Study Shows CoQ10 Eases Fatigue

Researchers from Osaka, Japan recently investigated the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on physical fatigue. The results of this research were published in the April issue of Nutrition.

In the study, healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to take a CoQ10 supplement (either 100 mg per day or 300 mg per day) or a placebo. The subjects rode a bicycle ergometer to induce fatigue at various, fixed physical workloads.

During analysis, the researchers noted that subjects taking the 300 mg per day CoQ10 supplement had a higher rate of maximum velocity than the placebo group. Also, they noted that measured subjective fatigue in the 300 mg CoQ10 group, after the fatigue-inducing physical task and recovery period, was alleviated when compared to the placebo group.

This led the researchers to conclude that CoQ10 “improved subjective fatigue sensation and physical performance during fatigue-inducing workload trials and might prevent unfavorable conditions as a result of physical fatigue.”

CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone, is involved with cellular respiration. It is believed that CoQ10 levels decrease with age and as a result of some chronic diseases, like heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and HIV/AIDS, as well as from taking some types of prescription drugs. CoQ10 has also shown some positive effects on cancer. 

In the United States, FDA considers CoQ10 a dietary supplement.