such as statins, or hormonal preparations such as the pill or cortisol, can reduce the levels of coenzyme Q10
  • Chronic illness: chronic inflammation (e.g. chronic polyarthritis) increases oxidative stress and consequently the need for antioxidants

With increasing age, coenzyme Q10 levels in the blood and organs decline, particularly in the cardiac muscle, which requires constant supplies of the coenzyme to keep beating. The energy produced by the cells' powerhouses, the mitochondria, depends directly on the amount of coenzyme Q10 in the cells. A lack of the coenzyme in the cells therefore results in decreasing cardiac performance. This can result in tiredness and increasing exhaustion. Conversely, the cardiac muscle in particular benefits from healthy levels of the coenzyme.
If the coenzyme Q10 can no longer be produced in sufficient quantities by the body itself, particularly in old age, then it must be obtained from food or nutritional supplements. It has been observed in cardiovascular patients that levels of the coenzyme tail off rapidly when its intake via food is stopped. It is therefore advisable to continue to take the coenzyme over a sustained period, subject to consultation with a suitably qualified medical practitioner.

High usage (e.g. during physical labour or sport) and high energy intake (from excessive food intake or eating too much high-energy food) can increase the creation of free radicals. This increases oxidative stress. High-energy usage also increases the amount of coenzyme Q10 needed to provide energy in the form of ATP. Sportsmen and women therefore use high amounts of this coenzyme. A lack of it can clearly and measurably reduce their performance and regenerative capacities and can even increase infection rates.

Patients taking statins to reduce their cholesterol need to be aware that statins reduce the body's ability own ability to make coenzyme Q10. Statins work by inhibiting an enzyme necessary for cholesterol manufacture and therefore decreasing cholesterol levels. Unfortunately it is precisely this enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) that is required for the manufacture of coenzyme Q10. Statins taken to reduce cholesterol levels can reduce production of the coenzyme by anything from 25 to 75%. Some of the side effects of statins can therefore be attributed to a lack of this coenzyme.

Asthma patients who have been treated with corticoids such as cortisone have also shown reduced levels of coenzyme Q10 in their blood, and many other illnesses are also associated with lower levels of the coenzyme. These include:

  • Gum diseases such as periodontitis
  • Cancer (20% of tumour patients have lowered coenzyme Q10 levels)

Our normal average requirement for coenzyme Q10 has never been precisely established. Even the German Nutrition Association offers no clear guidelines. But what is clear is that our need for it can increase according to circumstances, e.g.

  • Stress increases energy usage
  • Sport increases energy usage
  • Age: from the age of about 40, our body's own production of coenzyme Q10 gradually declines
  • Smoking increases oxidative stress
  • Medication such as statins, or hormonal preparations such as the pill or cortisol, can reduce the levels of coenzyme Q10
  • Chronic illness: chronic inflammation (e.g. chronic polyarthritis) increases oxidative stress and consequently the need for antioxidants

With increasing age, coenzyme Q10 levels in the blood and organs decline, particularly in the cardiac muscle, which requires constant supplies of the coenzyme to keep beating. The energy produced by the cells' powerhouses, the mitochondria, depends directly on the amount of coenzyme Q10 in the cells. A lack of the coenzyme in the cells therefore results in decreasing cardiac performance. This can result in tiredness and increasing exhaustion. Conversely, the cardiac muscle in particular benefits from healthy levels of the coenzyme.
If the coenzyme Q10 can no longer be produced in sufficient quantities by the body itself, particularly in old age, then it must be obtained from food or nutritional supplements. It has been observed in cardiovascular patients that levels of the coenzyme tail off rapidly when its intake via food is stopped. It is therefore advisable to continue to take the coenzyme over a sustained period, subject to consultation with a suitably qualified medical practitioner.

High usage (e.g. during physical labour or sport) and high energy intake (from excessive food intake or eating too much high-energy food) can increase the creation of free radicals. This increases oxidative stress. High-energy usage also increases the amount of coenzyme Q10 needed to provide energy in the form of ATP. Sportsmen and women therefore use high amounts of this coenzyme. A lack of it can clearly and measurably reduce their performance and regenerative capacities and can even increase infection rates.

Patients taking statins to reduce their cholesterol need to be aware that statins reduce the body's ability own ability to make coenzyme Q10. Statins work by inhibiting an enzyme necessary for cholesterol manufacture and therefore decreasing cholesterol levels. Unfortunately it is precisely this enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) that is required for the manufacture of coenzyme Q10. Statins taken to reduce cholesterol levels can reduce production of the coenzyme by anything from 25 to 75%. Some of the side effects of statins can therefore be attributed to a lack of this coenzyme.

