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CoQ10 and Ubiquinol Supplements Reviewed by ConsumerLab.com

Summary

  • What does CoQ10 do?

    People often take CoQ10 to offset a decline in natural levels of CoQ10 that occurs with the use of statin (cholesterol-lowering) medication (although it remains uncertain if CoQq10 reduces side effects of statins). It may also benefit people with congestive heart failure. CoQ10 may modestly lower elevated cholesterol levels, reduce migraine, and improve energy levels, although the evidence for these latter uses remains preliminary or mixed (see What It Does). There is little evidence that CoQ10 lowers homocysteine levels.

    Most of the CoQ10 in supplements is naturally produced by fermentation. After being absorbed into the body, more than 90% of CoQ10 is converted to its active form, known as ubiquinol (CoQH2-10), which is also available as a supplement (such as QH from Kaneka) and appears to have greater bioavailability (i.e., it raises blood levels more) (see  What It Is). "Nano" formulations of CoQ10 claim to have better absorption are also available, though the evidence for this is not strong.
  • How to take CoQ10?

    CoQ10 and ubiquinol are typically taken at a dose of 50 to 300 mg per day, although higher doses have been used (see Dosage). Generally, CoQ10 and ubiquinol are best absorbed when taken with or shortly after a fatty meal, although water-soluble forms can be taken without fats (see Absorption and Bioavailability Enhancers). It's best to divide doses of 100 mg or more into several smaller doses, taken throughout the day.
  • What did CL's tests of CoQ10 show?

    In laboratory testing, all of the products were shown to provide their listed amounts of CoQ10 or ubiquinol, which is an improvement over the results of our previous review. Cost comparisons, based on a 100 mg dose, showed you could spend as little as 8 cents to over $6 for an equivalent amount of CoQ10, and from 34 cents to $1.18 for ubiquinol (See What CL Found).
  • Best CoQ10 supplement?

    Among 34 CL Approved products, CL selected four Top Picks for regular as well as bioavailability-enhanced CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements, each providing high quality CoQ10 or ubiquinol at very good value.
  • CoQ10 safety and side effects:

    At typical doses, CoQ10 and ubiquinol appear to be generally safe, even when taken for several years. Gastrointestinal side effects may occur, but can be minimized by breaking up the dose throughout the day, although it may interfere with sleep if taken before bed. CoQ10 may interact with certain drugs, including blood thinners and diabetes medications (see  Concerns and Cautions).

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Alphabetical list of CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements compared in this review

View Larger Image 7599_large_ActiveQ-Ubiquinol-2021.png

ActiveQ Ubiquinol 50 mg

View Larger Image 7584_large_Bluebonnet-Ubiquinol-CoQ10-2021.png

Bluebonnet Ubiquinol 100 mg

View Larger Image 7591_large_ChewQ-CoQ10-2021.png

ChewQ 100 mg

View Larger Image 7579_large_DoctorsBest-CoQ10-2021.png

Doctor's Best High Absorption CoQ10 With BioPerine

View Larger Image 7582_large_DrMercola-CoQ10-2021.png

Dr. Mercola Liposomal CoQ10

View Larger Image 7585_large_DrSinatra-OmegaQ-CoQ10-2021.png

Dr. Sinatra Omega Q Plus Max

View Larger Image 7603_large_FinestNutrition-CoQ10-2021.png

Finest Nutrition CoQ-10

View Larger Image 7586_large_GardenOfLifeRaw-CoQ10-2021.png

Garden of Life RAW CoQ10 200 mg

View Larger Image 7678_large_GNC-CoQ10-2022.png

GNC CoQ-10 100 mg

View Larger Image 7588_large_H2Q-CoQ10-2021.png

H2Q

View Larger Image 7574_large_HealthyOrigins-Ubiquinol-CoQ10-2021.png

Healthy Origins Natural Ubiquinol

View Larger Image 7598_large_KirklandSignature-CoQ10-2021.png

Kirkland Signature [Costco] Maximum Potency CoQ10 300 mg

View Larger Image 7629_large_LifeExtension-CoQ10-2021.png

Life Extension CoQ10 100 mg with PQQ

View Larger Image 7602_large_LiQsorb-CoQ10-2021.png

LiQsorb

View Larger Image 7578_large_MaryRuths-CoQ10-2021.png

Mary Ruth's CoQ10 Gummies - Raspberry

View Larger Image 7587_large_MitoMedica-CoQ10-2021.png

Mito-Medica H2Q 200 mg

View Larger Image 7581_large_NanoFood-CoQ10-2021.png

Nano Food Wonder Heart Liposomal CoQ10 - Raspberry Flavor

View Larger Image 7575_large_NaturalFactors-Ubiquinol-CoQ10-2021.png

Natural Factors Ubiquinol Active CoQ10 100 mg

View Larger Image 7589_large_NaturesBounty-CoQ10-2021.png

Nature's Bounty CoQ-10 200 mg

View Larger Image 7576_large_NOW-ExtraStrength-CoQ10-2021.png

NOW Extra Strength Ubiquinol 200 mg

View Larger Image 7605_large_Ariix-Omega3-2021.png

Nutrifii Omega-Q

View Larger Image 7601_large_Premier-ResearchLabs-CoQ10-2021.png

Premier Research Labs CardioVen

View Larger Image 7580_large_PureEncapsulations-CoQ10-2021.png

Pure Encapsulations CoQ10 60 mg

View Larger Image 7590_large_PuritansPride-QSorb-CoQ10-2021.png

Puritan's Pride Q-Sorb CoQ-10 200 mg

View Larger Image 7600_large_QGel200-CoQ10-2021.png

QGel 200 Double Strength Coenzyme Q10 200 mg

View Larger Image 7592_large_QGel-ETS-CoQ10-2021.png

QGel ETS

View Larger Image 7597_large_QGel-CoQ10-2021.png

QGel LiQH

View Larger Image 7594_large_Qunol-Mega-CoQ10-2021.png

Qunol Mega CoQ10 Ubiquinol

View Larger Image 7593_large_Qunol-Ultra-CoQ10-2021.png

Qunol Ultra CoQ10

View Larger Image 7595_large_SpringValley-CoQ10-2021.png

Spring Valley CoQ10 200 mg

View Larger Image 7577_large_TheVitaminShoppe-CoQ10-2021.png

The Vitamin Shoppe Triple Strength Ubiquinol CoQ-10

View Larger Image 7596_large_USANA-CoQ10-2021.png

USANA Coquinone 30

View Larger Image 7583_large_VertiScience-CoQ10-2021.png

VetriScience Coenzyme Q10 10 mg - For Dogs + Cats

View Larger Image 7604_large_Vitafusion-CoQ10-2021-small.png

Vitafusion CoQ10 - Natural Peach Flavor

You must be a member to get the full test results along with ConsumerLab.com's recommendations and quality ratings. You will get results for 15 CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements selected by ConsumerLab.com and 19 others that passed testing in its voluntary Quality Certification Program. In this comprehensive review, you'll discover:
  • Which CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements failed testing and which passed
  • CL's Top Picks, representing the best CoQ10 and ubiquinol supplements at lowest cost
  • Which supplements have special ingredients which may increase their absorption (such as polysorbate 80) and/or bioavailability (such as black pepper extract) — and the pros and cons of these formulas
  • CoQ10 and ubiquinol dosing for treating specific conditions
  • How to take CoQ10 and ubiquinol to reduce side-effects and enhance absorption
  • CoQ10 side-effects, drug interactions, and cautions  

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Additional Information
Tested through CL's Quality Certification Program prior to, or after initial posting of this Product Review.