Co-Enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin-like substance produced naturally in the body, within all cells (except red blood cells), and particularly those with high energy requirements, and turnover, such as the heart, brain, liver, kidney and muscles.
“These crucial organs consume energy at a much higher rate within the body, than the organ of your skin,” says Nicola Sainty, a nutritional therapist at Revive Active (reviveactive.com).
To produce energy, we have tiny micro-organs, or organelles, within our cells called mitochondria, often referred to as the ‘powerhouse’ of the cell. “The more energy an organ needs, the more mitochondria it contains. For instance, skin cells contain a few hundred in each whilst heart cells contain between 5,000 to 8,000 mitochondria – mind blowing!” adds Nicola. When we can’t keep up with the mitochondrial need of CoQ10 (supply vs demand), the mitochondria can become damaged, die off, or stop functioning well. “This can lead to a decrease in available energy, manifesting in varying ways such as muscle fatigue, a feeling of ‘heavy legs’, foggy thinking, loss of focus, slower recall and response time, even premature skin ageing,” she explains.