CoQ10 Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms, and Food Sources

Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is a compound that provides a wide range of benefits to the body by assisting with energy production within your cells.

Your body produces CoQ10 naturally, but its production decreases as you get older. This blog post examines ways that you can obtain CoQ10 through food sources or supplements. To start, let’s review how CoQ10 benefits the body and symptoms to look for that may be a sign of a CoQ10 deficiency.

Aside from old age, CoQ10 deficiency can also be caused by:

• Nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin B6 deficiency
• Genetic defects in CoQ10 synthesis or utilization
• Increased demands by tissues as a consequence of disease
• Mitochondrial diseases
• Oxidative stress due to aging
• Side effects of statin treatments

Several health conditions including neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, cancer, fibromyalgia, muscular and cardiovascular diseases have been associated with low levels of CoQ10 in the body, according to a study published by the National Institute of Health.

While there is not any direct evidence to clarify whether low levels of CoQ10 cause these conditions or are a result of them, there is a wealth of research showing a wide range of health benefits attributed to proper levels of CoQ10.

One of the primary functions of CoQ10 is to help generate energy in your cells. It’s involved in making adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is produced within the mitochondria and responsible for providing cells with energy.

Coenzyme Q10 also serves as an antioxidant to help protect cells. Excessive amounts of free radicals in the human body lead to oxidative damage, which can interfere with cell functioning and cause a variety of health conditions.

Considering the fact that ATP is used to carry out all the body’s functions and oxidative damage is destructive to cells, it comes as no surprise that studies show degenerative diseases have been linked to low levels of ubiquinol, a form of CoQ10.

Main benefits of CoQ10:

1. Boost Exercise PerformanceOxidative stress can affect muscle function which in turn has an effect on exercise performance. At the same time, abnormal mitochondrial function can reduce muscle energy, which makes it hard for muscles to contract efficiently and sustain exercise. Studies have shown CoQ10 can help exercise performance by decreasing oxidative stress in the cells and improving mitochondrial functions.
2. Beneficial for a Healthy BrainMitochondria are the main energy generators of brain cells and similar to many other parts of our bodies, their function tends to decrease with age. The brain is also quite susceptible to oxidative damage which enhances the production of harmful compounds that could affect memory and other neurological functions. Data suggests that CoQ10 may reduce these harmful compounds.
3. Offer Lung ProtectionIt goes without saying that your lungs have the most contact with oxygen out of any organ in your body. Consequently, this makes them vulnerable to oxidative damage. Increased oxidative damage in the lungs and poor antioxidant protection, including low levels of CoQ10, can result in lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Furthermore, it has been shown that people suffering from these conditions present lower levels of CoQ10, sometimes due to the long-term administration of corticosteroids. A study demonstrated that supplementing treatment with CoQ10 reduced inflammation in individuals who had bronchial asthma, as well as lowered the dosage of corticosteroid medications they needed.
4. May Aid With FertilityFemale fertility decreases with age due to a decline in the number and quality of available eggs. As CoQ10 production slows due to aging, the body is less effective at protecting the eggs from oxidative damage. Research shows supplementing diet with CoQ10 seems to help and may even reverse this age-related decline in egg quality and quantity. The same holds true for men, as the sperm is susceptible to the effects of oxidative damage, which may result in reduced sperm count, poor sperm quality and infertility, according to research.

Food Sources of CoQ10

While you can easily consume CoQ10 as a supplement, it can also be found in some foods:

• Organ meats: Heart, liver and kidney
• Some muscle meats: Pork, beef and chicken
• Fatty fish: Trout, herring, mackerel and sardine
• Vegetables: Spinach, cauliflower and broccoli
• Fruit: Oranges and strawberries
• Legumes: Soybeans, lentils and peanuts
• Nuts and seeds: Sesame seeds and pistachios
• Oils: Soybean and canola oil

Your body does not store CoQ10, which means continually obtaining it via foods or supplements is recommended to see its benefits. It is crucial that the body absorbs as much of the CoQ10 it receives in order for you to see the benefits. This absorption is a concept known as bioavailability.

For anyone living with the conditions listed previously, obtaining maximum bioavailability of CoQ10 cannot be done via diet alone and additional fortification is needed. Supplementation from capsules can offer some benefits, but the maximum bioavailability of any vitamin can only be obtained through an intravenous infusion. Nova Vita Wellness Centers offers CoQ10 as a booster that can be added to all of our IV Vitamin Therapy infusions.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 512-387-5920, 512-200-7311 or you can schedule an appointment online.