Coenzyme Q10

Introduction and Overview of Coenzyme Q10

If you ask your doctor about CoQ10, he’ll probably say he’s never heard of it but anyone who keeps aware of the latest dietary supplements will recognize the name as one of the latest products to hit the shelves as a serious antioxidant. 

Coenzyme Q10 Defined and Up Close

Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble, vitamin like substance in every human cell and plays a role in biochemical reactions in the body that produce energy in the cells.  It is found naturally in a variety of foods such as organ meats like the heart, liver and kidney but is in beef, soybean oil, sardines, mackerel and peanuts as well.  Because of this, it is important that you do consider including these types of foods in your daily diet -- or that you obtain Coenzyme Q10 through appropriate dietary supplements.

The History of Coenzyme Q10

In 1957, Frederick Crane, Ph.D., discovered this vitamin like substance and later Peter Mitchell, Ph.D., proved how coenzyme Q10 produced energy in the cells and he won the Nobel Prize in 1978 for this discovery.  Obviously, this discovery was considered a major contribution to the realm of health sciences

Coenzyme Q10 and a Daily Diet

Even though coenzyme Q10 occurs in the food we consume it is not always in the sufficient amounts necessary and each cell in the body may not manufacture enough to be efficient to maintain good health.  Therefore, there are more and more dietary supplements on the market that address the issue of providing a person with sufficient Coenzyme Q10.

How Coenzyme Q10 Works

To understand how coenzyme Q10 works you need to understand that vitamins actually function like coenzymes in our bodies that trigger other important biochemical reactions.  So not only does coenzyme Q10 assist with this function and offer additional energy production in the cells but also is an extremely powerful antioxidant.

Coenzyme Q10 and Diseases

Recent studies have shown that diseases such as cancer, AIDS and heart disease have responded to the use of coenzyme Q10.  Coenzyme Q10 may not be a cure all for disease but is one of the most frequently prescribed heart drugs in Japan and Europe.  Medical journals around the world have documented studies that show that is powerful in the process of eliminating disease.

Because the studies that have been conducted have for the most part been on relatively small groups of patients that have also been taking other drugs for their conditions many groups such as the American Heart Association will not recommend patients to take it on a regular basis.  More studies are currently underway to better understand the benefits of this product.