Healthy aging in your 20s and 30s

Several cell studies have shown how ubiquinol supports mitochondrial health by neutralizing damaging free radicals. Two studies are highlighted below.

Free radicals are molecules that are missing electrons, and they try to take electrons from other molecules, like DNA, proteins, fats, and other structures. This can cause damage to these molecules and the structures they are part of. When the number of free radicals outweighs the body’s ability to neutralize them, they can cause damage to cells and tissues, and this state is called “oxidative stress.”

Free radicals are naturally created by cells during their normal daily activities, including being generated inside mitochondria. Fortunately, the cells and mitochondria naturally make antioxidants like ubiquinol that can easily donate electrons to these free radicals, reducing their chance of doing damage, thereby reducing oxidative stress. Ubiquinol is a type of CoQ10 that is found in almost every cell, including inside of mitochondria. It is converted from ubiquinone, the oxidized form of CoQ10, to ubiquinol using enzymes and energy.

Unfortunately, as the body ages, it is less able to do this conversion and there can be a buildup of free radicals in the body, resulting in oxidative stress. Also, when the level of free radicals in the body increases, ubiquinol is “used up” as an antioxidant more often, converting it back to ubiquinone. Due to the decreased conversion and increased usage of ubiquinol, ubiquinol levels naturally decrease with age.

To demonstrate how ubiquinol affects cells, researchers have used cell models to identify the effects of this antioxidant at the cellular level. One study treated cells that line the insides of blood vessel cells (endothelial cells) with hydrogen peroxide, which is known to cause oxidative stress and damage cells. When pre-treating the cells with ubiquinol, they found that the damage done by the hydrogen peroxide was decreased.

Another study used human salivary gland cells to confirm how ubiquinol changes the cells’ ability to respond to oxidative stress. The addition of ubiquinol increased energy molecule production (also known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP) in the cells. It also neutralized the effects of oxidative stress on fats and proteins in these cells.

These studies provide data about ubiquinol’s mechanism of action and demonstrate how ubiquinol helps support healthy mitochondrial function and protects cells from oxidative stress.

References

Huo J, Xu Z, Hosoe K, Kubo H, Miyahara H, Dai J, Mori M, Sawashita J, Higuchi K. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 Jul 8;2018:3181759.

Ushikoshi-Nakayama R, Ryo K, Yamazaki T, Kaneko M, Sugano T, Ito Y, et al. PLoS ONE 2019; 14(4): e0214495.

A clinical study of 186 women under 35 years of age with a low number of egg cells (poor ovarian reserve) and undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) assigned participants to either no additional intervention or CoQ10 supplementation (200 mg three times per day) for 2 months prior to an IVF cycle. The researchers believed that higher levels of reactive oxygen species building up in mitochondria could affect egg cell function in women having difficulty conceiving. They wanted to investigate whether taking CoQ10 could improve the body’s defense mechanisms against these reactive oxygen species and improve the participants’ ability to have viable eggs.

During the study researchers found that women taking CoQ10 required less hormonal therapy, had a better ovarian response to IVF with more eggs retrieved, and their eggs had a higher fertilization rate with more high-quality embryos compared to those not taking the supplement.

Reference

Xu Y, Nisenblat V, Lu C, Li R, Qiao J, Zhen X, Wang S. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018 Mar 27;16(1):29.

Creation of free radicals is a natural process during the body’s cellular and metabolic activity. Normally, the body has enough internal antioxidants like ubiquinol to protect cell components, cells, and tissues from free radical damage.  However, levels of antioxidants can decrease as the body ages, leaving the body vulnerable to free radical damage.

Not having enough ubiquinol in the body to fight off free radicals can impact sperm count, sperm shape and structure (called “sperm morphology), and how well and how fast sperm move (called “sperm motility”). Reduced levels of ubiquinol in the body correlate with low sperm counts and sperm motility in men. However, research has demonstrated that supplementing with Kaneka Ubiquinol^® helps neutralize oxidative stress caused by excess free radicals known to impact reproductive health in men.  For example, an open-label study (Thakur 2015) was completed in 60 men 20-40 years old with slow-moving sperm and low sperm count who took 150 mg per day of ubiquinol for six months.  At the end of the study, sperm motility improved up to 26%, and sperm count increased up to 53% compared to baseline.

Researchers have also studied the effect of ubiquinol in men with a normal to mildly low sperm count and misshapen sperm who were unable to conceive with their partner (Cakiroglu 2014).  The study included 62 men (average age of 32) that received 100 mg of Kaneka Ubiquinol^® twice a day for six months, and their sperm parameters were compared before and after supplementation.  Men taking Kaneka Ubiquinol^® experienced a 19% improvement in sperm morphology that was statistically significant, when compared to baseline.

These studies demonstrate that supplementing with Kaneka Ubiquinol^® promotes a healthy antioxidant response and supports reproductive health in men.

References:
Thakur AS, Littarru GP, Funahashi I, Painkara US, Dange NS, Chauhan P. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015 Sep; 9(9): BC01–BC03.

Cakiroglu B, Eyyupoglu SE, Gozukucuk R, Uyanik BS. Nephrourol Mon. 2014 May 10;6(3):e16870