Do you only know coenzyme Q10 from anti-aging advertisements? Then you're like many others, but coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) can do much more, such as optimizing your energy supply and protecting your body from free radicals.
You can learn all about its effects, possible deficiencies, and side effects here. We also answer the question of where you can best buy coenzyme Q10.
Table of contents
1. What is coenzyme Q10?
CoQ10 is a ubiquitous substance in nature, but is also used as a dietary supplement or enriched in foods. There are also creams, lotions, and body care products that all contain CoQ10.
Coenzyme Q10 is not an invention of chemists; rather, it is a substance produced naturally in the body.
Due to its great importance for the entire organism, the coenzyme is now becoming increasingly important and is receiving corresponding attention.
Q10 is a so-called " coenzyme ," also known as ubiquinone . "Ubi" means that Q10 can be found throughout the body as a naturally occurring substance .
It's a fat-soluble substance in your body that's related to vitamins K and E. In the body, Q10 is found in particularly high concentrations in the heart muscle and liver , for example. What's special about Q10 is that it has so far only been detected in the human body.
The liver, however, has the ability to convert animal or plant extracts ingested through food into high-quality Q10. This allows the body to continuously meet its Q10 needs.
Whenever energy is produced in your body, coenzyme Q10 is involved . The substance's structure is similar to that of vitamins and can, in principle, be produced by the body itself.
The prerequisite for this is that you are adequately supplied with other substances . These include the important vitamins from the vitamin B complex 12, 6, and 5 .
The problem is that the body's own production of Q10 decreases with age . Hence its frequent use in anti-aging products.
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Numerous studies are trying to find out the reason for the lower coenzyme Q10 levels and the resulting deficiency.
It is assumed that there are two reasons for this. Firstly, as already mentioned, it is due to the body's declining ability to produce coenzyme Q10 itself, and secondly, it is due to the fact that with age, more Q10 is needed as a radical scavenger .
Simply put: the body's own production decreases, but at the same time, the need increases. This is an unfortunate combination in which supplemental intake of coenzyme Q10 could be beneficial.
The need increases even more when you're under a lot of stress or do a lot of exercise . This increases the body's exposure to free radicals, and supplementing with coenzyme Q10 can be helpful to prevent a deficiency or to compensate for it.
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2. How Coenzyme Q10 works
Coenzyme Q10 has three main effects in your body. First, it improves energy production in your mitochondria ; second, it improves your cellular health by reducing oxidative stress ; and third, it protects your performance through an optimized immune system . If that doesn't sound like the perfect all-rounder!
Coenzyme Q10 as an energy supplier
Improved energy production. First and foremost, it has an energy-generating effect. Coenzyme Q10 ensures that energy can be produced in the body's cells. Specifically, in the mitochondria , the cells' mini-powerhouses.
For comparison: There are about 500 of these mitochondria in just one cell. Without these mitochondria, you would have no energy, and communication between cells would no longer function.
Coenzyme Q10 is, in a sense, the spark that starts the reaction chain in the mitochondria . This process generates usable energy from the fats and carbohydrates you ingest through food, namely the unified energy currency ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
The better this complex process works, the more ATP your mitochondria can produce. This has now been confirmed by a study from the University of Bologna in Italy [1].
It showed that the active ingredient ubiquinol improved the energy production of mitochondria not only in the body but also in the brain, thus providing the brain with more energy!
The better your mitochondria function, the better your brain is supplied with energy and your ability to concentrate improves .
A study by the Department of Physiology at Osaka City University also examined the relationship between energy and Q10 and found the following [2].
Not only mental but also athletic performance is directly related to Q10 saturation. The study examined physical performance during training.
During short training sessions, the test group that took coenzyme Q10 before training showed improved performance .
A reduction in physical fatigue was demonstrated simply through the improvement of mitochondrial function thanks to coenzyme Q10.
Coenzyme Q10 as an antioxidant and the reduction of oxidative stress
However, the energy production process and the health of mitochondria and cells can also be thrown out of balance. This is primarily caused by so-called oxidative stress .
Oxidative stress is the reaction of our cells with free oxygen radicals. These free oxygen radicals are a natural "waste product" of the energy production process. In a sense, free radicals are therefore normal and can be neutralized by coenzyme Q10.
