Is CoQ10 worth taking?

Hi Dr. Bell, what is your advice on the CoQ10 Supplement? Is it worth taking and if so why?

This is an excellent question! Despite all the marketing hype on CoQ10, the jury is still out. Safety and effectiveness are not always proven, but the Mayo Clinic does believe that symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency include heart failure, high blood pressure, and chest pain.

According to the Mayo Clinic, supplementing with CoQ10 or at least increasing CoQ10, may be effective at combating numerous diseases, disabilities, and dysfunctions that include: heart failure, hypertension, chest pain, age-related macular degeneration, aging skin, wrinkles and roughness, ALS, Alzheimer’s, asthma, breast cancer, cataracts, chemotherapy side effects, chronic fatigue syndrome, cocaine dependence, CHD, cystic fibrosis, dry mouth, fibromyalgia, gum diseases, heart muscle injury, high cholesterol, HIV/AIDS, hypertriglyceridemia, immune enhancement, infant development/mental care, kidney failure, male infertility, migraine, mitochondria disease, mitral valve prolapse, movement disorders, muscle weakness, muscular dystrophies, nerve pain, Parkinson’s disease, prostate cancer, psoriasis, ringing in the ears, weight loss, diabetes, hepatitis C, Huntington’s disease and more.

As far as exercise performance, there is no strong evidence that CoQ10 improves performance. There is some evidence that it may benefit patients who have chronic lung disease. If you want to take CoQ10 as protection from potential chronic disorders, you might get some benefits, but right now, it probably won’t help much in your exercise program.