CoQ10 Supplements May Slow Signs of Aging and Protect Your Heart and Lungs
As we get older, we tend to notice the symptoms of aging — like wrinkles, stiff joints, or high blood pressure — more than we do the root causes. If you’re looking to keep your body healthier at the cellular level, a CoQ10 supplement may be right up your alley.
What is CoQ10?
Coenzyme Q10, better known as CoQ10, is a compound stored in the mitochondria of each of your cells that helps create the energy your body thrives on. As we age, our CoQ10 production tends to slow down, which can contribute to a number of adverse health effects, including heart disease, breathing problems, skin damage, and more.
One of CoQ10’s strongest benefits is its ability to fight free radicals, which are unstable atoms that often damage cells. Our skin in particular faces a lot of damage over the years from free radicals and UV radiation, and studies have shown that topical CoQ10 treatments applied directly to the skin may not only repair internal and external damage — including reducing the appearance of wrinkles! — but also protect your skin going forward.
If that wasn’t enough, other research shows that CoQ10 can aid in both preventing heart failure and also treating existing symptoms of heart failure. It’s also gotten more attention for its ability to lower inflammation in the lungs, which can in turn treat certain conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and more.
What are its side effects?
Generally, researchers recommend taking somewhere between 90 and 200 milligrams of CoQ10 per day. That said, studies have shown that some people may be able to tolerate up to 500 milligrams daily without health issues.
CoQ10 side effects are relatively uncommon and mild; they often involve headaches, insomnia, dizziness, and skin rashes. Some participants in previous studies have also reported some digestive discomfort, including loss of appetite, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain.
How should you take it?
You can get more CoQ10 just through your diet by consuming foods like pork, beef, chicken, spinach, broccoli, oranges, strawberries, lentils, and peanuts. If you want to get a more concentrated dose, there are plenty of supplement options on the market. Because CoQ10’s active ingredient ubiquinol is more absorbable by the body, look for products that come in that form, like NOW Supplements Ubiquinol Softgels (Buy on Amazon, $35.89).
Just make sure you talk to your doctor first and get the OK! A doctor will be able to give you the best advice on adding supplements to your diet.