The problem is that these free radicals can also enter the body from outside and attack the cell structure, causing severe cell damage.
This accelerates the entire aging process of your body and brain. Coenzyme Q10 can slow this process and neutralize free radicals. The results of a study from the Wolfson Medical Center in Tel Aviv now demonstrate why this is so extremely important [3].
Coenzyme Q10, as an antioxidant, improved inflammation levels in test subjects and reduced the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
All this is achieved by protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals! However, this protective function requires a large amount of the active ingredient, which your body then lacks for energy production.
So if you don't want your cells to be attacked and your performance to decline, you should ensure you have a good supply of coenzyme Q10 and prevent a deficiency!
Coenzyme Q10 as an immune regulator and improved immune function
Last but not least, coenzyme Q10 also has a positive effect on your immune system. Your immune system fends off all harmful external influences, ensuring that your performance is not impaired by viruses and bacteria.
A study by the Institute for Biomedical Research at the University of Texas examined the connection between coenzyme Q10 and your body's immune response [4]. It found that coenzyme Q10 increased antibodies to fight viruses and bacteria.
Coenzyme Q10 is also important for your immune system for another reason: it requires a lot of energy.
If your body is poorly supplied with energy overall, the immune system's energy supply , for example, to maintain brain function, is initially reduced. Your body becomes weaker overall due to the deficiency , making it more susceptible to illness. This cycle can be broken by taking coenzyme Q10!
Effect of Q10 from inside and out
Both oral and applied Q10 can actually have a positive effect on the body. However, it's important to note that the body can't do much with low doses of Q10.
Q10 is often added to drinks such as juices, assuring the consumer that this is a high-quality drink that is good for the body.
It certainly doesn't do any harm, but it has virtually no effect, as the body requires a considerable amount of Q10. Liver metabolism, in particular, consumes a vast amount of the enzyme.
3. Side effects of coenzyme Q10
There are no known side effects from taking coenzyme Q10, even if you take a significantly higher dose than the daily dose of 60 mg in the capsule.
Coenzyme Q10 can also be used as a medication for various illnesses, and there are no side effects when taking 400 mg .
An overdose occurs at 600 milligrams , and even then, only minor side effects are known . These primarily include diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, and malaise. When taking coenzyme Q10, it should be noted that it can take some time to build up a saturated Q10 level.
Many people are extremely undersupplied with the active ingredient ubiquinone and suffer from such a deficiency that it takes some time before the effects of taking it are noticeable.
With a daily intake of 60 mg in the capsule, you will need to plan on taking it for several weeks until your reserves are better filled again.
The exact time period is different for everyone , as it depends on age, fitness level and the degree of stress to which one is exposed.
4. The correct dosage of coenzyme Q10
The dosage of coenzyme Q10 depends on why you want to take it and in combination with which other plant substances.
If you're a healthy adult taking coenzyme Q10, for example, to improve your energy levels , a daily dosage of 60 mg is appropriate. A daily dosage of 60-100 mg will already increase the concentration of Q10 in your blood.
Many people fear that taking it as a supplement in capsules will disrupt the body's natural synthesis of coenzyme Q10. This isn't the case! Your body maintains normal production, and by taking it, you benefit from the positive effects of coenzyme Q10.
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5. Where is the best place to buy Q10?
Do you want to buy coenzyme Q10 because you want to improve your energy supply and simply feel fitter and better again?
Then BRAINEFFECT MOOD is the right product for you because, in addition to the recommended daily dosage of 60 mg of coenzyme Q10, it also contains other valuable micronutrients , vitamins and amino acids.
You can conveniently buy BRAINEFFECT MOOD in capsules for daily use. For example, L-tryptophan .
Have you ever heard of L-tryptophan? This amino acid helps your body produce more of the happiness hormone serotonin . Thanks to coenzyme Q10, you'll not only feel full of energy, but also much more well-being thanks to the unique combination of active ingredients.
6. Conclusion
Coenzyme Q10 is produced by your body and is involved in a wide variety of processes. Since your body's own production begins to decline from the age of 20, and your need for it increases at the same time, supplementing later in life makes sense.
7. Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10416038
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18272335
[3] http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-7-55
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8503942
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