Tier 3 — preclinical

Ubiquinol is superior to ubiquinone to enhance Coenzyme Q10 status in older men

Ying Zhang, Jin Liu, Xiao-Qiang Chen, C-Y Oliver Chen
Food & Function 2018 9(11):5653-5659

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 30302465
DOI
10.1039/c8fo00971f
Funding
Funding information was not available in the indexed sources checked for this record.
Competing interests
Competing-interest information was not available in the indexed sources checked for this record.

Study snapshot

DesignDouble-blind randomized crossover trial
ModelOlder men
Sample10
InterventionUbiquinol 200 mg/day versus ubiquinone 200 mg/day, each taken with a main meal
DurationTwo 2-week intervention periods separated by a 2-week washout
EndpointsPlasma ubiquinol and ubiquinone; Total plasma CoQ10; PBMC CoQ10; Plasma FRAP; Total thiol; Malondialdehyde; PBMC ATP

What the study showed, in plain terms

This small double-blind crossover study compared 200 mg/day ubiquinol with 200 mg/day ubiquinone in 10 older men. The tested ubiquinol product produced a larger increase in circulating CoQ10 status on average.

The result was not universal: six participants responded more strongly to ubiquinol while two responded more strongly to ubiquinone. Neither intervention significantly changed PBMC CoQ10, PBMC ATP or the measured plasma oxidative-stress markers.

The study therefore supports a formulation-specific difference in circulating exposure in this small older-male sample, not proof that ubiquinol is clinically superior to ubiquinone for health outcomes.

Key findings

Ubiquinol produced a larger average rise in plasma total CoQ10 than ubiquinone during the two-week treatment periods.

Individual responses varied: six of ten men showed a larger plasma response to ubiquinol and two showed a larger response to ubiquinone.

Neither form significantly altered PBMC CoQ10, PBMC ATP, FRAP, total thiol or malondialdehyde over the short study.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Only 10 participants were studied, all were older men, and each intervention lasted two weeks.

Plasma CoQ10 is a pharmacokinetic or status endpoint rather than a patient-important clinical outcome, and the study cannot establish that higher circulating exposure produces greater health benefit.

The finding applies to the exact formulations tested and should not be generalized to all ubiquinol and ubiquinone products.

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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