Asthma patients who have been treated with corticoids such as cortisone have also shown reduced levels of coenzyme Q10 in their blood, and many other illnesses are also associated with lower levels of the coenzyme. These include:

  • Gum diseases such as periodontitis
  • Cancer (20% of tumour patients have lowered coenzyme Q10 levels)

Our normal average requirement for coenzyme Q10 has never been precisely established. Even the German Nutrition Association offers no clear guidelines. But what is clear is that our need for it can increase according to circumstances, e.g.

  • Stress increases energy usage
  • Sport increases energy usage
  • Age: from the age of about 40, our body's own production of coenzyme Q10 gradually declines
  • Smoking increases oxidative stress
  • Medication such as statins, or hormonal preparations such as the pill or cortisol, can reduce the levels of coenzyme Q10
  • Chronic illness: chronic inflammation (e.g. chronic polyarthritis) increases oxidative stress and consequently the need for antioxidants

With increasing age, coenzyme Q10 levels in the blood and organs decline, particularly in the cardiac muscle, which requires constant supplies of the coenzyme to keep beating. The energy produced by the cells' powerhouses, the mitochondria, depends directly on the amount of coenzyme Q10 in the cells. A lack of the coenzyme in the cells therefore results in decreasing cardiac performance. This can result in tiredness and increasing exhaustion. Conversely, the cardiac muscle in particular benefits from healthy levels of the coenzyme.
If the coenzyme Q10 can no longer be produced in sufficient quantities by the body itself, particularly in old age, then it must be obtained from food or nutritional supplements. It has been observed in cardiovascular patients that levels of the coenzyme tail off rapidly when its intake via food is stopped. It is therefore advisable to continue to take the coenzyme over a sustained period, subject to consultation with a suitably qualified medical practitioner.

High usage (e.g. during physical labour or sport) and high energy intake (from excessive food intake or eating too much high-energy food) can increase the creation of free radicals. This increases oxidative stress. High-energy usage also increases the amount of coenzyme Q10 needed to provide energy in the form of ATP. Sportsmen and women therefore use high amounts of this coenzyme. A lack of it can clearly and measurably reduce their performance and regenerative capacities and can even increase infection rates.

Patients taking statins to reduce their cholesterol need to be aware that statins reduce the body's ability own ability to make coenzyme Q10. Statins work by inhibiting an enzyme necessary for cholesterol manufacture and therefore decreasing cholesterol levels. Unfortunately it is precisely this enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) that is required for the manufacture of coenzyme Q10. Statins taken to reduce cholesterol levels can reduce production of the coenzyme by anything from 25 to 75%. Some of the side effects of statins can therefore be attributed to a lack of this coenzyme.

Asthma patients who have been treated with corticoids such as cortisone have also shown reduced levels of coenzyme Q10 in their blood, and many other illnesses are also associated with lower levels of the coenzyme. These include:

  • Gum diseases such as periodontitis
  • Cancer (20% of tumour patients have lowered coenzyme Q10 levels)

Coenzyme Q10 plays a central role in the mitochondria – the 'powerhouses of the cell'

It is in the mitochondria that coenzyme Q10 plays an integral role in the respiratory chain. And it is from respiratory chain that cells derive energy in the form of ATP, the universal unit of energy used by our bodies. ATP provides our organs and muscles with the energy they need to perform their functions. There is no substance in our bodies that could replace coenzyme Q10. It is therefore a vital compound. Without it, we would not achieve the optimal conversion and use of the energy contained in our food.

But providing energy is not coenzyme Q10's only role

  • Coenzyme Q10 is essential for efficient energy production
  • Coenzyme Q10 contributes to the integrity and stabilisation of cell membranes
  • Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful, fat-soluble antioxidant
  • Coenzyme Q10 protects the cells, e.g. from free radicals
  • Coenzyme Q10 regenerates Vitamin E
  • Coenzyme Q10 strengthens the immune system

Free radicals are an unavoidable by-product of many of the body's metabolic processes. And if factors such as smoking, environmental pollution, stress or chronic inflammatory disease are present, the number of free radicals will increase. The problem is that free radicals cause oxidative stress. For example, they damage our cell membranes and therefore, ultimately, our organs. Oxidative stress caused by free radicals burdens each individual cell and, therefore, the entire body. It is also a co-factor in many diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's and coronary heart disease.

As a highly effective antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 guards against the damaging effects of free radicals.
What makes it particularly valuable is that it is available in exactly the place where many free radicals are produced: the mitochondria. So the coenzyme helps to minimise the consequences of heightened oxidative load in this area.

As a fat-soluble substance, coenzyme Q10 can also penetrate the cell membranes, so it can protect these membranes from oxidation and help to stabilise them. The cell membrane is constructed like an impenetrable, tightly woven barrier that prevents damaging alien molecules from getting into the cell. Free radicals, not to mention the many fat-soluble E-numbers contained in our food, can damage this protective function. Preventing oxidation is therefore vital, as intact cell membranes are indispensible for well-functioning intra-cellular metabolic processes.

