Foods High in CoQ10: Top 8 CoQ10 Rich Foods

CoQ10 and Your Diet

Foods high in Co10 are generally considered to be those providing rich enough CoQ10 to support most of your daily recommended intake through your diet.

There isn’t a typically recommend daily dietary intake of CoQ10. However, the recommended CoQ10 intake for those low in CoQ10 is about 400mg or as medically advised.

On average people eat about 4 mg of Coenzyme Q10 per day, showing a bit of a difference to medical supplement advice. Supplementation has been shown to increase blood CoQ10 levels.

Not all your daily CoQ10 intake is absorbed. About 5% of CoQ10 eaten in your food is thought to enter the bloodstream after fat binding and absorption in the gut. If you go slightly above this it would not be a concern in most cases for your CoQ10 rich diet.

CoQ10 is a fat-soluble molecule made regularly by the body, so CoQ10 rich foods should be eaten with a healthy amount of dietary fats. While you produce about 75% of the Coq10 that you use in your body, 25% comes directly from your diet. This should be considered when designing your diet with foods high and rich in CoQ10.

Global CoQ10 deficiency is not as well understood as vitamin D deficiency, for example, however genetic and environmental aspects have a role in Q10 deficiency. Here we cover the top 8 CoQ10 rich foods to support and boost your internal CoQ10 reserves.

Foods high in CoQ10: What is CoQ10?

We have covered some of the potential benefits of Coq10 supplementation here. CoQ10 is a nutrient with antioxidant properties, that supports with normal energy balance and production.

CoQ10, or coenzyme Q10, supports your mitochondria with their day-to-day activities. This nutrient is extremely important to maintaining the long-term health of your mitochondria. So eating foods high in CoQ10 can help with preventing fatigue.

The energy production within mitochondria produces sparks of harmful molecules, called free radicals, in addition to the energy molecules needed for life. CoQ10 has the job of identifying and removing these harmful molecules.

Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinone in the active form. It converts from ubiquinone to ubiquinol after interacting with harmfully energetic molecules.

Ubiquinol then cycles round in the body as it is made back into, ubiquinone, the radical hungry and active CoQ10 from. This process is continual in the body and essential for Q10 to function as an antioxidant, in support of normal energy production.

Vitamin Q: CoQ10 Bodily Functions

Q10 has been dubbed as an independent vitamin called vitamin Q, with implications in cancer prevention. Coenzyme Q10 helps the more dominant antioxidants in the body like vitamins C and E in mitochondrial membranes.

Levels of CoQ10 decline as we age too, which is why adapting our diets for more nutrient rich ones is essential as we age.

For these reasons maintaining a diet including food sources that are rich in CoQ10 is essential to your mitochondrial health. If you’re looking to revitalise your health, CoQ10 is a great place to start.

Heart health and CoQ10 also seem to be interlinked with CoQ10 having some potential to support healthy heart function. CoQ10 looks like it works in conjunction with antioxidants such as selenium in the heart too.

Maintaining CoQ10 levels through a diet rich CoQ10 might be able to support normal brain functioning too. This antioxidant seems to have some protective effects on brain aging, helping with brain specific diseases and nerve cell protection.

CoQ10 is found in high quantities in many different foods and food sources. This is quite an easy nutrient to boost in your diet.

While we can’t say that boosting CoQ10 levels, through a richer diet of CoQ10, will instantly produce some results, studies show Coenzyme Q10 could help with restoring a normal energy balance if you feel fatigued.

Foods High in CoQ10: Our Top 8 Food Sources of CoQ10

Eggs

For most people eggs are a staple food that is eaten every week, so it is good to know what you get with keeping this food in your diet. Eggs contain 0.2mg of Coq10 per 100g of eggs or per 2 eggs.

You can also include an egg-based meal in your diet a week, including foods like frittatas and omelettes that integrate other nutrient rich foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese or spinach.

This food is so easy to include in your CoQ10 rich diet.

Beef

Beef is also a staple food worldwide. This is no surprise, being a B-complex vitamin and protein powerhouse food. Pan cooked beef contains 3mg of CoQ10 per 100g of beef.

This is nearly the amount of CoQ10 most people consume in one day and makes a nice inclusion in your CoQ10 rich diet. Beef is an expensive food, if you are happy with a lower cut of meat though you can find beef easier to include.

Chicken

Chicken is the most staple meat available worldwide. Pan cooked chicken contains 1.65mg of CoQ10 per 100g.

A source of many different amino acids, chicken also provides a decent serving of CoQ10 comparable to the other meats. Chicken is also cheaper in most cases, allowing you to have more of this CoQ10 rich food than with other meats.

Fish

Fish is often synonymous with brain food and for CoQ10, there is not a bad amount per gram either. For example, Herring contains 2.7mg of Coq10 per 100g of fish, while cooked Rainbow Trout contains 1.06mg of Coq10 per 100g of fish.

Fish is easy to cook and can offer some brain supporting nutrients, including high levels of CoQ10.

Oils

We covered cooking oils vs butter previously, but what about some of the health benefits of raw oils. Olive oil seems to pack a punch in terms of CoQ10 quantity, having very high levels of this antioxidant. On average, 100g of raw olive oil contains 8.2mg of CoQ10.

Extra virgin olive oil is thought to be the healthiest of all the olive oils and can be used generously on salads or as a finishing flavouring on some main dishes like barbecued fish.

Nuts

Nuts are one of the best food sources available to vegans. With most nuts, their protein and energy densities rival many meats. The antioxidant, Vitamin E, is found in large quantities in nuts too. This is very high supportive for including this food in your CoQ10 rich diet.

