CoQ10 can be found throughout your body, in nearly every cell of your body. Perhaps that's why it belongs to a class of molecules known as ubiquinones ("ubiquitous" meaning ubiquitous). Since CoQ10 is widely distributed in your body, that means its benefits are widespread.
CoQ10 is important in preparing the cellular response (that's what coenzymes do) by helping cells produce the energy your body needs for growth and health. Coenzyme Q10 also acts as an antioxidant, protecting you from damage from the energy-making processes it also participates in.
But you can't always rely on your body's natural production of CoQ10. Its production declines as you get older. So CoQ10, in some cases, is a so-called conditional essential nutrient; and this case is age.
It is very important to maintain optimal levels of CoQ10. Learn how CoQ10 works, what it can do for your health, and what foods it's found in.
If it functions like a vitamin, looks like a vitamin, and acts like a vitamin, then it is a vitamin. Is that really the case?
Coenzyme Q10 is not exactly like a vitamin. Vitamins are chemical compounds that must come from your diet or supplements because you need them, but your body cannot make them. Coenzyme Q10 isn't entirely necessary, as your body can make quite a lot of it, at least at certain points in your life.
Age affects the production of CoQ10. As you age, your natural CoQ10 production decreases. But your need for it never wanes. Therefore, Q10 can be said to be a conditionally necessary substance, especially for the elderly and those who are facing certain health problems. So it's the closest non-vitamin to a vitamin.
The lack of a complete name for the vitamin does nothing to diminish its importance for optimal health. Let’s take a look at some of the functions of Coenzyme Q10.
First of all, judging from its name, Coenzyme Q10 functions as a coenzyme. This is also what most vitamins do in the human body. They help trigger reactions within cells. After all, cells are basically packages of chemical reactions. Coenzyme Q10 acts like a vitamin, assisting important reactions to help the body function smoothly.
Coenzyme Q10 has the same solubility requirements as vitamins A, D, E and K. These compounds all require fat to be absorbed by the body. That's because, like fats, they have tails hanging from key parts of the molecule. This is also part of the origin of the name "Q10". In humans this tail is 10 carbon atoms long. In other mammals, this tail is 9 carbon atoms long, so it is called coenzyme Q9.
Q10 is very similar to vitamin K. They have similar molecular structures, and both have the same core function of promoting so-called redox reactions in the body. This means they can release and accept electrons.
You've probably heard that mitochondria are the power plants inside your body's cells. This is because they are where ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the cellular energy transporter, is produced. This is done through a process called the electron transport chain.
Mitochondria break the chemical bonds in the food you eat. When these bonds are broken, electrons are released. A special molecule captures these electrons, bringing them to the electron transport chain in the mitochondrial membrane. Electron transport chains are a series of protein complexes. As electrons enter and exit the transport chain, their energy is fully utilized. But if the electrons are to travel through all the protein complexes in the chain, special molecules are needed to transport them.
As electrons travel through the chain, protons are shed along the way and pass through the mitochondrial membrane. This creates a charge gradient (or potential energy) to drive the ATP-producing enzyme. You can think of the charge gradient as water behind a dam. When water (protons) pass through the dam (mitochondrial membrane), this potential energy is used to power ADP, which is converted into ATP, the energy of the body's cells.
Let's put it a little more plainly. ATP is the energy your cells use to run, just like the gasoline you put in your car to keep it running. You can use this analogy and imagine that CoQ10 is the pump that puts gasoline into the gas tank of your car. Although not a fuel itself, it plays an important role in getting fuel into cells in a usable form.
Coenzyme Q10 is a ubiquitous molecule found everywhere in the human body, and that’s good news! Because it acts as a powerful antioxidant. By definition, almost any molecule in your body that releases and accepts electrons acts like an antioxidant.
Excess CoQ10 in your body (that is, molecules not involved in energy production) shuttles through the membranes of your body, providing antioxidant protection.
It fights oxidation in your body just like any other antioxidant. Coenzyme Q10 can accept or release electrons to neutralize free radicals. (similar to its electron transport role in energy production), which helps to balance the highly reactive by-products of these various processes.
These oxidized molecules with unpaired electrons are called free radicals. They have an odd number of electrons, making them very unstable. Without antioxidants to help free radicals gain an even number of electrons, these reactive molecules build up, causing increased oxidative stress. When free radicals build up, they begin to react with other molecules or structures within the cell. If left unchecked for long periods of time, oxidative stress can damage your cells, DNA, proteins and lipids. This is called oxidative damage and is harmful to health.
Coenzyme Q10 is one of the important antioxidants that help protect your cells and body structures. Maintaining adequate concentrations of CoQ10 in your body helps support the proper balance between free radicals and antioxidants (yes, your body actually needs some free radicals to maintain a healthy balance). This is especially important as you get older. Because as you get older, oxidative stress and oxidative damage are more common; at the same time, your body produces less CoQ10.
Q10 is found throughout your body, so it supports overall health, generally as an antioxidant. But it can be found in high amounts in some of your hardest-working organs, including the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas; these are also where metabolism and energy demands are highest.
Research confirming the link between CoQ10 and optimal heart health has been successfully used to help people maintain a healthy heart. Coenzyme Q10 supports healthy muscle function, and your largest organ, the skin, also plays a role in the healthy growth and maintenance of cells. The ability of coenzyme Q10 to release and accept electrons can help stimulate cell growth and provide sufficient energy.
As mentioned previously, as we age, our body loses its ability to maintain optimal CoQ10 concentrations. Supplementation and strategic meal planning can help slow this decline. Please consider using the following methods to increase the Q10 content in your diet so that you do not suffer from lack of energy:
Coenzyme Q10 is commonly found in fatty cold-water fish. This is because CoQ10 is fat-soluble. Next time you're at the market for seafood, choose fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, herring, or mackerel. The American Heart Association recommends eating 5 ounces of cooked, fatty fish at least twice a week. This new staple not only boosts your Q10 levels, but also provides heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Coenzyme Q10 is not only found in marine proteins, but also in beef and even chicken. But for the same portion, beef provides twice as much CoQ10 as poultry.
Various nuts and seeds also provide significant amounts of CoQ10. While they don't contain as much as fatty fish and beef, the nut content is still significant. Consider nuts as a midday snack at work, or add some sesame seeds or pistachios to a green salad for extra nutrients.
Among some other vegetable oils, soybean and canola oil provide satisfactory Q10 content. When you go shopping for oils, consider switching to these occasionally to increase the amount of CoQ10 in your system.
Xi'an Green Spring Technology Co., Ltd. is a professional manufacturer and supplier of Coenzyme Q10.
For related products, please visit our website: https://www.xa-gs.com or Contact Us For More Details>>
