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.

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.

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.

You should probably avoid taking CoQ10 if you:

are allergic to this compound
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement

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)

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.

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.

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.

Vitamin B3
Combining CoQ10 with vitamin B3 in its many forms (nicotinic acid, niacinamide, NMN, NR, etc.) can improve mitochondrial performance.

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.