CoQ10: What It Does and Why Your Levels Drop With Age

Every cell in your body needs energy. CoQ10 helps your cells make it. It works inside the mitochondria, the parts of the cell that turn food into fuel. Your heart, muscles and brain use the most energy, so they hold the most CoQ10.

CoQ10 is also an antioxidant your body makes on its own. It helps protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Your Levels Go Down Over Time

Your body makes less CoQ10 as you age. A study of human tissue found that CoQ10 levels peak around age 20 and then slowly fall.

Some medicines lower it too. Statins block the same pathway your body uses to make CoQ10. A review of placebo-controlled trials found lower blood CoQ10 in people taking statins. You can read more in our article on CoQ10 and statins.

Two Forms: Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol

CoQ10 comes in two forms. Ubiquinone has to be changed by your body before it can be used. Ubiquinol is the form your body can use right away.

In one study, 200 mg a day of ubiquinol raised blood CoQ10 more than the same amount of ubiquinone. Check the label to see which form you are buying.

What the Research Shows

• Inflammation. A review of 17 trials found that CoQ10 lowered blood markers of inflammation (CRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha).
• Exercise recovery. A review of 17 trials in athletes found that CoQ10 lowered markers of muscle damage and oxidative stress after hard exercise. In a 50 km mountain run, runners taking CoQ10 had less oxidative stress.
• Heart. In a 5-year study of adults aged 70 to 88, people who took CoQ10 with selenium had better heart function scores than people who took a placebo.

How Much?

Studies often use 100 to 300 mg a day. Research shows CoQ10 is well tolerated at doses up to 1,200 mg a day. Ask your provider which dose fits you.

One Capsule, Three Nutrients

Mega Restore has 200 mg of ubiquinol, 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 and 300 mcg of vitamin K2 (MK-7) in one capsule a day.

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Disclosure: Evergreen's founder also owns Functional Formulas, the maker of Mega Restore.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for education and is not medical advice for your specific situation.

Sources

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2. Banach M, et al. Statin therapy and plasma coenzyme Q10 concentrations. Pharmacol Res. 2015;99:329-36. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2015.07.008
3. Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM. Comparison study of plasma coenzyme Q10 levels in healthy subjects supplemented with ubiquinol versus ubiquinone. Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev. 2014;3(1):13-7. doi:10.1002/cpdd.73
4. Fan L, et al. Effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on inflammatory markers. Pharmacol Res. 2017;119:128-36. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2017.01.032
5. Qu H, et al. Can coenzyme Q10 supplementation reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and oxidative stress in athletes? Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2025;60:102001. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2025.102001
6. Díaz-Castro J, et al. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation ameliorates inflammatory signaling and oxidative stress associated with strenuous exercise. Eur J Nutr. 2012;51(7):791-9. doi:10.1007/s00394-011-0257-5
7. Alehagen U, et al. Cardiovascular mortality and N-terminal-proBNP reduced after combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation. Int J Cardiol. 2013;167(5):1860-6. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.04.156
8. Hathcock JN, Shao A. Risk assessment for coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone). Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006;45(3):282-8. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2006.05.006

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