Ubiquinol supplement health benefit, dosage, comparison to ubiquinone - Is it superior to CoQ10? What is the right dosage, how often should you take it? Ray Sahelian, M.D.
October 10 2016

Ubiquinol is the reduced form of coenzyme Q10. Long term human research regarding its benefit versus regular CoQ10 have not been done, therefore it is premature to make any claims that a ubiquinol supplement is preferable to regular CoQ10 supplement or vice versa. There have been hundreds of studies in humans with CoQ10 and hardly any with ubiquinol. This does not mean the latter offers less medical benefit, we just don't know as much about it yet.
   CoQ10 cycles between ubiquinone and ubiquinol in the production of energy in mitochondria.

Q. The owner of the health food store where I buy my supplements is a pretty knowledgeable guy and when I stopped there today to pick up more CoQ10 he said he was pushing the folks that buy CoQ10 towards ubiquinol. The small print on the bottle says it is a reduced form of CoQ10 for enhanced absorption. Do you think it is indeed as good as (or maybe better) than CoQ10 as an antioxidant / energy enhancer (what I use it for) or a cholesterol lowering / diabetes controlling supplement (what my husband uses it for...we both take 50 mgs/day, 7 days a week.
   A. It's going to take a few years of additional clinical trials before we can be more knowledgeable regarding their benefits and differences.

Role in animals
Ubiquinol is the two-electron reduction product of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 and functions as an antioxidant in both mitochondria and lipid membranes. In humans and most mammals, including dogs, the predominant form of coenzyme Q is coenzyme Q10, whereas the primary form in rodents is coenzyme Q9 or CoQ9.

Heart failure benefit
Nurs Health Sci. 2014. Myocardial energetics and ubiquinol in diastolic heart failure. Diastolic heart failure, or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There are no current therapies effective in improving outcomes for these patients. The aim of this article is to review the literature and examine the role of coenzyme Q10 in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction related to mitochondrial synthesis of adenosine triphosphate and reactive oxygen species production. The study results reflect that myocardial energetics alters in diastolic heart failure and that there is defective energy metabolism and increased oxidative stress. Studies are emerging to evaluate coenzyme Q10 , particularly ubiquinol, as a supplemental treatment for heart-failure patients. In diastolic heart-failure patients, clinicians are beginning to use supplemental therapies to improve patient outcomes, and one promising complementary treatment to improve left ventricular diastolic function is ubiquinol. Additional studies are needed using large-scale randomized models to confirm if ubiquinol would be beneficial. Since ubiquinol is an antioxidant and is required for adenosine triphosphate production, clinicians and health scientists should be aware of the potential role of this supplement in the treatment of diastolic heart failure.

Kidney disease
Free Radic Res. Feb 2014. Ubiquinol supplementation protects against renal ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats.

Statin cholesterol drug, protection from damage to muscle testimonial received from the Netherlands April 2014
Dear Dr Sahelian, I just saw your video about co q10 and wanted to react on the information given by you because I found out myself that in certain circumstances at least up to 200 mg daily does not produce any counterreaction regarding for example fatigue. I'm a survivor (realizing the reason for strong deterioration of my brain about a year after my stroke plus lots of other sudden serious problems like gonartrosis, Pds etc. Just in the right moment and stopping 40mg of simvastatine plus 5mg of amlodipine (a devilish combination), severe and partially NOT reversible statin damage (i stopped the statin in 2011 and started the co q10) I am suffering from muscle weakness while young, having been sportive. My lack of energy /fatigue is extreme. Ubiquinol shoud be taken not just in one dosage. I take 2 x 100mg a day. If i forget my afternoon dosage, my muscles especially in arms and legs worsen immediately. pain, stiffness, difficulty to get up and walk a bit. My fatigue then is extreme while sleeping also during the day an hour. When i feel this way this is the reminder that i forgot my second dosage. Within hours i can feel it in diverse ways the realization that i'm sooo tired and muscles are hurting always comes first, then always i realize... forgot to take my second dosage. Without the 200mg I cannot get through the day and then i cannot work anymore and merely can do little of whatever on a day. but with ubiquinol i can do some every day although i do have household help etc. the pain in my colon / sigmoid was so strong that after three quarter of a year i decided that if it does not get better over half a year i would ask for euthanasia. there was no help, no understanding. i went through a hell. fortunately shortly after having taken that decision i understood why i was so sick. my muscles got better after stopping the statin (it was much worse than now while this is difficult to live with), my brain stopped deteriorating but did not improve since then anymore. my kidney pain and heart pain stopped immediately. my colon needed a lot of time to heal a bit. still i cannot take even melatonine... the colon immediately gets attacked and i will suffer for two monthes again lots of pain just for having taken some pills of melatonine. my colon still behaves strange. Just wanted to let you know how damaging statins can be and how helpful ubiquinol can be. i could not live without it anymore. and the 200mg a day make my day, give me the energy i at least need to get along anyhow. without the second dosage of 100mg a day my fatigue catches up with me extremely. i think you might warn people of a dosage too high, surely of not taking it just before going to sleep, but you might also tell them that with for example statin damage a dosage as high as i take might be necessary.

