CoQ10 Question

[CatieC]

There are so many brands of CoQ10 on the market. If you are taking CoQ10 what brand do you take and why do you like it over the other brands being sold. I just need some help in determining which brand is best.

Thanks for the help.

[CatieC]

Thanks...I'm going to do some research. Your explaination helped alot.

[gymdandee]

Ubiquinone is the oxidized form of CoQ10 and is the more common form of commercially available CoQ10. It has been around for ages, and if you've ever bought one of the cheaper CoQ10 supplements, it has most likely been in the oxidized form. If the label doesn't specifically mention which form of CoQ10 the product contains, it's very probably ubiquinone.


This is because ubiquinol, the reduced form of CoQ10, is relatively new and more expensive to produce - so when the supplement does contain ubiquinol, the manufacturer is quick to point it out in big letters. This form of CoQ10 is the antioxidant form which neutralizes free radicals and decreases cellular damage. Ubiquinone does not have this antioxidant effect.

Since the body converts ubiquinone into ubiquinol, there is an extra step involved, and not all of the ingested ubiquinone gets converted into ubiquinol. In healthy people, over 90% of the CoQ10 in the blood is in the form of ubiquinol, but as you get older, both the total level of coenzyme Q10 and the body's ability to turn it into ubiquinol decline.

This doesn't mean that taking ubiquinone is ineffective; all it means is that taking ubiquinol is more effective. If you are in your twenties or thirties, your body can probably convert much of the ubiquinone into ubiquinol, which means that you can save money and get the cheaper form (then again, this also means that you probably don't need supplemental CoQ10 in the first place). If, on the other hand, you are over forty or concerned about your heart health, it may be worthwhile to go for the ubiquinol.

How much ubiquinone is pure ubiquinol equal to? According to Kaneka, apparently the only manufacturer of ubiquinol, ubiquinol is up to six times as effective as ubiquinone in increasing blood levels of ubiquinol. So to get the same effect, you could take one sixth of the amount as ubiquinol compared to ubiquinone.

I would compare the prices between ubiquinone and ubiquinol to see which one proves more cost-effective.

[CatieC]

One more question, should I take Ubiquinone or Ubiquinol. Again, there is so much info on these two, from what I can see it's an absorption issue. Can I have opinions on this also. Thanks so much.

[CatieC]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your response to my post.

[Paxiled]

A reliable brand name is the trademark QGels.  Whoever sells them is selling the same product, and it's pretty reliable.  Jarrow makes the QGel that's got one of the best prices for a good company.  The most important thing is to get the gel caps, not the powder in a capsule, which doesn't hold up well.  As it's fat soluble, it's best taken in its oil form, with a meal.  Some people like New Chapter's food grown CoQ10.  It's expensive and low dose, but the company is high quality and innovative.  I personally use Jarrow.