Boost Your Health and Antioxidant Status with Ubiquinol CoQ10
Making sure you get enough antioxidants each and every day is a smart way to increase the odds that your body will function well for a lifetime. In this article we shall look at a lesser known antioxidant, ubiquinol CoQ10.
Antioxidants may help protect your cells from free radicals that may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases, as well as aging.
Obviously, the best way to increase your antioxidant intake is to consume more fruits and vegetables each day. Whole grains also typically contain antioxidants. However, the body's own antioxidant system may decrease with age, and our modern diets are typically not loaded with fruits and vegetables. Supplementing may be a good idea.
Ubiquinol CoQ10 (a popular form of the chemical CoQ10) is a particularly powerful antioxidant. Research has proven that it is capable of scavenging lots of harmful free radicals. Because it is a fat-soluble molecule, it scavenging free radicals in cell membranes.[1]
Free Radicals: The Enemy of Good Health
By now, just about everyone should have heard about antioxidants and free radicals (also referred to as oxidants). What many people may not be aware of is that the typical American diet is woefully lacking in antioxidants. The typical American diet tends to emphasize fatty foods (not usually very rich in antioxidants), at least compared to healthier diets like the Mediterranean Diet.[2]
CoQ10: A Casualty of Aging and Illness
CoQ10 is synthesized by the human body, but unfortunately, aging has a negative effect on CoQ10 synthesis. Some illnesses also tend to reduce CoQ10 synthesis.[3]
Who Should Take Ubiquinol CoQ10?
- Anyone who is no longer a young adult.
- Anyone suffering from an illness that has a negative effect on CoQ10 synthesis.
- Anyone taking prescription drugs shown to have a negative effect on CoQ10 levels, such as cholesterol lowering drugs.
- Anyone who wants to enhance his or her overall health.
Devising an Antioxidant Game Plan
To get the best results out of your use of ubiquinol, you should make sure that you take it in the context of a healthy diet. After all, you want to do everything you can do to optimize your health.
First, start by taking a look at your diet. Are you eating at least a few servings of fruits and vegetables each day? If not, including a salad with dinner and a couple pieces of fruit with lunch are great ways to sneak a few more antioxidant-rich foods into your diet. Sorry, supplements are not substitute for a poor diet.
If you’re not much of a salad person, you can make vegetable smoothies or try drinking different vegetable juices. Whatever you do to include more antioxidants in your diet will help you to maintain or achieve robust health, depending on your current level of health.
Dosage Concerns
How much ubiquinol should you take? More research needs to be done on ubiquinol to determine the optimal daily dose, but doses of between 30 to 100 mg a day may be good.[4] Don’t worry too much about overdosing, because CoQ10 has very low toxicity. Most of the side effects associated with CoQ10 use are mild in nature.
Ubiquinol CoQ10 is a powerful supplement that can be used by anyone to help improve antioxidant intake as well as overall health. Perhaps you should not be too cautious about deciding to take it daily.
References:
[1] Harvard: Ubiquinol-10 is an Effective Lipid-Soluble Antioxidant at Physiological Concentrations
[3] Monmouth University: Are There Side Effects When Taking Co enzyme Q10?
Statements made on this page have not been evaluated by Food and Drug Administration. The product(s) featured is/are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, on medication, or have a medical condition, consult a licensed medical practitioner before starting on a new supplement.
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