Q. I am confused about the difference between CoQ10 and the concentrated Ubiquinol. I take 10 mg of a statin medication.
A. There are no studies yet to tell us which is better or more effective.

Safety, side effects, risk, danger
Study on safety and bioavailability of ubiquinol (Kaneka QH) after single and 4-week multiple oral administration to healthy volunteers.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2007. Pharmacology and Toxicology Group, Life Science Research Laboratories, Kaneka Corporation, Takasa-cho, Takasago-shi, Hyogo, Japan.
The safety and bioavailability of ubiquinol, a naturally occurring lipid-soluble nutrient, were evaluated for the first time in single-blind, placebo-controlled studies with healthy subjects after administration of a single oral dose of 150 or 300mg and after oral administration of 90, 150, or 300mg for 4 weeks. No clinically relevant changes in results of standard laboratory tests, physical examination, vital signs, or ECG induced by ubiquinol were observed in any dosage groups. Following single or multiple-doses of ubiquinol in healthy volunteers, significant absorption of ubiquinol from the gastrointestinal tract was observed, and no safety concerns were noted on standard laboratory tests for safety or on assessment of adverse events for doses of up to 300mg for up to 2 weeks after treatment completion.

Testimonial
I am taking 50 mg of Coq10 (active form - Ubiquinol) and 50 mg Alpha Lipoic Acid. After a week or two I started to get this new sense of calm. It felt good. But, then my insomnia (which was improving) got worse. Waking up at 3 or 4 am, weak sleep, feeling non refreshed etc. But, I had plenty of energy during the day. So, I’m trying to figure out if the worsening insomnia is the Coq10 or ALA. I also felt the ALA has helped me feel better between meals as I had some reactive hypoglycemia.
   A. They both can cause insomnia, therefore taking both together at these dosages can make the sleep problems worse.

Studies and research
Biofactors 2016. Coenzyme Q10 redox state predicts the concentration of c-reactive protein in a large caucasian cohort. In the present study the relationship between the CoQ10 redox state (% oxidized form of CoQ10 ) and the serum level of c-reactive protein (CRP) was investigated in a large Caucasian study population. In order to evaluate independently the influence of the variables that predict the outcome of CRP. It was discovered that the ubiquinol status significantly correlated to the concentration of the inflammation marker monocyte chemotactic protein 1. It is concluded that CoQ10 redox state predicts the concentration of CRP. Persons at risk with lower ubiquinol status, higher BMI, and low grade inflammation may benefit from ubiquinol supplementation.

Ubiquinol and the papaverine derivative caroverine prevent the expression of tumour- promoting factors in adenoma and carcinoma colon cancer cells induced by dietary fat.
Biofactors. 2005.
High consumption of dietary fat promotes colon carcinogenesis. While this effect is well known the underlying mechanism is not understood. Fatty acid hydroperoxides (LOOH) arise from unsaturated fatty acids in the presence of oxygen and elevated temperature during food processing. An approach was made starting from the assumption that LOOH are present in dietary fats as a result of boiling. LOOH undergoes homolytic cleavage in the presence of iron. We studied their effects on gene expression in colorectal tumour cells using linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH) as model compound. Addition to the medium of LT97 adenoma and SW480 carcinoma cells enhanced the production of hydrogen peroxide. Both cell lines were observed to increase VEGF and COX-II expression based on mRNA. Expression of VEGF was inhibited by caroverine and ubiquinon.