Nuts are naturally competitive as a source of CoQ10 in your diet. Peanuts contain 2.8mg of Coq10 per 100g of nuts. While their related nuts, pistachios, contain 2.17mg of Coq10 per 100g of nuts.

These are not bad numbers to consider and there are many dishes you can make that are nut based too, such as one of my favourite spicy Thai curries.

Conclusion

Coenzyme Q10 plays a fundamental role as an antioxidant throughout the body and has effects very specific to the mitochondria where it also supports healthy energy balance.

Here we’ve covered 8 foods that are highest in CoQ10 to support your daily activities. The highest foods for CoQ10 absorption seem to be olive oils, fish and beef. These CoQ10 rich foods are all really easy to include in your weekly or monthly diet plans.

Bearing in mind the 25% surplus in CoQ10 that your body demands, if you eat enough of these foods you should be on your way to supporting a healthy CoQ10 balance in your body.

The post Foods High in CoQ10: Top 8 CoQ10 Rich Foods appeared first on Revitalize My Health.

Coenzyme Q10: Why Take CoQ10 Supplements

Coenzyme Q10, CoQ10, is a very powerful antioxidant that is made in your mitochondria. Your mitochondria are the energy powerhouse of the cells in your body and help to convert fats and other molecules they interact with into ATP (your body’s energy currency). Because of the sheer amount of functions your brain does, the brain has one of the highest densities of mitochondria in your whole body. Mitochondria are present in pretty much every cell. Coenzyme Q10 is needed in every single cell of your body, performing the same function in other tissues as with nerve cells (neurons) in the brain.

In fact, your demand for CoQ10 is so high that it is used far quicker than you can even produce it. This means basically means your body can’t get enough of the stuff. This really emphasises the need for you to maximise your intake of CoQ10.

CoQ10 as a Powerful Antioxidant

When acting as an antioxidant, CoQ10 protects neurons (nerve cells) from potential cell death and severe damage caused by free radicals that are ‘electron hungry’; free radicals will ‘attack molecular parts of your cells’ making them damaged and not function properly.

This includes your DNA; understandably this can lead to potentially severe consequences for your cells as they replicate and try to do their daily functions. This can also trigger cell stress; other bodily consequences and brain cancer.

Antioxidants are the opposite of free radicals and have spare electrons they can use to neutralise free radicals. They come to the rescue of the cells under high amount of ‘cell stress’ caused by free radicals. Without proper protection from free radicals by antioxidants such as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), neurons can potentially die and this will damage your ability to process information.

The same is true for all your cells in the body. Antioxidants prevent free radicals causing heavy cellular or DNA damage which can lead to cancer. Nerves also require an adequate supply of energy to support normal cognitive functioning. Coenzyme Q10 is essential for this within the mitochondria. This is why CoQ10 is a nootropic, it helps brain functioning.

CoQ10 Deficiency

Without antioxidant protection and the energy production CoQ10 provides for nerve cells, as seen in a major deficiency, you could expect reduced nerve cell signalling. That would lead to symptoms such as brain fog, low energy and cognitive decline.

The worst cases of CoQ10 deficiency result in serious intellectual disability, peripheral neuropathy and strokes. We naturally go through this process as a result of aging as brain cell membranes degenerate and neurotransmitter levels decline. It is widely accepted that CoQ10 production slows down during the aging process. Also aging-associated diseases such as dementia.

However these things are not set in stone, your choices can make a massive difference. Ensuring you have an adequate dietary intake of CoQ10 or supplementing with CoQ10 could help to slow the process. If you are looking to get CoQ10 from your diet, it is fat soluble and as a result can be obtained from meats including fatty fish, beef and poultry. Vegan sources of CoQ10 include: nuts and oils.

CoQ10 supplementation is very well tested with a large number of clinical trials and reviews having been completed. Blood concentrations of CoQ10 increase when the dose of Coenzyme Q10 is high. High amounts are needed for it to cross the blood brain barrier.

Results of Supplementing with CoQ10

The CoQ10 form, ubiquinol seems to also be better absorbed than ubiquinone. Clinical studies recommend 1200mg per day as the safest maximum dose for Coenzyme Q10 supplementation. Although 3000mg/day has been safely used in some trials. Experimental studies in animals have shown that CoQ10 supplements could be promising as a clinically effective neuroprotectant.

When elderly patients were given selenium with CoQ10 they reported an improvement in their quality of life, vitality and physical performance over 4 years. That is a phenomenal amount of time where the beneficial effects have been measured. CoQ10 supplementation reduces chronic oxidative stress in elderly people who suffer with diseases affecting the brain and cardiovascular system.

CoQ10 also plays an additional role in cell membranes. It can reduce the antioxidant vitamins C and E to active forms, while also stopping pre-mature cell death. These are important factors for normal aging.

CoQ10 has been shown to help prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), a major health factor as we age. Taking around 300mg/day CoQ10 for two years helped to reduce major cardiovascular or events of the heart, without having to exercise. It is thought that its antioxidant activity helps to reduce atherosclerosis through reduced LDL counts. CoQ10 also seems to have beneficial effects on fertility in both males and females. This is another problem that develops as we age.

Taking 200-300mg per day CoQ10 seems to improve a variety of factors attributed to sperm health.

Conclusion

CoQ10 clearly has massive potential to improve your overall wellbeing, no matter what age group you are in, but can especially help the elderly.

While CoQ10 could help protect and improve your cognitive functioning, CoQ10 is a clear and powerful antioxidant with many other positive effects.

There are many products and supplements available to assist with increasing CoQ10 intake, with the studies above highlight positive health effects of CoQ10. These include improved sperm health and improvements to your quality of life.

The post Coenzyme Q10: Why Take CoQ10 Supplements appeared first on Revitalize My Health.