ActivLife Q10 is 8 times more effective than ordinary co-enzyme Q10

As a regular reader of HSI you�ll probably be familiar with the numerous health benefits linked to co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10). In past issues we�ve featured reports on its ability to help fight a diverse range of conditions from cardiovascular disease, Parkinson�s, muscular dystrophy and cancer, to diabetes, male infertility, AIDS, asthma, thyroid disorders and gum disease (Ref. 1).

Given this impressive list, HSI was excited to learn about a new form of CoQ10 � which has recently become available in a ground-breaking supplement called ActivLife Q10 � that raises levels in the bloodstream up to eight times more effectively.

What�s more, it also delivers the highest concentrations of the most biologically active form of CoQ10 direct to the energy centres of your cells. This means that its health benefits and anti-ageing effects are likely to be far superior to those of ordinary CoQ10 supplements.
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Co-enzyme Q10: Your ability to convert CoQ10 to its active form decreases with age

CoQ10 (commonly referred to by scientists as ubiquinone) is a fat-soluble substance that is essential for energy production in the mitochondria � the tiny powerhouses that exist in every cell in your body. It is also a powerful antioxidant, preventing free-radical damage and the diseases that are linked to it. Neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Parkinson�s disease, cerebellar ataxia), cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and especially ageing and Alzheimer�s disease all involve reduced levels of CoQ10, indicating its crucial role in preventing these diseases (Ref. 2).

In order for ubiquinone to release vital energy from your cells and to counteract the effects of disease and ageing, it needs to be converted to its active form, ubiquinol, also known as QH. Unfortunately, this conversion process becomes less efficient as we get older so that, even if you are taking a CoQ10 supplement, your blood levels of ubiquinol may be less than ideal.

Because QH is unstable outside your body (it just reverts back to CoQ10 when exposed to oxygen), it has not been possible to use it as a dietary supplement until now. But recent ground-breaking research carried out in Japan has revealed a way to stabilise QH so that it doesn�t get broken down (Ref. 3). This means that for the first time QH can be used directly in capsule form to boost blood levels of this vital nutrient.  

Co-enzyme Q10: Ubiquinol is 8 times more effective than ordinary CoQ10

While both CoQ10 and QH are important nutrients, even more important is the ratio in which they are present in your bloodstream � for efficient cellular respiration (the process by which the energy from the food you eat is converted into a form that your body can use for daily activity) you need to have about 97 per cent QH to 3 per cent CoQ10 (Ref. 4).

This ratio is maintained by your body constantly converting CoQ10 to QH, a process that depends on an enzyme called quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). But not everyone has enough of this enzyme to do the job properly. Not only do levels of it decrease as we get older, but a substantial proportion of the population has a genetic mutation that impairs the way NQO1 works (Ref. 5).

Taking a supplement of QH � in the form of ActivLife Q10 � may have the same health benefits as a much larger dose of CoQ10, because it is delivered to the cells already in its active form and so cuts out what may otherwise be an inefficient conversion process of CoQ10 to QH.

Human studies show that taking ubiquinol increases blood QH levels an incredible eight times more efficiently than ordinary CoQ10. This means that only 50mg of ubiquinol is needed to achieve the same QH blood level as 400mg of ordinary CoQ10 (Ref. 6).

If boosting blood levels faster was all that QH did, that alone would make it the preferred form of CoQ10 to take. But scientific studies have found that QH also has superior anti-ageing effects, and increases stamina and energy too.

Co-enzyme Q10: How QH could delay the signs of ageing and boost your energy levels

As we age, we suffer a rapid fall-off in the amount of CoQ10 and QH our bodies� produce, which researchers believe is linked to a corresponding increase in the risk of degenerative diseases in old age (Ref. 7).

A study, which used a special strain of laboratory mice that age prematurely, has clearly demonstrated the beneficial role of QH in delaying the signs of ageing. The mice were split into three groups � one received no supplementation to their normal food, one got added CoQ10 and the third group got added QH.

By a point equivalent to middle age in humans, both the CoQ10 and the QH groups showed far less signs of ageing than the control group. Very soon after this, however, an equally dramatic difference could be seen between the CoQ10 and QH groups, with those receiving QH maintaining a more youthful appearance and behaviour while those on CoQ10 aged visibly (Ref. 8).

The mice were individually assessed and given �senescence scores� on the basis of their skin, eye, skeletal and general health, with a higher score indicating greater effects of ageing. The control group in this experiment experienced double the senescence scores in mid-life when compared to the QH group, while the CoQ10 supplemented group had senescence scores approximately 1.5 times as high as the QH group.
 
As well as combating ageing, QH has been shown in animal studies to increase energy levels and endurance. In one study, rats of an age equivalent to middle-age in humans were given either placebo, CoQ10 or QH in a crossover study. When the time they spent running on an exercise wheel was assessed in each group, those given CoQ10 exercised for 60 per cent longer than the placebo group, while the rats receiving QH spent an astonishing two and a half times longer exercising (Ref. 9).

What to take for best results

The recommended dosage amount for ActivLife Q10 is one capsule taken once or twice a day.

References:

1. Altern Med Rev 2007; 12(2): 159-68
2. Curr Neurovasc Res 2005; 2(5): 447-59
3. Method of stabilizing reduced coenzyme Q10. Patent application number US 2005/0008630 A1. January 13, 2005
4. J Biol Chem 2001; 276(7): 4588-96
5. Carcinogenesis 2003; 24(5): 905-9
6. Ann Nutr Metab. 2003;47(1):16-21
7. Free Radic Res 2002; 36(4): 471-7
8. Exp Gerontol 2006; 41(2): 130-40
9. Anti-fatigue effect in rats. Unpublished data, Kaneka Corporation