What is CoQ10? Do you actually need it?

Published September 4, 2026

There’s a compound at work in almost every cell of your body, but most of us don’t think of it until we spot it on a bottle. It’s called CoQ10. Long before it became a popular supplement, it was doing some of the most essential work in your body, and it’s doing it right now.¹

What is CoQ10?

CoQ10, short for coenzyme Q10, is a fat-soluble compound your body naturally makes. It’s found in nearly every cell, with the highest levels in the heart, liver, kidneys, and muscles.¹ Your body makes most of the CoQ10 it needs, while foods like meat, oily fish, and nuts provide smaller amounts.²

CoQ10 levels slowly decline with age, and some people choose to supplement for this reason. Some health conditions and medications, such as cholesterol-lowering statins, are also linked to lower CoQ10 levels.²

What does CoQ10 do? Why is it important?

CoQ10 has 2 major roles in the body. It helps cells make energy, and as an antioxidant, it helps protect them from damage.¹

Almost every cell in your body needs energy to function. Inside those cells, structures called mitochondria convert nutrients from the food you eat into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy source for cells.³ Making ATP is a step-by-step process, and CoQ10 is essential for keeping it moving.¹

But as cells make energy, they also produce unstable molecules called free radicals. In small amounts, they serve useful purposes like helping your immune system fight bacteria and viruses. Exposure to pollution, cigarette smoke, and industrial chemicals can also add to the body’s load.

Because free radicals are highly reactive, they can latch onto and damage important parts of cells, including DNA. When that damage accumulates faster than the body can repair it, the result is oxidative stress. Over time, oxidative stress plays a role in aging and conditions like heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.⁴

To defend against this, your body naturally produces antioxidants to help neutralize free radicals and protect cells from damage.⁴ CoQ10 is one of them. And because it’s located in the part of the cell where most free radicals are made, CoQ10 can intercept them right at the source.⁵

What are the different forms of CoQ10?

CoQ10 exists in 3 forms: ubiquinone, ubiquinol, and ubisemiquinone. Each represents a different state as CoQ10 does its work in the body.¹,⁵

Ubiquinone

The oxidized form of CoQ10

Helps cells make the energy they need to function

Ubiquinol

The reduced form of CoQ10

Acts as an antioxidant to help protect cells from oxidative stress

Ubisemiquinone

The half-reduced form of CoQ10

Exists briefly as CoQ10 switches between ubiquinone and ubiquinol

> Your body continually switches between these forms as needed. Most CoQ10 circulating in the blood is in the ubiquinol form.¹

Can taking statins affect your CoQ10 levels?

Statins are medications commonly used to lower cholesterol. They work by blocking part of a process the body uses to make cholesterol, which is also involved in making CoQ10. While statins don’t target CoQ10 directly, interfering with this shared process can also lower CoQ10 levels in the blood.⁶

What that means for statin-related muscle pain is less clear. Researchers have studied whether low CoQ10 plays a role in these symptoms and whether CoQ10 supplements can help. But so far, the findings are mixed.²,⁶ 

What are symptoms of low CoQ10?

Low CoQ10 levels don’t always cause noticeable symptoms. When they do, they tend to be general rather than specific⁵:

• Low energy or feeling tired all the time
• Brain fog
• Muscle discomfort, aches, or weakness
• Trouble keeping up during workouts or physical activity

Because these symptoms have so many possible causes, they don’t necessarily point to low CoQ10. Testing can provide more insight. Your healthcare provider can help you understand your results based on your symptoms and health history.

What are potential benefits of CoQ10 supplementation?

CoQ10 supplementation has been studied for a range of potential health benefits. The strongest evidence suggests it may be helpful for²,⁷,⁸

• Migraine relief
• Heart failure, when used with prescribed treatment
• Restoring CoQ10 levels that decline with age or statin use

CoQ10 has also been studied for possible benefits related to fertility, blood pressure, diabetes, exercise performance, and skin health. But research in these areas is limited, and more studies are needed to determine if CoQ10 can help. You should speak with your doctor about CoQ10 and whether it could be beneficial for you.

Can CoQ10 help prevent migraines?

Some research suggests CoQ10 may reduce how often migraines occur, how long they last, and how severe they are. It may also help ease symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and noise.²,⁷,⁸

Can CoQ10 support heart health?

Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, every day, for your whole life. All that pumping takes a huge amount of energy.⁹ To meet that demand, the heart muscle is packed with mitochondria. That’s why the heart contains some of the highest levels of CoQ10 in the body.⁶

Research suggests that CoQ10 may be helpful for some people living with heart failure, a condition when the heart can’t pump strongly enough to meet the body’s needs. Studies have found that people with heart failure often have low CoQ10 levels, and the lowest levels tend to go along with the worst symptoms. In one study, people with heart failure who took CoQ10 supplements along with their usual medication had a lower risk of serious heart issues than those who took a placebo. CoQ10 has been studied as an addition to heart failure treatment. It’s not a replacement for prescribed heart failure medications or other medical care.²,⁷,¹⁰

CoQ10 levels can decline with age or certain conditions and medications. If you’re considering supplementation, check in with your doctor to see if it’s right for you.