Sometimes I can get so unbelievably run down. Maybe it’s stress, fatigue, or the chronic Vit D issue. A few years back a nutritionist friend suggested I looked into Coenzyme Q10 or (CoQ10). I had never heard of it before so I did some searching…as usual. I read up on it and quickly ran to my local Costco to buy some. I haven’t looked back since!! I add a little CoQ10 once or twice a week to my water when I am working out or first thing in the morning. I find that it gives me an energy boost. So what is it?

CoQ10 is a substance similar to a vitamin. It is found in every cell of the body. Your body makes CoQ10, and your cells use it to produce energy your body needs for cell growth and maintenance. It also functions as an antioxidant, which protects the body from damage caused by harmful molecules. CoQ10 is naturally present in small amounts in a wide variety of foods, but levels are particularly high in organ meats such as heart, liver, and kidney, as well as beef, soy oil, sardines, mackerel, and peanuts. Coenzymes help enzymes work to digest food and perform other body processes, and they help protect the heart and skeletal muscles.

All of the above are the proven uses for CoQ10 but, others have linked it to being useful to being useful with keeping your heart healthy and even possibly helping with heart failure. Also in 1961, scientists saw that people with cancer had little CoQ10 in their blood. They found low CoQ10 blood levels in people with myeloma, lymphoma, and cancers of the breast, lung, prostate, pancreas, colon, kidney, and head and neck. Some research has suggested that CoQ10 helps the immune system and may be useful as a secondary treatment for cancer. CoQ10 may keep the anti-tumor drug doxorubicin from hurting the heart. Three studies examined the use of CoQ10 along with conventional treatment for cancer. The three studies contained a total of 41 women with breast cancer. In each study, the women improved. But the National Cancer Institute (NCI) rates the strength of the evidence for CoQ10 and cancer as weak.

CoQ10 is available in the United States as a dietary supplement. It is also known as Q10, vitamin Q10, ubiquinone, or ubidecarenone. (Always talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements to make sure it doesn’t interfere with any current medications.)