CoQ10 Supplements – Benefits, Side Effects and Recommendations

Coenzyme Q10 (or Q10) is a fat-soluble compound that helps your cells generate energy for growth and maintenance.

CoQ10 is present in all human cells – with higher concentrations in your mitochondria – making it essential for all kinds of biological processes.

While your body naturally produces CoQ10, various factors (like nutritional deficiencies, disease and aging) can contribute to falling levels of CoQ10. Falling levels of CoQ10 are associated with various conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, so it’s important to maintain healthy levels of CoQ10, either by eating lots of natural sources of CoQ10 or by taking CoQ10 supplements.

It is unclear if these diseases are caused by low CoQ10 levels or result in low levels, but a wealth of research shows that CoQ10 has a wide range of health benefits. To help you make the most of this incredible natural compound, let’s take a closer look at the benefits, side effects and recommendations for optimizing your CoQ10 levels.

What is CoQ10?

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 for short) is a fat-soluble antioxidant that is present in all human cells – especially the mitochondria – and helps produce cellular energy. While your body produces CoQ10 naturally, levels tend to fall as you age, making it important to top up your levels with food and CoQ10 supplements to maintain healthy levels.

CoQ10 can be found in a variety of states, but the two main forms found in your body are ubiquinol and ubiquinone. Basically, ubiquinol is the active form of CoQ10 which is more easily absorbed and used by your body, though your body can convert ubiquinone into ubiquinol and vice versa easily, so they are functionally identical.

RELATED: Read our article on the difference between CoQ10 and Ubiquinol to learn more about the alternate states of CoQ10.

CoQ10 Side Effects

While CoQ10 supplements offer a wider variety of health benefits, they may cause adverse side effects in some people and this risk increases when taking higher doses. Fortunately, the most common side effects are generally mild, such as stomach issues (nausea, loss of appetite), skin rashes or low blood pressure in extreme cases, so CoQ10 is widely considered safe.

Because CoQ10 is a fat-soluble compound, absorption is typically slow and limited – though it can be improved by taking your CoQ10 supplements with food – so overdoses are extremely rare.  Furthermore, CoQ10 has very low toxicity, so much so that some studies involved giving subjects 1,200mg of CoQ10 a day for 16 months with no major side effects!

CoQ10 Supplements

CoQ10 comes in two different forms – ubiquinone and ubiquinol – though its ubiquinol form is much more absorbable and makes up 90% of your blood CoQ10 levels. However, your body can easily convert ubiquinone into ubiquinol, so it may not be worth shelling out for the more expensive ubiquinol supplements.

Read on to see our shortlist of CoQ10 supplements:

Conclusion

When choosing dietary supplements, we always recommend you do your own research, look for third-party certification (or a trusted brand) and ask a medical professional if CoQ10  is right for you. Although CoQ10 is generally considered safe and is well tolerated by your body – even at higher doses – you should always get a second opinion before adding large quantities of supplements to your daily routine.