CoQ10 400mg

What Is CoQ10?

Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble molecule your own cells make: a quinone ring with a tail of ten isoprene units that anchors it inside a membrane. Here it is the quinone form, ubiquinone, suspended in organic extra virgin olive oil with vitamin E and sunflower lecithin.

How It Works in the Body

Ubiquinone is the shuttle of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. It collects electrons from the first two complexes, diffuses through the inner membrane and hands them to the third. That relay is part of how a cell produces ATP. Taking on those electrons converts ubiquinone to its reduced form, and the cell turns it back again, over and over. Vitamin E guards the oils against oxidation, and sunflower lecithin helps the mixture disperse.

What It Supports

• Energy metabolism: Coenzyme Q10 plays a role in normal energy metabolism as the electron carrier of the mitochondrial chain.
• Antioxidant defense: In its reduced form, coenzyme Q10 is one of the few antioxidants the body makes for itself.
• Hard-working tissue: The heart and other tissues that never rest hold the most mitochondria, and coenzyme Q10 concentrates with them.
• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant in its own right and supports the body's antioxidant defenses.

Who It May Suit

Adults who want a concentrated fat-soluble antioxidant in a form their cells already use. Production by the body tends to run lower with age. The softgel is made with bovine gelatin, so it does not fit vegetarian or vegan eating.

Good To Know

Coenzyme Q10 is fat-soluble, which is why it is carried in olive oil rather than as a dry powder. It carries 400 mg of coenzyme Q10, 20 mg of vitamin E as d-alpha tocopherol and 35 mg of sunflower lecithin per serving. Talk with your healthcare provider before use if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, since coenzyme Q10 shares a quinone structure with vitamin K.