Oxidized and reduced coenzyme Q10, which one is better for protecting the heart?
A healthy heart is the guarantee of longevity, so heart maintenance is very important. In view of the good heart protection effect of coenzyme Q10, it has gradually been know by more and more people. However, coenzyme Q10 has two forms, oxidized and reduced. Which one is better for protecting the heart? Next, the specialist will explain it to you.
Coenzyme Q10 has been around for decades since it was discover in 1957, and the question that everyone is most concerned about is: Can Coenzyme Q10 protect the heart? In response to this question, the father of Coenzyme Q10 research, Dr. Kalufu Lukas of the University of Texas, gave a clear answer base on his personal experience: he insisted on taking Q10 for more than 40 years until he died at the age of 91, and was recognize as one of the most energetic professors. If Dr. Kalufu Lukas’ experience is accidental, then modern research has given an accurate answer. Heart failure and myocardial infarction are the two cardiovascular diseases with the highest incidence:
For heart failure, relevant studies have found that coenzyme Q10 is negatively correlate with the severity of the disease, that is, the higher the blood coenzyme Q10 level, the milder the heart failure. Therefore, supplementing coenzyme Q10 can improve the patient’s prognosis.
For myocardial infarction, relevant studies have found that coenzyme Q10 has anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects, can delay arteriosclerosis, and to a certain extent help reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular events and can also effectively improve prognosis.
Coenzyme Q10 can benefit
The reason why Coenzyme Q10 can benefit the heart in many aspects is mainly related to two factors: First, Coenzyme Q10 has anti-lipid peroxidation effect, which can neutralize active oxygen, reduce damage to myocardial cells, and delay cell apoptosis; second, Coenzyme Q10 is an energy converter for cell mitochondria, which can increase the heart’s utilization of oxygen, provide more sufficient energy for myocardial cells, and avoid or reduce hypoxic damage. Although Coenzyme Q10 has the effect of protecting the heart, it cannot meet the needs of the human body, because the content of Coenzyme Q10 in our body has been in dynamic change.
At about 20 years old, the content of Coenzyme Q10 reaches its peak, and then it will gradually decrease. Relevant studies have found that compared with 20-year-old young people, the Coenzyme Q10 content in the myocardium of 77-year-old people has decreased by more than 50%. Therefore, with the increase of age, the protection of the heart faces two problems: one is that there will be more damaging factors; the other is that the protective factors are weakening.
The protective factors
What you lack, you need to make up for it. The protective factors of the heart can be buffer by taking coenzyme Q10 orally. But coenzyme Q10 exists in two forms, one is the naturally occurring oxidize form (ubiquinone), and the other is the medical-grade reduce form (ubiquinol). What is the difference between the two? It is mainly divide into two aspects: one is the difference in bioavailability.
Oxidized coenzyme Q10 needs to consume physical energy to be convert before it can be absorb and utilized, while reduce coenzyme can be directly absorb and utilize; the other is the difference in content in the body. The effective content of oxidized coenzyme in the body is about 5%, while the reduced coenzyme accounts for about 95% in the body. Therefore, from the perspective of absorption rate and utilization rate, reduced coenzyme has better superiority.
When choosing coenzyme, you should pay attention to its type. Take Litevijian as an example. The reduced coenzyme it uses has an absorption rate of 4-8 times that of oxidized coenzyme, and a utilization rate of 3 times, which can better play the role of protecting the heart.
Of course, different groups of people have different needs for coenzyme. The needs of ordinary people are relatively low. Daily intake of 25-50 mg of reduced coenzyme can meet the needs of the human body. Patients with cardiovascular diseases and tumors can effectively protect their hearts by taking 100-150 mg of reduced coenzyme every day. When we choose oral coenzyme preparations, we should also pay attention to the effective content. For example, each capsule of Litevijian reduced coenzyme Q10 contains about 100 mg of coenzyme, which can meet the needs of the human body for both ordinary people and patients with cardiovascular diseases.
The protective factors
Some friends may ask: Can’t The protective factors? Yes, it can. But coenzyme from food sources can hardly meet our needs. The content of coenzyme varies greatly in different foods. According to the calculation of supplementing 30 mg of coenzyme, you need to eat one pound of sardines, two pounds of beef, or three pounds of peanuts every day. I believe that everyone can’t do it. In the ordinary dietary structure, only about 5 mg of coenzyme is consume every day.
It should be note that while we increase the intake of coenzyme, we should also control other risk factors. If there are risk factors that damage the heart, it will weaken the protective effect of coenzyme on the cardiovascular system. The diet should avoid high salt, high calories, and high cholesterol. The daily sodium intake should be control within 6 grams. Eat less high-fat, high-sugar foods, eat less high-cholesterol foods such as animal offal, seafood, and egg yolks, quit smoking and limit alcohol, which will help reduce cardiovascular damage.
Exercise
It is recommend to exercise more than five times a week, at least half an hour each time, and preferably moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, and Tai Chi. At the same time, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and other basic conditions should be treat reasonably. If heart damage has already occurred, you should also insist on taking prescribed drugs to delay the progression of the disease and reduce the risk of death in the later stage.
In summary, Coenzyme Q10 has anti-lipid peroxidation effect, can neutralize active oxygen, reduce damage to myocardial cells, and is also an energy converter for cell mitochondria, which can increase the heart’s utilization of oxygen and provide more sufficient energy for myocardial cells. Therefore, it has the effect of protecting the heart and helps improve the prognosis of patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease.
Coenzyme mainly exists in two forms, one is the naturally occurring oxidized form (ubiquinone), and the other is the medical-grade reduce form (ubiquinol). Oxidized Coenzyme requires physical energy conversion before it can be absorb and utilize, while Litevijian reduced Coenzyme can be directly absorb and utilized. The effective content of oxidized Coenzyme in the body is about 5%, while the reduced Coenzyme is 95% in the body. Therefore, in terms of absorption rate and utilization rate, reduced Coenzyme has better superiority.
