Ubiquinone is the coenzyme Q10 that acts similarly to antioxidant vitamins. It serves to produce energy in the body and act with antioxidant properties used in cosmetics for the skin and in medicine to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Its function is very important, being a fundamental element in the health of living beings (humans and animals) and can present different forms such as ubiquinol and ubidecarenone.
This type of antioxidant coenzyme has very important effects on the human body, so next, we will explain what it is, what it is used for, its properties and benefits, as well as its possible adverse reactions. Finally, we will talk about the recommended doses when used in 100 mg and 200 mg, and of course, in addition to the supplements available in capsules and tablets, also about the foods where it is found.
Contents
What is ubiquinone and what is it used for
It is a coenzyme Q known as Q10. Ubiquinone is identified by the scientific name «2-[(2E,6E,10E,14E,18E,22E,26E,30E,34E)-3,7,11,15,19,23,27,31,35,39-Decametiltetraconta-2,6,10,14,18,22,26,30,34,38-decaenol]-5,6-dimethoxy-3-methylcyclohexa-2,5-dieno-1,4-dione» and corresponds to a 1,4-benzoquinone.
With this long and strange medical name, we can find that it has antioxidant properties that protect the skin, heart, and eyes, among some of its most outstanding benefits.
The coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone, not to be confused with ubiquinol which, although similar, is something different, has a chemical group of quinone, hence its designation with «Q«. The number «10» that follows it refers to the chemical isoprenyl subunits.
Ubiquinone is liposoluble, can dissolve in fat and oil, and we find that it has many therapeutic, medicinal, and cosmetic uses.
Thus, we can say that Q10 or ubiquinone is used to:
- Allow cellular respiration.
- Facilitate electron transport.
- Assist in energy generation for the body.
- Protect against free radicals.
Cellular Respiration
If you wonder where ubiquinone is found, we can say that it’s present in almost all cells of the human body. This coenzyme is present in the cellular mitochondria, playing a very important role in cell respiration.
Ubiquinone participates in oxygenation and aerobic cellular respiration, making it possible for the human body to have energy to carry out daily tasks and those essential for life.
Energy generation is in the form of ATP or adenosine triphosphate and, therefore, also necessary for muscles.
The majority of the body’s vital energy, around 95% is produced through ubiquinone and adenosine triphosphate, so it is extremely important for anyone. Without it, when there is a deficiency of Q10, we can find a whole series of disorders and anomalies, with the lack of energy being key and a lack of desire or motivation to do common things being evident.
As it participates in the mechanism for producing bodily energy, organs require large amounts of ubiquinone or coenzyme Q10. Some examples of this are the heart, kidneys, and liver where large concentrations of ubiquinone are found.
Free Radicals
Although it is produced naturally in the human body, it can also be incorporated through supplements, which are generally sold in tablets or capsules, as well as in the form of an ingredient in the composition of anti-wrinkle and anti-aging creams.
Ubiquinone’s ability to block damage caused by free radicals makes it a substance widely used in cosmetics, but beware, it must always be in its oxidized form, which is called ubiquinol.
Often, it is included under the name coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone and has antioxidant properties, meaning it inhibits the free radical that can damage cells.
Medicinal Uses
Its protective function allows it to be used in various medical applications, being suitable for treating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, degenerative neurological disorders, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In all these cases, it has been found that there is a large amount of free radicals in the body, making it appropriate to use an antioxidant to capture them and inhibit the damage they cause in the human body. Although it is not entirely clear that free radicals are really the cause of these human ailments, it is thought that using natural antioxidants may have an important protective role.
Since antioxidants capture and block the free radical, the uses of ubiquinone are widespread in medicine.
It is often administered as a dietary supplement to regulate the pain and discomfort caused by statin drugs, which are used to lower cholesterol. Although it does not have a direct effect on LDL cholesterol, in many cases, taking ubiquinone is recommended to avoid these side effects of lipid-lowering drugs.
