Daily Ubiquinol Boosts Athletic Performance

A double-blind, placebo controlled study done on young, elite athletes training for the 2012 London Olympics showed that supplementing with 300mg of Ubiquinol daily for 6 weeks increased performance, as measured by power output. Ubiquinol is the reduced (or active) form of Coenzyme Q-10. It is thought to be 3 to 6 times more effective as a supplement than traditional Co Q-10. In this study, when training for the Olympics, half of the athletes were given Ubiquinol and the other half a placebo. Measurements for power output were taken at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the 6 weeks. Both groups showed improvement (as a result of the training) but the Ubiquinol group showed “significantly enhanced peak power performance” over the placebo group (Peak power performance is a measure of muscle function). Applying this information to the more general public is simple. This study demonstrates the importance of Co Q-10 in energy production and using your muscles. The fact is that as you age, your liver makes less Co Q-10. And you do not get any of it from your diet either. Compounding the problem is the fact that over 140 different prescription medicines, including statin drugs and beta-blockers and oral hypoglycemic meds, cause a deficiency of Co Q-10. All of these are commonly prescribed to you as you age, supposedly to protect your heart. This information should be eye opening for you for a couple of reasons. Of course, if you are an elite athlete (or have designs on being one) and want to maximize your efforts, then start taking Ubiquinol daily. Also, if you are athletic but have noticed that your progress has slowed and/or recovery takes longer, you will also benefit from daily Ubiquinol. Maybe more importantly though, is that if you are on any of the prescription medicines I mentioned earlier and have noticed that your muscles are sore and don’t work, or recover, like they used to, then Ubiquinol might help. Lastly, I would like to point out that the most important muscle that you have is your heart. Unfortunately, when that muscle isn’t working properly, we don’t commonly think about a lack of a nutrient as the cause. Weakness, shortness of breath, rhythm issues, fluid build-up, heart failure, high blood pressure... these are all potentially signs of a Co Q-10 deficiency. If you are going to supplement, using the active form, Ubiquinol, will be much more effective.