Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), also known as ubiquinone and its reduced state ubiquinol, is a fat-soluble vitamin–like substance.

Its term "ubiquinone" describes its ubiquitous (widespread) distribution in the body. All of your cells make CoQ10, but it’s most highly concentrated in the heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas.

It earns its name "coenzyme" as it’s needed for several key enzymatic steps in the production of energy within the cell says Peter Langsjoen, MD, the world’s foremost CoQ10 authority in his article, "Introduction to Coenzyme Q10." These enzymes are essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), upon which all cellular functions depend.

Coenzyme Q10 also plays a vital role in the integrity and stability of cell membranes and serves as a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals. Free radicals accelerate aging and are culprits in life-sapping diseases.

Your body naturally produces CoQ10, but its ability to do so declines with age.

Doctors also find low CoQ10 levels in people taking some prescription drugs and those with chronic diseases like heart, Parkinson’s, cancer, diabetes, AIDs, and muscular dystrophies according to a 2010 Mayo Clinic evidence-based monograph.

Do You Need Coenzyme Q10 Supplements?

Because you can only get small amounts of CoQ10 from food sources, you likely need to take supplements for a deficiency. You may want to consider these factors when deciding if CoQ10 is for you:

Impairment of your body’s production of CoQ10. The process that your body uses to produce CoQ10 is quite complex. It’s a 17 step process requiring at least seven other vitamins and several trace minerals. This process is by its very nature very vulnerable, reports Dr. Langsjoen.

Excessive CoQ10 utilization by your body. Its role in producing cellular energy for muscles can lead to its depletion with excessive exertion or high metabolic states. For instance, take the most active muscle in the body… your heart.

"When the heart muscle is weakened for whatever reason, it places an increased demand on the nutrients needed by the heart cells in order to create energy. Because of excessive utilization of these nutrients, the heart muscle eventually becomes depleted of CoQ10," explains Ray Strand, MD, nutritional medicine expert in the January, 2010 "Dr. Strand Health Nuggets."

Some drugs deplete Coenzyme Q10 too…

• Cholesterol lowering drugs such as the statins (Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravacho, and Zocor) and fibric acid derivatives (Lopid)

• Beta-blockers (Tenormin, Normodyne, Lopressor or Toprol, and Inderal)

• Tricyclic antidepressant medications (Elavil, Sinequan, and Tofranil)

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits

CoQ10 boosts energy and enhances the immune system. Using coenzyme Q10 supplements alone or in combination with other drug therapies and nutritional supplements may help prevent and treat many chronic diseases, say experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Consumer lab.com lists these conditions as potentially helped by Coenzyme Q10 supplementation:

• Congestive heart failure

• Side-effects of cholesterol lowering drugs (muscle pain, difficulty breathing, memory loss, and nerve pain)

• Prevention of migraine headaches, but it doesn’t help them once started

• Reduction of the likelihood of more heart problems in some people who've had a first heart attack

• Parkinson's disease

• Muscular dystrophy

• AIDS

• Hypertension

• Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies (brain cell function abnormality)

• Reduced sperm motility

An eleventh condition, cancer, is reported by Strand due to promising new studies conducted at the University of Miami, Florida. They found that CoQ10 supplementation changed the genetic makeup of cancer cells, which allowed the cancer cell to kill itself without harming normal cells.

"Since CoQ10 is essential to the optimal function of all cell types, it is not surprising to find a seemingly diverse number of disease states that respond favorably to CoQ10 supplementation…We have only scratched the surface of the biomedical and clinical applications of CoQ10," says Dr. Langsjoen.

Pay attention to this mighty vitamin-like substance.

Based on your age and health condition, talk with your health care provider about coenzyme Q10 supplementation soon!