Migraine
Another common use of ubiquinone is to treat migraines. Its beneficial effects on people with regular headaches and migraines make it useful as an aid in regulating mitochondrial function, promoting good cellular health, and, in certain cases, noticing a reduction in intense headaches.
Electron Transport Chain
The effects on the body’s energy production are important because ubiquinone participates in the electron transport chain. This organic chemical reaction allows electrons from the plasma and inner mitochondrial membrane to produce adenosine triphosphate, an energy compound used by humans and animals for daily energy.
As an example to clarify these terms, we can say that animals use the reduction-oxidation reaction (redox) with the electron transport chain, while plants use photosynthesis to obtain energy from sunlight.
Types of Ubiquinone
According to its oxidation-reduction or redox state, we can differentiate or find 3 types of ubiquinone:
- Ubiquinone: when it is fully oxidized.
- Semiquinone: when it is partially oxidized and reduced.
- Ubiquinol: when its chemical state causes it to be fully reduced.
All these chemical variations of the coenzyme allow it to have different functions in the body, acting as an electron transport chain for cells to respire or acting as an antioxidant.
As it has different uses, let’s look at all its properties and health benefits.
Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol
Although both substances are part of the same base, there are some differences between ubiquinone and ubiquinol.
As we mentioned in their types, ubiquinone does not have antioxidant effects, so it is necessary to take ubiquinol if we want to protect ourselves against free radicals and premature aging.
Furthermore, the difference between ubiquinol and ubiquinone is that the former, the oxidized form, is much more absorbable, meaning that when taken, our body will make better use of the ingested amounts. Both forms are functional, but if you must choose, it is always better to buy ubiquinol because, taking the same amount, it will provide greater beneficial effects.
However, there is an equivalence table to know the amounts that are similar. This equivalence between ubiquinone and ubiquinol is as follows:
- 100 mg of ubiquinone is equivalent to 60 mg of ubiquinol.
Keep in mind that these data are a reference based on scientific sources, and the results have been obtained by measuring their presence in the body after ingesting the indicated dose. In some cases, it may be advisable to use the less bioavailable form, and in others, it may be the other way around, always following the specialist’s recommendation.
Properties of Ubiquinone
Although it can be used in various therapies, in most cases, at least as far as most people know, it’s because ubiquinone has antioxidant properties. But beware, this property is when it is oxidized, that is, when it is ubiquinol.
This makes it a common resource and can be found in countless dietary supplements for skincare and cardiovascular health.
As it is capable of capturing free radicals (atoms with one fewer electron that are highly reactive), it has the function of protecting and preventing premature aging. It prevents oxidation, which in most cases promotes the appearance of wrinkles on the skin, inflammation in connective tissue, deterioration of the cardiovascular system, and vision loss.
Thus, the cosmetic properties of ubiquinone are to prevent aging, being one of the most used and well-known antioxidants, just like the effects and properties of resveratrol that also serves as lycopene to inhibit free radicals and protect the body against oxidation.
Another property and benefit of ubiquinone is its ability to relieve muscle pain in people with low levels of statins, either due to dysfunction or due to treatment that reduces them.
Benefits
When ubiquinone is taken, a protective effect against the toxicity of antineoplastic or chemotherapeutic drugs is achieved, i.e., those that prevent the growth and proliferation of cancer cells such as Daunorubicin and Doxorubicin, to name a few examples.
Likewise, it also has benefits for protecting against free radicals as we have already discussed in this text.
Adverse Effects and Side Effects
While healthy individuals can take it without problems, in some situations, it is advisable to avoid it or, failing that, to be careful because ubiquinone has adverse reactions in certain individuals.
Specifically, we can say that its side effects include:
- Digestive problems such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea.
- Diarrhea.
- Headache or cephalalgia.
- Nervousness.
- Dizziness.
- Photosensitivity.
- Irritability and mood swings.
- Persistent itching or pruritus.
- Skin rashes due to food allergy when consumed in capsules.
- Loss of appetite.
- Fatigue.
- Runny nose.
- Bone and muscle pain.
