What is coenzyme Q10?
Q10 is a coenzyme that is found in every cell of the human body and is one of the nutrients that are vital for the body. This coenzyme plays a crucial role in the energy production of cells in the mitochondria and without coenzyme Q10, no cell in the body can produce ATP. ATP is the only source of energy directly usable by the body's cells, without which virtually no body process that requires energy can take place. This ATP is produced in the mitochondria of the cells from the nutrients we consume in our food through a process known as the respiratory chain. A lack of coenzyme Q10 therefore results in a lack of energy at cellular level, which can severely affect health and well-being. In the body, coenzyme Q10 is typically found in the highest concentrations in the organs that require the highest amounts of energy for their daily function. These include the heart, liver, lungs and kidneys. This is a further indicator of the extremely important role of this coenzyme.
In addition to this, coenzyme Q10 has a variety of health benefits and can even promote fat loss and athletic performance. Scientists recommend a daily intake of 30 to 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 for optimal health, which is practically impossible with natural food. With GN Q10 we use the maximum amount of 200 mg to ensure that you can fully benefit from all the advantages of this important coenzyme. In this context, it should be mentioned that coenzyme Q10 did not cause any undesirable side effects in studies, even with long-term use at doses of 1200 to 3000 mg per day.
How can a coenzyme Q10 deficiency occur and what are its effects?
Coenzyme Q10 is one of the nutrients that the body can produce itself if necessary. This fact could lead to the hasty conclusion that something like a coenzyme Q10 deficiency cannot occur and that supplementation is therefore pointless. Unfortunately, the reality is different. On the one hand, there are many factors that can impair the body's own production of this vital coenzyme and/or greatly increase the need for coenzyme. These include heavy physical exertion, alcohol and nicotine consumption, metabolic diseases, a low dietary intake of coenzyme Q10 and certain medications, including statins, other cholesterol-lowering drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/painkillers. In addition, there are a number of situations where an intake that goes beyond healthy self-production can have a positive effect on health and well-being. Statistics suggest that only 25% of the population is optimally saturated with coenzyme Q10 and the majority of these are likely to be children and adolescents, whose bodies are still capable of producing large amounts of coenzyme Q10. With increasing age, however, the body's own production decreases further and further until it can eventually lead to low production and a deficiency.
What are the health benefits of coenzyme Q10?
In addition to its essential role in the energy production of all cells in the body, coenzyme Q10 acts as a very effective antioxidant that can protect the body's organs, cells and DNA from the damaging effects of free radicals. Elevated levels of free radicals, which are widespread in our society for a variety of reasons, have been linked to the development of numerous diseases including cardiovascular disease, degenerative brain diseases and cancer. In addition, many scientists consider free radicals to be the main trigger for cellular ageing and the ageing of the body, which makes antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10 an effective anti-ageing agent that keeps the body young from the inside and outside and can also reduce the visual ageing of the skin. The positive effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on the health of the cardiovascular system are probably one of the best known. Many patients suffering from heart problems or who have already had a heart attack have been found to have unusually low levels of this important coenzyme. Studies carried out on people suffering from heart failure have shown that coenzyme Q10 can bring about a marked reduction in symptoms and a significant improvement in cardiac performance, thereby noticeably improving quality of life and life expectancy. One study was able to show that coenzyme Q10 was able to reduce the mortality rate in patients suffering from heart failure by 50%. In addition to this, initial studies suggest that coenzyme Q10 could lower high blood pressure and cholesterol levels while improving the elasticity of blood vessels, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack.
By inhibiting the body's own substance NF-kappaB, which is responsible for activating inflammatory processes in the body, coenzyme Q10 can reduce inflammation, which can have a positive effect on numerous diseases and the ageing process, as well as improving the function of the immune system. In addition, coenzyme Q10 stimulates the production of antibodies and supports the activity of the immune system's so-called killer cells, which fight the spread of pathogens in the body. Even in the early stages of AIDS, the coenzyme can improve the function of the immune system weakened by this disease. Other positive effects of coenzyme Q10 include improving fertility in men by increasing sperm motility, slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease and reducing the symptoms of a muscle disorder known as fibromyalgia.
What benefits can coenzyme Q10 have for fat loss?
Scientific studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 can significantly increase fat burning from a daily intake of 90 mg. This is related to the body's brown adipose tissue, which, unlike the white adipose tissue that makes up our unwanted fat deposits, is highly active metabolically and plays an important role in adapting the body's temperature to extreme cold. Brown adipose tissue is able to convert 100% of the energy it receives into heat, thereby increasing body temperature. This process burns many calories and increases the body's energy requirements. To activate the brown adipose tissue, so-called uncoupling proteins (UPCs) are required, which uncouple ATP production from the burning of nutrients in the mitochondria of the brown fat cells, so that 100% of the energy produced is converted into heat and thus "wasted". Coenzyme Q10 is able to activate these proteins and thereby increase calorie consumption and fat burning.
How can coenzyme Q10 increase athletic performance?
An interesting study from 2012 was able to show that supplementation with coenzyme Q10 was able to increase maximum performance in athletes significantly more than a placebo over a period of 6 weeks. This was attributed to an increase in the synthesis of ATP and creatine phosphate and an optimization of the cellular energy metabolism of the muscle cells and an inhibition of ammonia production during intensive muscle exertion. The really interesting thing about this study is that it was carried out with high-performance athletes who were in the preparation phase for the Olympic Games. The scientists assume that the observed increase in performance could be much greater in untrained people and recreational athletes. As coenzyme Q10 acts as a highly effective antioxidant, it can neutralize the increased amount of free radicals that inevitably occur during intensive training as a waste product of the muscles' energy metabolism, thereby significantly accelerating and improving muscle repair and regeneration after training.
