Coenzyme Q10 molecules are fat-soluble molecules that are both synthesized in the body and ingested in the diet and in supplements. Coenzyme Q10 is synthesized in the body in the same biological pathway as cholesterol.
Bio-synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 begins to decline once humans reach their adult years. The reduced production of Coenzyme Q10 cannot be compensated in any practical way by changes in diet.
Coenzyme Q10 molecules are found everywhere in the body except in the red blood cells. This ubiquity is a good example of how important Coenzyme Q10 is to human health.
Coenzyme Q10 molecules are redox molecules, i.e. they convert back and forth between an oxidized form (known as ubiquinone) and a reduced form (known as ubiquinol).
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation using the ubiquinone form has been used successfully as an adjunct treatment for chronic heart failure patients.
Clinical studies have shown that Coenzyme Q10 supplementation has significant beneficial health effects for heart failure patients, healthy elderly citizens (aged 70 + years), low-energy syndrome patients, Gulf War veterans, hypertension patients, and heart surgery patients.
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation confers health benefits through its role in energy production, its function as an antioxidant, its role in improving endothelial function, and its role in reducing chronic low-grade inflammation.