Contraindications
- Anticoagulants such as Warfarin, Acenocoumarol, etc., as it may reduce their effects.
- Interaction with antithrombotic drugs.
- High-performance athletes or individuals engaged in intense physical exercise.
- Oncological treatment. Administer after completion to avoid reducing its effects.
Dosage
- Recommended daily amount: from 50 to 100 mg per day.
- Chronic heart diseases: from 100 to 200 mg per day.
- Periodontal disease: 50 mg per day in adults divided into two doses. Children 2 mg/kg.
- Cancer: from 90 to 390 mg every day.
- Migraine: per day.
The dose of ubiquinone can be used as a supplement for multiple conditions and pathologies, and it is advisable for the doctor to always indicate the daily amount of ubiquinone to be taken depending on the type of treatment developed for the patient.
In some cases, high doses have been used for Parkinson’s patients without acquiring side effects with values of 1,200 mg/day.
However, as the dose increases, there is a greater likelihood of encountering toxicity, as well as reproducing the adverse reactions we have indicated, which is why the guidance of a specialist is necessary for each specific case.
It is also important to consider that, while oral or sublingual coenzyme Q10 is absorbed, the values are low compared to other vitamins with antioxidant effects. The absorption values of ubiquinone are around 10%.
Exceeding the dose of 100 mg ubiquinone should always be done in two or three doses throughout the day.
The duration of treatment can vary from 1 month to 12 months for cardiovascular problems or 16 months for neurodegenerative diseases. When used as an antioxidant, ubiquinone should be taken for 3 months with a maximum amount ranging from 50 to 100 milligrams per day.
Foods with Ubiquinone
There are many natural products that we can use as the primary source of Coenzyme Q10 to increase levels in the body.
While in many cases, the use of supplements is recommended, especially when an extra intake is needed due to various dysfunctions or to enhance protective effects, the rest of the population can nourish themselves and find good amounts of ubiquinone in the following foods:
- Beef, pork, beef, chicken, and turkey.
- Offal such as heart, liver, and kidneys.
- Fish such as herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout, swordfish, dogfish, anchovies, and red mullet.
- Nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and walnuts.
- Germinated cereals such as soy.
- Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, peppers, beans, and peas.
- Sesame seeds.
- Dairy products.
- Citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines, and strawberries.
- Olive and sunflower oil.
Vegetables have less Q10 than meat, and among these, offal is the type of meat that contains the most ubiquinone.
On the fish side, those that provide the most ubiquinone to the diet are herring, salmon, and tuna.
Other Names for Ubiquinone
- Q10.
- Coenzyme Q10.
- Ubidecarenone.
- CoQ10.
References
- Ernster, L; Dallner, G (1995). «Biochemical, physiological and medical aspects of ubiquinone function«. Biochimica et Biophysica.
- Dutton, PL; Ohnishi, T; Darrouzet, E; Leonard, MA; Sharp, RE; Cibney, BR; Daldal, F; Moser, CC (2000). «4 Coenzyme Q oxidation reduction reactions in mitochondrial electron transport«.
- Okamoto, T; Matsuya, T; Fukunaga, Y; Kishi, T; Yamagami, T (1989). «Human serum ubiquinol-10 levels and relationship to serum lipids«.
- Aberg, F; Appelkvist, EL; Dallner, G; Ernster, L (1992). «Distribution and redox state of ubiquinones in rat and human tissues«.
- Shindo, Y; Witt, E; Han, D; Epstein, W; Packer, L (1994). «Enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants in epidermis and dermis of human skin«. The Journal of investigative dermatology.
- Montero R, Sánchez-Alcázar JA, Briones P, et al. (June 2008). «Analysis of coenzyme Q10 in muscle and fibroblasts for the diagnosis of CoQ10 deficiency syndromes«. Biochem.
- L.P. Watts, BDS, MDS, PhD, FDS, Department of Periodontology and Preventive Dentistry, UMDS, Guy’s Hospital London (1995). «Coënzyme Q10 and periodontal treatment: is there any beneficial effect?«.
