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Understanding Ubiquinol: 5 Key Facts About This Cellular Energy Nutrient

Heather Eberly

Written by Heather Eberly, Marketing Manager, Kaneka Nutrients

Updated on June 23, 2025

Balanced, life-long wellness involves both external, physical conditions and internal, cellular functions. While there are many ways to prioritize your overall health, such as through a well-balanced diet and exercise, supporting your body with supplements is a crucial part of the process.

CoQ10 is a big player in promoting healthy cellular function. A nutrient that’s naturally present in your body’s cells, CoQ10 is essential to promoting healthy mitochondrial function, which impacts cellular energy production and cellular function: two key components of healthy aging.

In order to make educated decisions about your supplement regimen and promoting your overall health, you should first understand the role of CoQ10 on the cellular level. This guide outlines various functions and health impacts of CoQ10, including its different forms in the body (ubiquinol and ubiquinone), role in mitochondrial health, antioxidant properties, influence on cellular metabolism, and bioavailability in the body. 
 

1. Understanding the Two Forms of CoQ10

Understanding cellular processes, such as the ubiquinone-ubiquinol cycle, can be hard to conceptualize, but we’ll break it down for you. There are two types of CoQ10 that both play essential parts in overall cellular health. Our bodies naturally produce ubiquinone and ubiquinol in order to support the cellular energy process. When it gains electrons, ubiquinone, is converted to its active antioxidant form: ubiquinol. After our cells use that energy, our bodies transfer electrons again and convert ubiquinol back into ubiquinone in a continuous cycle.

In healthy young adults, the process of converting ubiquinone to ubiquinol and back again is relatively efficient, helping fuel your body with the cellular energy to support many vital processes. When we hit our 40s, however, our bodies need a little extra help with the conversion process: the ubiquinone to ubiquinol transformation. Taking a daily Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement can be a key step in supporting your body with the ubiquinol it needs for efficient cellular energy generation.    

Read More: Want to Better Understand the Role of Ubiquinol? Learn More.

2. Ubiquinol’s Critical Role in Mitochondrial Function

You might know that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, but did you know that ubiquinol – the active antioxidant form of CoQ10 – plays a key role in mitochondrial function? Ubiquinol is vital to several mitochondrial processes beyond energy generation, which are critical for supporting your body and maintaining wellness..

When you understand ubiquinol’s role in mitochondrial function, you probably get why many people are adding a Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement to their daily supplement regimen. Starting with the basics helps you understand ubiquinol’s larger importance.

3. The Unique Antioxidant Properties of Ubiquinol

Ubiquinol’s antioxidant qualities make it foundational for your body. Antioxidants, like ubiquinol, help your cells avoid getting too stressed by natural molecules called “free radicals.” These are naturally created as your body’s cells generate energy, but they also come from environmental elements like car exhaust, pollution, food, and water.

As you age, a Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement gives your body the extra antioxidant support it needs to support healthy cellular processes. While your body’s naturally occurring antioxidants help your cells from getting too impacted by free radicals, taking a Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement can give your body the antioxidant boost it needs to help fend off excess free radicals, especially as you age.

You might be wondering why CoQ10 is so important if you’re already prioritizing diet, exercise, and mental wellness. While all of these are indeed important for longevity and long-term health, our bodies change as we age, including our cells’ efficiency. Healthy mitochondria are key to healthy aging, and improving your cellular metabolism is one piece to that puzzle.

If you’re in your 30s or younger, about 95% of CoQ10 in your blood is likely in the ubiquinol form.1 However, if you’re over age 40 or have certain health conditions, your body may not perform the ubiquinone to ubiquinol conversion efficiently. In order to promote your mitochondrial metabolism, ask your doctor if a ubiquinol supplement is right for you so you can give your cells the support they need for powering vital processes.

Read More: Curious About Ubiquinol and Healthy Aging? Watch this Helpful Video

5. Differences in Bioavailability

If you’re wondering why a CoQ10 supplement may not provide the same benefits as ubiquinol, an important consideration is bioavailability. When you take a conventional CoQ10 supplement, your body has to convert it into ubiquinol before the supplement can perform its antioxidant functions and be transported in the blood to the rest of the body. But with a Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement, you’re giving your body the active antioxidant form of CoQ10 it needs, so it can skip that conversion step entirely.

Supporting Your Cellular Energy Production

Maintaining healthy cellular energy on the molecular level has big payoffs for your overall health. Taking a Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement is one easy way you can promote cellular energy production to support your overall bodily function. Other steps you can take to promote cellular energy processes include:

  • Regular exercise
  • A nutritious diet
  • Managing stress
  • Prioritizing mental health

You might be thinking: Yes, a supplement would help, but selecting a supplement to add to my routine requires careful consideration. Our Kaneka Ubiquinol® Buyers Guide provides expert advice, so you can make the most informed decision for your heart health and cellular energy.

The Daily Supplement for Lifelong Wellness

Being well-informed about how supplements work makes it easier to make the right decisions for your body and health journey. Ask your doctor if a Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplement is right for your body’s cellular energy and mitochondrial needs, and learn more about its healthy aging benefits through our free Beginner’s Guide to Ubiquinol.

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