CoQ10: Cracking the Code for Cellular Energy

Is Coenzyme Q10 Part of Your Nutritional Supplement Regimen?

Oct 27, 2008

This article examines the role of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and ATP in cellular energy. Research has shown that CoQ10 supplementation can improve fitness outcomes.

Cellular energy is a term found in textbooks, scientific articles, and on the internet to describe the way our body utilizes energy. It has been linked to molecules such as CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10) and ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). It is a process that our body must be very efficient in to sustain life. This short article on cellular energy examines what exactly cellular energy is, and what role CoQ10 and ATP play?

What is CoQ10?

Have you ever seen the word “Calories” listed on the back of a food wrapper and wondered what it means? Calories are not a measure of how fattening a food is, but rather a unit of energy, and in particular, heat energy. Food contains calories predominantly in the form of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Here is where cellular energy comes in to play -- What “cellular energy” is referring to is the process by which chemical bonds of organic molecules (food) are broken, and the energy released is stored as ATP. This complex process occurs inside the mitochondria in nearly every cell in our body and requires many components such as proteins, enzymes, and coenzymes. One coenzyme is known as ubiquinone, or Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is a unique vitamin-like, fat-soluble coenzyme present in the highest concentrations in tissues that do the most work, such as the heart and the liver. It concentrates in mitochondrial membranes and acts as a critical link in the electron transport chain for ATP production.

What does the research show?

Although coenzyme Q10 is synthesized in nearly every tissue in our body, our natural ability to produce CoQ10 declines with age. When CoQ10 levels are insufficient, cellular energy and ATP production suffer. This is where dietary supplementation can help. CoQ10 has received much scientific attention since its discovery in the late 1950’s. Studies have supported its role in promoting cardiovascular health, combating aging, supporting healthy blood glucose levels and providing antioxidant activity (1,2). Since the mitochondria generate 90% of the oxygen radicals formed in cells, it is no surprise that coenzyme Q10 serves a dual function and can neutralize these free radicals as well as helping to create ATP. A recent study published by Cooke et al. in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that in just 14 days of supplementation, CoQ10 levels in the blood were significantly increased compared to a control group. The researchers also found that CoQ10 supplementation increased maximal oxygen consumption and time to exhaustion during aerobic exercise(3). These results, along with previous studies suggest that CoQ10 supplementation can have many benefits for the human body.

The copyright of the article CoQ10: Cracking the Code for Cellular Energy in Fitness is owned by Brooks W. Leigh. Permission to republish CoQ10: Cracking the Code for Cellular Energy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.