Coenzyme Q10: Fuel for the cells
What a name! It sounds like it comes from another planet, or at least as if the substance had been developed in a secret NASA laboratory. It could also be Elon Musk's third child: Ubiquinone-10, better known as coenzyme Q10 or simply Q10. Q10 has always been found in all human cells. It was only discovered quite late, and all the uncomplicated names had apparently already been taken. All joking aside: Find out here what makes coenzyme Q10 so valuable that it can be found in all cells.
Coenzyme Q10 can be absorbed through many foods.
Name origin and chemical structure of Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is the trivial name of a substance that is called ubiquinone-10 in scientific jargon. Coenzymes are substances that support enzymes in their function. They are catalysts or enhancers for the actual enzymes. Ubiquinones are found in all living things, so they are omnipresent or "ubiquitous", from the Latin "ubique" which means "occurring everywhere". Warning, this is about to get a little technical: ubiquinones all have a similar chemical structure. This is based on a so-called benzoquinone ring and a side chain that consists of a different number of isoprene units. In the case of ubiquinone-10, these are ten isoprene units (see figure). It would take too long to explain the special features of this chemical structure in more detail here, but it is the reason for the well-known name of the coenzyme: According to the English spelling with Q - ubiquinone - the abbreviation Q10 has been established. In humans, as well as most other mammals, Q10 predominates. In rodents, however, the Q9 variant predominates, while in brewer's yeast the Q6 variant is predominantly found.
The role of Q10 in energy production
Q10 is found in all living human cells, especially in the mitochondria - the power plants of the cell. Energy production in the mitochondria takes place in several phases and Q10 helps to transfer the energy gained from one phase to the next. Organs with the highest energy requirements, such as the heart, liver or brain, therefore have the highest concentration of the coenzyme. The complex processes in the respiratory chain lead to the paradoxical situation that Q10 is involved in the formation of free radicals on the one hand and is also an important mitochondrial antioxidant on the other. In addition, it is able to regenerate used antioxidants, such as glutathione and vitamin E, and thus make them available again.
The chemical structure of coenzyme Q10.
How much Q10 do I need?
Because of its importance for energy production, without Q10 we can run as fast as a car with an empty tank. However, how much Q10 we need is still unknown. One reason for this is that our body covers a large part of its needs through biosynthesis. Another part is provided by the bacteria in the intestinal flora. The rest is taken in through diet. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), an estimated two to ten milligrams of Q10 are consumed daily through a normal diet. Meat, poultry, fatty fish, as well as pulses, nuts and vegetable oils are considered particularly suitable sources of Q10. An additional intake of Q10 through food supplements is considered safe as long as a daily maximum amount of 30 milligrams is not exceeded.
Q10 deficiency and interactions
Due to the ubiquitous occurrence of Q10, a deficiency in healthy people is considered unlikely. Nevertheless, the amount of the coenzyme stored decreases over the course of life. The Q10 content in the heart of an eighty-year-old is only about 60 percent of that of a twenty-year-old. Taking cholesterol-lowering statins can also reduce the Q10 content by up to 50 percent. Whether an additional intake of Q10 makes sense in such a case should definitely be clarified with the treating doctor.
Is ubiquinone or ubiquinol better?
In addition to Q10, ubiquinol is also increasingly appearing on the market. Ubiquinone and ubiquinol occur in roughly the same ratio both in the body and in food. There is a simple reason for this: ubiquinol is the chemically reduced form of ubiquinone. The energy transfer within the respiratory chain works by ubiquinone absorbing two hydrogen atoms and releasing them elsewhere. Ubiquinol is ubiquinone loaded with two hydrogen atoms. Since ubiquinone can change its form as needed, it is completely irrelevant according to the current state of research which form you ingest.