Kaneka Corporation ubiquinol
Scientists at Kaneka Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of CoQ10, developed the method to produce ubiquinol, commercially available as KanekaQH, for supplemental use.

Bluebonnet Nutrition Announces Free March 29 Retailer Webinar On Ubiquinol
SUGAR LAND, TEXAS, 2007 – Bluebonnet Nutrition is proud to sponsor the first in a series of free online educational seminars through Virgo Publishing’s Nutrilearn.com website geared towards retailers in the natural products marketplace. Set for Thursday, March 29 at 2:00pm EDT, the first retailer Webinar entitled: "The Most Relevant Breakthrough in Baby-Boomer Nutrition Since Glucosamine: Ubiquinol - The Active Form of CoQ10 " will be presented by Carl Germano, RD, CNS, LDN, clinical nutritionist, best-selling author, frequent radio guest/lecturer and SVP, R&D at Millennium Biotechnologies. With more than 20 years of product development experience, Mr. Carl Germano has been instrumental in bringing some of the most cutting-edge nutritional ingredients and formulations to the dietary/medical supplement industry. This free retailer Webinar will focus on the science behind this revolutionary ingredient and how converging health factors in the baby-boomer market as well as the tremendous growth of CoQ10 sales over the past decade make Ubiquinol the most important innovation to hit the senior market in years.

About Bluebonnet Corporation
Bluebonnet Nutrition Corporation, headquartered in Sugar Land, TX, is a nutritional supplement manufacturer providing a full line of dietary supplements to natural food retailers throughout the U.S.

About Nutrilearn and Virgo Publishing
Virgo Publishing produces the SupplySide Trade Shows and Conferences, Focus on the Future Executive Conference and Retreat, and the online education website, Nutrilearn; and publishes Natural Products INSIDER, Food Product Design and Natural Products Marketplace magazines.

Questions
Q. I read your article on coenzyme Q10, and was wondering what your thoughts are about an article on ubiquinol on the Life Extension Foundation website that claims this, "In what may be the most significant breakthrough in the history of the dietary supplement industry, Japan’s largest CoQ10 producer has discovered a way to deliver the highest concentrations of the most biologically active form of coenzyme Q10 to the bloodstream. This improved form of CoQ10 not only absorbs up to eight times better, but also has demonstrated unprecedented anti-aging effects compared to placebo and compared to the coenzyme Q10 you are using now. This novel CoQ10 compound ubiquinol could revolutionize how a number of age-related disorders are both prevented and treated. In order for the ubiquinone form of CoQ10 to be properly utilized, it first must be reduced in the body to its active metabolite known as ubiquinol. While most ubiquinone is naturally reduced to ubiquinol, the optimal way to supplement with CoQ10 would be to ingest it in its ready-to-use ubiquinol form. After years of painstaking research, Japan’s largest producer of coenzyme Q10 has developed a patented method to stabilize ubiquinol so that it can be swallowed in a capsule for utilization by cells throughout the body. The ramifications of widespread use of this novel form of CoQ10 are profound. For the first time, it may be possible to achieve the sustained high blood levels of biologically active ubiquinol CoQ10 needed to delay certain manifestations of aging and its related disorders."
   A. In order to make claims that a particular supplement is better than another version, human studies have to be done head to head for at least a few months or preferably a few years. Such studies have not been done with ubiquinol and CoQ10. Hence, the claims made above are premature and appear to be more marketing than science. We are not saying that ubiquinol is not beneficial. We are just saying that it is premature to make any such claims when not even one good human study has been done, and it appears that the claims are being made by those who want to sell ubiquinol. It is possible that too high a dose of ubiquinol in the body may actually be harmful or throw body chemistry off balance.

