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Functions of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Liver Enzymes, Markers of Systemic Inflammation, and Adipokines in Patients Affected by Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial

Farnaz Farsi, Majid Mohammadshahi, Pezhman Alavinejad, Afshin Rezazadeh, Mehdi Zarei, Kambiz Ahmadi Engali
Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2016 35(4):346-353

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 26156412
DOI
10.1080/07315724.2015.1021057
Funding
No industry funding was identified for this trial in the 2026 systematic-review trial-characteristics table. A specific original grant/funding statement was not available in the accessible PubMed record checked.
Competing interests
A specific author conflict-of-interest statement was not identified in the accessible publication record checked during this audit.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
ModelRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel clinical trial in adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Sample41 participants with NAFLD; later systematic-review extraction reports 20 CoQ10 and 21 control participants.
InterventionCoQ10 100 mg once daily versus placebo for 12 weeks.
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsAST; ALT; Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT); High-sensitivity CRP; TNF-alpha; IL-6; Adiponectin; Leptin; NAFLD grade

What the study showed, in plain terms

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial studied 41 adults with NAFLD receiving CoQ10 100 mg/day or placebo for 12 weeks. It assessed liver enzymes, systemic inflammatory biomarkers, adipokines and imaging/clinical grading of fatty liver.

Compared with control, the CoQ10 group showed statistically significant reductions in AST, GGT, hs-CRP, TNF-alpha and NAFLD grade (p<0.05). Secondary evidence syntheses also describe higher adiponectin and changes in leptin after CoQ10 treatment.

The trial suggests an anti-inflammatory and liver-biochemistry signal in NAFLD, but the sample was small and the endpoints were biomarkers and disease grading rather than biopsy-confirmed fibrosis progression, cirrhosis, liver-related hospitalization or mortality.

Key findings

AST and GGT: significantly decreased with CoQ10 compared with control (p<0.05).

Systemic inflammation: hs-CRP and TNF-alpha significantly decreased versus control (p<0.05). The trial also measured IL-6, but the accessible abstract does not report a statistically significant treatment effect for IL-6.

NAFLD grade: significantly decreased in the CoQ10 group compared with control (p<0.05).

Adipokines: later systematic-review summaries describe increased adiponectin and meaningful leptin changes in the CoQ10 arm; exact original numerical estimates were not available in the accessible abstract and therefore are not invented here.

Dose/duration: 100 mg/day for 12 weeks; 41 participants (approximately 20 active/21 control).

What this study can and cannot tell us

Small single-country trial with only 41 participants, limiting precision and generalizability.

The study tested multiple liver, inflammatory and adipokine outcomes in a small sample, increasing multiplicity concerns.

The accessible abstract reports statistical significance but not complete numerical effect sizes and confidence intervals for all endpoints; those values should not be inferred.

The trial did not establish effects on biopsy-confirmed steatohepatitis/fibrosis progression or long-term liver clinical outcomes.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology