Tier 3 — preclinical

Miso Soup Consumption Enhances the Bioavailability of the Reduced Form of Supplemental Coenzyme Q10.

Michiyo Takahashi, Mayumi Nagata, Takehiko Kaneko, Toshikazu Suzuki

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism 2020 2020:5349086

Bibliography

PubMed: PMID 31998536
PubMed Central: PMC6969983
DOI: 10.1155/2020/5349086
Competing interests: The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The reduced CoQ10 test material was supplied for the study.

Study snapshot

Design	Repeated-measures human food-interaction bioavailability study
Model	Healthy adults
Sample	13
Intervention	120 mg reduced CoQ10 with clear soup, miso soup, milk soup or raw egg sauce on separate test occasions
Duration	Four single-dose test occasions separated by 6–14 weeks
Endpoints	Early serum CoQ10 concentration; AUC over the first 5 hours; Food-dependent absorption rate

What the study showed, in plain terms

Thirteen healthy adults consumed 120 mg of reduced CoQ10 with four different foods on separate occasions.

Miso soup produced a faster early rise in serum CoQ10 and about 1.5 times the five-hour exposure compared with the other tested foods, showing that the accompanying meal can alter short-term absorption.

Key findings

Miso soup produced the fastest early increase in serum reduced CoQ10 among the four tested food conditions.

Five-hour exposure was approximately 1.5 times higher with miso soup than with the other tested foods.

The result supports a food-context effect on CoQ10 bioavailability but does not establish miso soup as universally optimal.

What this study can and cannot tell us

The study included only 13 healthy adults, assessed a specific reduced-CoQ10 product and specific foods, and focused on the first five hours after dosing.

The findings cannot be generalized into a universal meal rule or a morning-versus-night recommendation.

Citation network

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Biohack Blueprint analyses that reference this study in their evidence base.

Oct 7, 2026 Best Time to Take CoQ10: Morning, Night or With Food?When should you take CoQ10? Human studies suggest food, formulation and consistency matter more than a specific clock time. See morning vs...Read analysis

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Last verified 07 October 2026

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction

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