Q. I noticed that your webpage about ubiquinol states that there have been no studies indicating that health benefits of ubiquinol might be superior to ubiquinone.
There is a Cardiologist, Peter Langsjoen, MD, in Tyler, TX, who has been studying CoQ10 and recently conducted a clinical trial, supplementing ubiquinol, in patients with CHF, with very impressive results. Perhaps there are no head to head clinical studies directly comparing ubiquinol to ubiquinone yet, but the results Dr. Langsjoen reports considerably exceed beneficial effects previously observed with ubiquinone supplementation. The article says, "Ubiquinol, only available in supplement form since late 2006, is the active antioxidant form of Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10, a vitamin-like substance found in every cell in the body, plays a vital role in cellular energy production and protects cells from free radical damage. In the first clinical trial evaluating ubiquinol effects on late-stage congestive heart failure, cardiologist Peter Langsjoen found that critically ill patients who supplemented with ubiquinol for just three months experienced a 24 to 50 percent increase in their hearts' ability to pump blood. In some cases, patients' plasma levels of CoQ10, which are key to overall heart health, more than tripled. At the start of the study, each of the patients evaluated had a life expectancy of less than six months. However, all demonstrated significantly improved heart function by the trial's end, and survived past initial expectations.
   A. It would be helpful to see a head to head comparison.

Q. I found out myself that in certain circumstances at least up to 200 mg daily does not produce any counterreaction regarding for example fatigue. I'm a survivor (realizing the reason for strong deterioration of my brain about a year after my stroke plus lots of other sudden serious problems like gonartrosis, Pds etc. Just in the right moment and stopping 40mg of simvastatin plus 5mg of amlodipine (a devilish combination), severe and partially NOT reversible statin damage (i stopped the statin in Nov 2011 and started the co q10) I am suffering from muscle weakness while young, having been sportive etc... putting up the washing to dry is very hard for me... my lack of energy /fatigue is extreme. Ubiquinol shoud be taken not just in one dosage. I take 2 x 100mg a day. If i forget my afternoon dosage, my muscles especially in arms and legs worsen immediately. pain, stiffness, difficulty to get up and walk a bit. My fatigue then is extreme while sleeping also during the day an hour. When i feel this way this is the reminder that i forgot my second dosage. Within hours i can feel it in diverse ways the realization that i'm sooo tired and muscles are hurting always comes first, then always i realize... forgot to take my second dosage. Without the 200mg I cannot get through the day and then i cannot work anymore and merely can do little of whatever on a day. but with ubiquinol i can do some every day although i do have household help etc. the pain in my colon / sigmoid was so strong that after three quarter of a year i decided that if it does not get better over half a year i would ask for euthanasia. there was no help, no understanding. i went through a hell. fortunately shortly after having taken that decision i understood why i was so sick. my muscles got better after stopping the statin (it was much worse than now while this is difficult to live with), my brain stopped deteriorating but did not improve since then anymore. my kidney pain and heart pain stopped immediately. my colon needed a lot of time to heal a bit. still i cannot take even melatonine... the colon immediately gets attacked and i will suffer for two months again lots of pain just for having taken some pills of melatonin. my colon still behaves strange. Just wanted to let you know how damaging statins can be and how helpful ubiquinol can be. i could not live without it anymore. and the 200mg a day make my day, give me the energy i at least need to get along anyhow. without the second dosage of 100mg a day my fatigue catches up with me extremely. i think you might warn people of a dosage too high, surely of not taking it just before going to sleep, but you might also tell them that with for example statin damage a dosage as high as i take might be necessary.

Healthy Origins Ubiquinol
Buy Ubiquinol pills
Healthy Origins Ubiquinol (also called Kaneka QH) is the active "antioxidant" form of CoQ10, responsible for the powerful preventative benefits associated with CoQ10. Normally, the conversion process from CoQ10 to Ubiquinol occurs naturally in the body. Supplementing with Ubiquinol is important for individuals who may have difficulty with the natural conversion of CoQ10 to Ubiquinol.

Buy Ubiquinol 50 mg pill

Dosage: Take one pill in the morning a few times a week.