Well, I’ve wrestled with this post for quite awhile trying to decide what to say and how to say it.

Actually, I’ve been checking and double checking my references and info – and debating the topic with other pharamacists I respect to make sure I knew what I wanted to tell you.

I believe you should be taking CoEnzyme Q10 because there is significant evidence that it is useful for the prevention of problems that find their roots in your cells’ mitochondrias’ ability to do their job.

The mitochondria are your cells’ power plants. If they don’t have enough CoQ10 they can’t work right. If they don’t work right you’re more likely to suffer from chronic diseases, heart muscle problems (e.g. heart failure), etc… – maybe even cancer.

This may be particularly true if you are taking a statin drug to reduce your cholesterol levels. Statins block the production of cholesterol. They also block your body’s ability to manufacture its own CoQ10. Compounding the problem is the theory that you need cholesterol to properly absorb and transport the CoQ10 your body gets from your diet.

So, what version of CoQ10 should you take? Let’s talk about that.

There are two types of CoQ10 being sold on the market. One (ubiquiNONE) is what your body normally gets from your diet. It is not easily absorbed by your body, so most of what you take in when you take a supplement that delivers ubiquiNONE doesn’t get absorbed. The other type that’s available out there – ubiquiNOL – is the form that your body converts ubiquiNONE to. It’s absorbed into the body more easily, and more of what you take in supplement form gets absorbed. But, it’s not as stable and requires special chemical environments in the capsules it comes in to ensure it will benefit you when you take it.

The bottom line is that you take smaller doses of ubiquiNOL than you do ubiquiNONE, and ubiquiNOL tends to cost more.

How much smaller is the uniquiNOL dose? Well, a 50mg ubiquiNOL dose is equal to somewhere between what a 150 and 300 mg dose of ubiquiNONE would get into your system when you take the run-of-the-mill CoQ10 capsules you find most often in the stores. Those capsules cost less too.. but you get less into your system.

However, there are forms of ubiquiNONE that are absorbed 3 times better than what you usually get at the store. One brand name is Q-Gel. Another is made available by Jarrow under the name Q-absorb CoQ10. These formulations are mixed in a special oil base that makes them more absorbable. They cost more too. But this is the form I just switched to.

I was taking 60mg of the CoQ10 (ubiquiNONE) three times a day. I figure that 100mg of the more absorbable version will be roughly equivalent. Or, you could take 30mg three times a day – which is probably the right way to take it. (I’m lazy)

Or, you could take 50mg of ubiquiNOL daily. Jarrow’s ubiquiNOL version is QH-absorb. There are many others that are probably equal in absorbtion – or close enough.

Stick with major brand names… although all the ubiquinone and ubiquinol is being manufactured by Japanese companies as far as I can tell. And, if you decide to go with the ubiquiNONE route look for lecithin and medium chain glycerides (MCGs) in the ingredient list. These seem to be associated with the more absorbable brands.

AND – based on some other journal articles I’ve read – I think you should add a niacinamide capsule to your daily supplement intake if you’re adding CoQ10. There are reports that the two work together – and that high dose CoQ10 might not be good for you without niacinamide.

Niacinamide is what niacin gets converted to after you take it. It will NOT make you flush and it will NOT lower your cholesterol levels.

I’ve added a 500mg capsule to my daily regimen.

The article I’ve linked to below was actually in a book I bought that cost me a lot of cash. The authors propose that CoQ10 is needed to fight off infections, and may be useful for keeping cancer patients in remission. You should read it. They have it posted for free at this site in New Zealand – along with quite a few other interesting articles about CoQ10 supplementation.

http://www.coq10.co.nz/cms/uploads/File/CoQ10-cancer.pdf

Hope this info is useful for you and catalyzes thought about adding CoQ10 and Niacinamide to your diet.

As always…. I’m a pharmacist – not a doctor. I’m not telling that you have to start taking CoQ10 and/or nicacinamide. I am recommending that you ask your Doc what he/she thinks and whether this would be worth a try.