Coenzyme Q10 Supplements 101: Potential Benefits, Known Risks, and More

Note: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve supplements for safety or effectiveness. Talk to a healthcare professional about whether a supplement is the right fit for your individual health, and about any potential drug interactions or safety concerns.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), also known as ubiquinone, may not grab headlines the way other nutrients do, but it’s just as critical for overall health, especially for its crucial role in energy production within cells.

“Its popularity has been steadily climbing,” says David Rizik, MD, an interventional cardiologist based in Scottsdale, Arizona. “It’s gone from being a relatively obscure supplement, known mainly to healthcare practitioners, to becoming a mainstream supplement that many people recognize and use regularly.”

Here, we cover what CoQ10 does, how much you need, and how it might have a positive impact on some top health concerns.

Research has suggested that CoQ10 supplements may have benefits. “It’s a legitimate supplement with specific medical applications, but it’s not a miracle cure or necessary for everyone,” Dr. Rizik says. It should be used thoughtfully and under medical supervision, particularly for those with existing health conditions or on other medications.”

Here are the top areas of ongoing research into the potential benefits of CoQ10:

• Heart failure: CoQ10 may improve heart failure outcomes when a person takes it alongside conventional treatment. The authors of a review published in 2023 concluded that CoQ10 is a beneficial supplement for supporting heart function in patients with heart failure.

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• Reducing statin side effects: CoQ10 can help lower some side effects of statins, a drug taken by some people with heart failure.

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  “A side effect of statins is that they deplete the body’s natural CoQ10 levels, which can cause muscle pain, known as myopathy,” says Rizik. “This isn’t just correlation — we understand the biological pathway.” In other words, there is an understanding of the series of events, not merely a supposition.
• Migraine: According to the American Headache Society, CoQ10 is one of the most commonly used supplements to prevent migraine.

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  But researchers have indicated that more studies of larger groups are necessary to determine if and how CoQ10 might benefit people with migraines.
• Blood pressure: CoQ10 may help lower blood pressure, though the research is mixed. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) concluded that CoQ10 may not significantly affect blood pressure, citing the scarcity of studies and noting that more research is necessary.

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• Weight loss: Researchers have examined CoQ10 for its potential weight loss effects, but the findings have been mixed and the studies were only done on animals.

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  Given that human research is virtually nonexistent and the findings in animal studies are mixed, the link between CoQ10 supplements and weight loss remains unclear and unsupported.
• Male fertility: Studies have found that CoQ10 can increase sperm concentration and motility. However, no data has yet supported increased pregnancy rates or live births. More research is needed to measure CoQ10’s impact on fertility.

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As when starting any new supplement, always speak with your healthcare provider first. The same goes for CoQ10. That’s especially true if you’re managing an underlying health condition or taking any prescription medications, since the supplement does have the potential to interact with some common meds.

Since CoQ10 is considered a dietary supplement rather than a drug, the FDA regulates it differently than pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications.

Risks

• Beta-blockers
• Insulin
• Warfarin

Side Effects 

• Insomnia
• Nausea
• Digestive upset

On the other hand, the body absorbs ubiquinol more easily, “so clinicians generally recommend it,” Jankovic Weatherly says.

• Softgel capsules

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• Chewable tablets
• Liquid syrups

• Beef heart: 3.5 ounces (oz) = 11.3 milligrams (mg)
• Herring: 3 oz = 2.3 mg
• Peanuts: 1 oz = 0.8 mg
• Broccoli: ½ cup = 0.5 mg
• Strawberries: ½ cup = 0.1 mg

Follow these tips to pick the most effective CoQ10 supplement and maintain its quality.

Selection

To maximize the possible health effects of CoQ10, look for a ubiquinol supplement — they’re sometimes labeled as CoQH-10 or CoQH2-10. If the label reads CoQ10, you can probably assume that it contains ubiquinone only, Jankovic Weatherly says.

Storage

• CoQ10 is a natural antioxidant that helps translate food into energy.
• Most of us get enough of it through diet and natural bodily production, but some people have lower levels and may benefit from a supplement.
• Consult with your healthcare team if you’re interested in taking CoQ10, especially if you’re an older adult, have migraine or heart disease, or take a statin to lower cholesterol.
• The supplement is generally safe to use, but it may cause some side effects, such as insomnia, stomach upset, and nausea. Supplements may also interact with chemotherapy, blood pressure, diabetes, and blood-thinning medications.