Some organs contain a large amount of coenzyme Q10 due to their high-energy usage. These include:

  • Heart
  • Liver
  • Kidneys
  • Pancreas
  • Lungs
  • Brain
  • Muscles

A lack of coenzyme Q10 affects the amount of energy in the cells

This lack can particularly affect those organs that need large amounts of coenzyme Q10 because they use so much energy. A good supply of coenzymes is vital for the supply of energy in its physiological form (ATP) to the muscle cells and organs and for the efficient functioning of the heart and brain.

Coenzyme Q10 is used not just in nutritional supplements but in cosmetics as well. As an ingredient in many creams, it is designed to compensate for the age-related loss of coenzyme Q10 in the skin cells and to reduce damage-causing free radicals in the skin. It can therefore help protect the skin against the excessive effects of ageing.

Coenzyme Q10 plays a central role in the mitochondria – the 'powerhouses of the cell'

It is in the mitochondria that coenzyme Q10 plays an integral role in the respiratory chain. And it is from respiratory chain that cells derive energy in the form of ATP, the universal unit of energy used by our bodies. ATP provides our organs and muscles with the energy they need to perform their functions. There is no substance in our bodies that could replace coenzyme Q10. It is therefore a vital compound. Without it, we would not achieve the optimal conversion and use of the energy contained in our food.

But providing energy is not coenzyme Q10's only role

  • Coenzyme Q10 is essential for efficient energy production
  • Coenzyme Q10 contributes to the integrity and stabilisation of cell membranes
  • Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful, fat-soluble antioxidant
  • Coenzyme Q10 protects the cells, e.g. from free radicals
  • Coenzyme Q10 regenerates Vitamin E
  • Coenzyme Q10 strengthens the immune system

Free radicals are an unavoidable by-product of many of the body's metabolic processes. And if factors such as smoking, environmental pollution, stress or chronic inflammatory disease are present, the number of free radicals will increase. The problem is that free radicals cause oxidative stress. For example, they damage our cell membranes and therefore, ultimately, our organs. Oxidative stress caused by free radicals burdens each individual cell and, therefore, the entire body. It is also a co-factor in many diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's and coronary heart disease.

As a highly effective antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 guards against the damaging effects of free radicals.
What makes it particularly valuable is that it is available in exactly the place where many free radicals are produced: the mitochondria. So the coenzyme helps to minimise the consequences of heightened oxidative load in this area.

As a fat-soluble substance, coenzyme Q10 can also penetrate the cell membranes, so it can protect these membranes from oxidation and help to stabilise them. The cell membrane is constructed like an impenetrable, tightly woven barrier that prevents damaging alien molecules from getting into the cell. Free radicals, not to mention the many fat-soluble E-numbers contained in our food, can damage this protective function. Preventing oxidation is therefore vital, as intact cell membranes are indispensible for well-functioning intra-cellular metabolic processes.

Some organs contain a large amount of coenzyme Q10 due to their high-energy usage. These include:

  • Heart
  • Liver
  • Kidneys
  • Pancreas
  • Lungs
  • Brain
  • Muscles

A lack of coenzyme Q10 affects the amount of energy in the cells

This lack can particularly affect those organs that need large amounts of coenzyme Q10 because they use so much energy. A good supply of coenzymes is vital for the supply of energy in its physiological form (ATP) to the muscle cells and organs and for the efficient functioning of the heart and brain.

Coenzyme Q10 is used not just in nutritional supplements but in cosmetics as well. As an ingredient in many creams, it is designed to compensate for the age-related loss of coenzyme Q10 in the skin cells and to reduce damage-causing free radicals in the skin. It can therefore help protect the skin against the excessive effects of ageing.

Other names for coenzymes Q10 are ubiquinone 10, UQ, Q and Q-10

The name ubiquinone derives from the fact that, to a certain extent, coenzyme Q10 is available everywhere (i.e. ubiquitous) in all human, animal and plant cells, and from a chemical point of view has a ring-like quinone structure.

Thanks to its lipophilic ('fat-loving') side chain, coenzyme Q10 possesses fat-soluble properties. We therefore find this coenzyme mostly in our membranes – in the skin, in our cells and in the cells' 'organs', the organelles. It therefore follows that coenzyme Q10 is particularly important for the mitochondria.

What is coenzyme Q10?

The new star of mitochondrial therapy, coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like compound and a major contributor to the generation of energy at the cellular level. Like vitamins, it performs a vital function in our bodies. Coenzymes support the activity of enzymes, but unlike enzymes they are themselves used up in the process and must therefore be regularly replaced. And unlike vitamins, coenzymes can be produced by the body itself. But in times of increased need for coenzymes (e.g. during sporting activity), the body's own production of coenzyme Q10 may no longer suffice. The supply of this coenzyme would then need to be increased via nutrition or nutritional supplements.