CoQ10 Supplement Types: Ubiquinol versus Ubiquinone

Article Summary:

• Coenzyme Q10 is an essential lipid-soluble antioxidant that plays a key role in cellular energy production and supports a wide range of health functions.* 
  
  
• Given the relatively poor natural absorption of CoQ10 (only 3 percent) in the body, there has been much debate about the most bioavailable forms of CoQ10 supplements. 
  
  
• Tesseract’s CoQ10 Pro® is an innovative supplement formulation developed for optimal absorption of CoQ10 to promote cardiovascular health.*     

Are you considering including a Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplement in your diet? Well, you are not alone. Globally, CoQ10 is among the most frequently consumed nutritional supplements for supporting cardiovascular health.* The therapeutic benefits of CoQ10 are attributed to its antioxidant properties and its ability to maintain the body’s natural inflammatory response.* In addition to supporting optimal functioning of the heart, CoQ10 also promotes immune function, skin health, and reproductive health.* Although CoQ10’s health benefits are well established, the efficiency of different CoQ10 supplement types is often debated. 

Below, we discuss the different CoQ10 supplement types, their absorption and efficacy, and why you should consider an innovative, nano-formulated CoQ10 supplement.      

What are the Different CoQ10 Supplement Types?

Although CoQ10 is endogenously produced in the body, its level depletes as we age. Other factors, such as unhealthy diet, certain pathologies, and genetic predispositions can also play a role in lowering the body’s level of CoQ10. In such conditions, CoQ10 intake through diet alone might not be sufficient to enhance an already depleted level. This is when you need a CoQ10 supplement. But what type of CoQ10 supplement should you consider? 

Commercially available CoQ10 nutritional supplements include:  

• Chewable tablets
• Capsules 
• Softgels
• Liquid syrups 
• Wafers
• Intravenous drips 

Single CoQ10 capsule doses are available in 30, 60, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 600 mg. Although there is no minimum or maximum effective dose, it is currently recommended to take 200 mg of CoQ10 twice daily with a meal to maintain a CoQ10 blood level of > 2.5 mcg/mL.  

But are there differences in the efficacy of different CoQ10 supplement types? In the body, CoQ10 exists in two forms — Ubiquinol (reduced form) and Ubiquinone (oxidized form). Based on their demand for various cellular functions, these two forms are continuously interconverted in the body through natural processes called redox reactions. The relative bioavailability of these two CoQ10 supplement types has been much debated, leaving users confused about the most effective CoQ10 supplement.        

Ubiquinol versus Ubiquinone 

95 percent of circulating CoQ10 in the body occurs as ubiquinol. When ubiquinol is taken orally as a CoQ10 supplement, gastric acid in the stomach oxidizes it to ubiquinone. However, once past the stomach, the ubiquinone is then converted back to ubiquinol through multiple biochemical pathways. The following table highlights the key differences between ubiquinol and ubiquinone. 

Due to the unstable nature of ubiquinol, CoQ10 supplements have been conventionally formulated only in the ubiquinone form until very recently. Nanoformulations involving encapsulation techniques now make it possible to manufacture CoQ10 supplements in the ubiquinol form. 

The conversion of ubiquinone to ubiquinol in gastrointestinal cells was previously thought to enhance the initial absorption of CoQ10 in the body, leading to the assumption that the ubiquinol form better facilitates the absorption process. However, several studies¹ show there is no significant difference between the bioavailability of ubiquinone and ubiquinol supplements. This is because the solubilized formulations of CoQ10 (both ubiquinol and ubiquinone) have superior bioavailability than unformulated CoQ10.  

Including An Innovative CoQ10 Supplement in Your Diet

CoQ10 has been traditionally produced through the microbial fermentation process when it is to be used as a nutritional supplement. However, the poor bioavailability of CoQ10 has led to the implementation of innovative formulation approaches, including nanoparticle complexes that display enhanced absorption of this important antioxidant molecule. 

Tesseract Medical Research’s CoQ10 Pro®, an innovative CoQ10 supplement complex, utilizes the proprietary CyLoc^® – DexKey^® nutrient delivery nanotechnology for unprecedented absorption of billions of CoQ10 molecules in the intestinal tract — one molecule at a time. The CyLoc® technology encapsulates individual CoQ10 molecules in its smart delivery system, while the DexKey® reactors release each molecule at the desired point in the intestine. The sustained release and unparalleled absorption of CoQ10 help mitigate oxidative stress to cardiac muscles and support the optimal functioning of your heart.*  

Citation

¹Bhagavan HN, Chopra RK. Mitochondrion 2007 Jun;7 Suppl:S78-S88. doi: 10.1016/j.mito.2007.03.003. Epub 2007 Mar 27. PMID: 17482886.