If you are taking or have been recommended to take oral CoQ10 supplements and you are curious to learn more about this supplement, say no more!
In this article I will get into the story of CoQ10- what it is, how it's made, and why it's hugely in demand today.
Humans are matter at the end of the day, albeit living matter. And matter needs energy to move and function. Living things like plants and animals have the inherent ability to harness energy from chemicals and use it for ‘living’.
Think of living as a combination of several complex chemical reactions. And what do you need for chemical reactions? Raw materials and energy. Energy is used to make and break chemical bonds and push the reaction forward toward a desirable result.
In the physical world, energy manifests in different forms: light, sound, motion, and electromagnetism. In the living world, chemical energy is the dominant player. And the most favored compound that is used to transport chemical energy within living organisms is adenosine triphosphate or ATP.
ATP is found in all living organisms. Your body cannot do without it. In addition to being the energy currency of living systems, ATP is also the preliminary compound of DNA and RNA.
Now that you know the significance of ATP we can imagine how important it is for our body to have a constant supply of it.
This is where CoQ10 plays a crucial role.
How does CoQ10 help with energy production?
To cut a long story CoQ10 is involved in a metabolic process called the electron transport chain. The electron transport chain is an extremely complex pathway and understanding it requires knowledge of the laws of thermodynamics and a concept called redox potential.
If you are interested in learning more about these concepts and would like to have them simplified, do let me know in the comments below.
The end product and main objective of the electron transport chain is to make ATP. Coenzyme Q10 plays a crucial role in this pathway thereby making it necessary for the body’s energy.
Fun fact: Peter Mitchell, the scientist who discovered the role of CoQ10 in the electron transport chain won the 1978 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
How are coenzyme Q10 supplements made?
Now that we understand the importance of CoQ10 let’s explore its use as a supplement. Our body requires energy to run metabolic pathways. While these pathways mainly produce beneficial end products you cannot say the same with some of the by-products.
One such undesirable by-product of metabolism is free radicals. They cause DNA damage and lead to several serious health conditions if they are allowed to accumulate unchecked. The chemicals that help control the effects of free radicals are called antioxidants.
CoQ10 is one such very potent antioxidant.
Unfortunately for us, the body cannot make its own CoQ10. So when you do not supply enough of it from your diet the levels can decline over time leading to heart, kidney, liver, and neurological conditions.
CoQ10 supplements have proven to be an effective way to naturally stock up on CoQ10. One of the interesting aspects of CoQ10 supplements is that they have mild to no side effects. The reason for your body’s high tolerance for CoQ10 supplements lies in how it is made.
Two methods to make ubiquinol supplements
There are two ways to make CoQ10 supplements: the synthetic (chemical method) or the fermentation method (using microbes).
The chemical method, though cost-effective, is widely panned due to its reliance on cheap chemicals.
The fermentation method of using microbial sources of CoQ10 is not only organic but also very high-yielding. Paracoccus denitrificans, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and Rhodobacter sphaeroides are the naturally high producers of CoQ10.
Pro-tip: While shopping for CoQ10 supplements look for a vendor who specifies how the supplement is made. Always go for fermentation-based CoQ10 supplements. Or you can just buy one from here.
CoQ10 supplements that are made using the fermentation method are of high quality and do not contain cheap chemicals. Since the yield from the microbial method is very high, the CoQ10 supplements manufactured by this method are natural, cost-effective, and provide more value for money.
