Evidence: Very High Possible Benefits:Very High Safety: Very High
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is CoQ10?
Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinol and CoQ10, is a popular dietary supplement used for improving various aspects of cardiovascular and general health, especially in older people and those with impaired cardiovascular function. This article is about the main benefits of CoQ10, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.
Possible benefits
All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with most other supplements, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.
Major benefits
Reduced side effects of statins – Most side effects caused by statins are related to the depletion of CoQ10. These side effects can easily be prevented by taking CoQ10 together with statins.
Reduces symptoms of fibromyalgia – This benefit is very strong and reliable.
Reduced symptoms of Peyronie’s disease – CoQ10 can significantly slow down the progression of Peyronie’s disease, a disorder in which scar link tissue, called plaque, forms under the skin of the penis.
Minor benefits
Antioxidant properties – The supplement acts as a potent antioxidant and greatly reduces lipid peroxidation and damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress.
Improved blood flow – Coenzyme Q10 can increase blood flow in people with poor blood flow and lots of oxidative stress.
Improved exercise performance – Exercise can deplete coenzyme Q10 levels. Supplementation can prevent this effect. CoQ10 was also shown in some human studies to increase VO2 max (mainly in untrained people), reduce the rate of perceived exertion and fatigue during exercise (without an influence on fatigue at other times), and more.
Reduced blood pressure – This benefit is rather small and unreliable and probably doesn’t apply to people without hypertension.
Improved sperm quality – CoQ10 can increase sperm quality and seminal motility in infertile men. The supplement was also shown to slightly increase testosterone levels in infertile men but not in fertile men.
Improved exercise capacity – This improvement only applies to people with impaired heart health.
Reduced symptoms of Parkinson’s disease – One human study found an improvement.
Reduced UV damage – One human study found a protective effect.
Reduced migraines – CoQ10 can reduce the occurrence and intensity of migraine headaches. It may take up to 3 months of supplementation to notice the benefit.
Increased healthspan and lifespan – This effect hasn’t been studied directly in humans yet as the studies would be very costly and take a long time to create. However, animal studies suggest that CoQ10 supports various mechanisms associated with healthy aging and increases in lifespan and healthspan.
Possible side effects
The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.
Allergic reaction – An allergy to this supplement is rare but possible.
Nausea – This side effect is most common when people take the supplement on an empty stomach.
Diarrhea – You can usually prevent diarrhea or stomach discomfort by taking this supplement with a meal.
Toxicity – Coenzyme Q10 is one of the safest supplements on the market. However, regularly taking very high doses can cause the body to develop a tolerance to the supplement and even lead to chronic toxicity over time. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, staying below 200 mg in a day is best unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. Always read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.
Who should not take CoQ10?
You should probably avoid taking CoQ10 if you:
are allergic to this compound
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
Who will benefit the most?
You should consider taking the supplement if you:
had a heart attack
experience heart problems
suffer from fibromyalgia
experience migraine headaches
suffer from Peyronie’s disease, a disorder in which scar link tissue, called plaque, forms under the skin of the penis
take statins (statins generally deplete coenzyme Q10 reserves, which can lead to many side effects; taking CoQ10 together with statins can prevent the depletion and make statin use significantly safer in the long term)
are an infertile man
wish to increase your healthspan and lifespan and improve general health
are older
have a high budget for supplements and are willing to experiment with a variety of them (assuming you don’t fall into any of the categories that should avoid this supplement, CoQ10 appears relatively safe and is unlikely to do more harm than good for most people)
How much CoQ10 should you take?
The sweet spot typically ranges between 60-120 mg daily for most people. This amount should provide most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.
The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take this supplement for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since it is safer, and you would develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.
The upper safety limit for this compound is not well-established. To stay on the safe side, don’t take more than the recommended dose unless you have a great reason to do so. Higher amounts may cause problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.
Like most other supplements, it is best to cycle CoQ10 and take about two days off weekly to reset your tolerance. That will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
Best time to take CoQ10
CoQ10 is fat-soluble, so you should always take it with food or a dietary source of fat to absorb it well.
Whether you take the supplement in the morning or the evening does not make much difference. Both options are fine so feel free to experiment.
Interactions
Alpha-lipoic acid This combination work synergistically in supporting mitochondrial function.
Vitamin E One study has found that very high doses of alpha-tocopherol (1,200 mg) can reverse the exercise-induced reduction in serum CoQ10 by protecting it from oxidation (from a 39% reduction to an 8.5% increase.
Creatine Taking these two supplements together can improve mitochondrial function and have neuroprotective effects.
Green tea Ubiquinone (a metabolite of CoQ10) increases the anti-oxidative effects of EGCG, the main bioactive catechin in green tea. Catechins in tea also increase CoQ10’s ability to protect the liver during reserpine toxicity.
Piperine Piperine from black pepper, white pepper, and a few other types of pepper improves the absorption of Coenzyme Q10.
Carnitine Combining CoQ10 and L-carnitine may improve mitochondrial function but so far only one study found this benefit.
Grapefruit Grapefruit can increase the bioavailability of CoQ10.
Statins Many side effects caused by statins are related to the depletion of coenzyme Q10. Taking about 100 mg of CoQ10 together with statins can prevent the depletion and make statin use significantly safer in the long term. The combination of the two can also have some additive benefits, such as an increase in HDL cholesterol.
Where to buy CoQ10?
In most countries, Amazon is the best option for ordering CoQ10 and other anti-aging supplements. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the Internet.
Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.
FAQ
As with most other anti-aging supplements, it is best to cycle CoQ10 and take a break from it for about two days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. That will keep your body sensitive to the supplement and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes time which can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they are often made of bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from ethical sources.
The supplement by itself should not worsen your sleep quality in any way. However, it’s best to take it with food, and you generally don’t want to eat any food right before bed as it could worsen your digestion and sleep quality.
This compound should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date. However, it can lose potency over time. Keep this supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place so it remains as potent for many months or even years.
While acute toxicity is rare, taking very high amounts of this supplement could lead to various problems over time. High doses can also make you develop tolerance much faster than lower doses.
While you could safely take higher doses, there is usually no point in taking more than 120 mg of this compound daily. This amount should give you most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.
The half-life of CoQ10 in the body is about 33 hours. This compound gets metabolized within a week after you consume it. However, most of the effects of this supplement are cumulative, so they mainly happen in the long term rather than acutely. Therefore, the half-life of this compound isn’t very relevant in practice.
In the long term, you must take the supplement for about 2-4 weeks to begin noticing most of the benefits.
Most CoQ10 supplements on the market are vegan-friendly, but always check the label to assure yourself. If you buy the compound in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.
No, it does not. The supplement should not interfere with fasting in any significant way. However, you still want to take the compound with food as it will absorb better.
References
Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.
