Frontline Health

#119 - CoQ10: From Heart Health To Migraines

• Troy Duell

Share episode

Send us a text

Your mitochondria run the show, and CoQ10 is one of their quiet heroes. We dig into how this vitamin-like compound powers ATP production, shields cell membranes from oxidative stress, and why levels fall as we age or use statins. From the lab bench in the 1950s to modern cardiology clinics, we trace the research arc and translate it into clear, practical guidance you can use with your healthcare team.

We break down the heart health evidence, including the Q-Symbio trial’s reduced hospitalizations and mortality, and what newer meta-analyses and Cochrane say about adopting CoQ10 as add-on support rather than a stand-alone fix. Then we pivot to the brain: mitochondrial dysfunction and migraines. You’ll hear why several controlled studies at 300 mg per day show fewer attacks and better responder rates, and where pediatric and combo formulas with riboflavin and magnesium fit. We also parse the mixed data on statin-associated muscle symptoms, why biology suggests a benefit, and how to structure a monitored trial if muscle pain is keeping you from staying on statins.

We get tactical with who should consider CoQ10—adults over 40, statin users, heart failure or cardiomyopathy patients, recurrent migraine sufferers, and those exploring fertility or neuromuscular support tied to mitochondrial health. You’ll learn where to be cautious (warfarin use, very low blood pressure, pregnancy and breastfeeding), how to choose between ubiquinone and ubiquinol, and why taking it with a fat-containing meal can boost absorption.

If this conversation helps, tap follow, share it with someone on statins or battling migraines, and leave a quick review to support the show.

Thanks for listening to this edition of Frontline Health by Centurion. Remember, you are your best health advocate.

Shop safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products at www.centurion.health.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Follow us on social media:

TikTok - @frontlinehealthpodcast

Youtube - Centurion Health

Facebook - Centurion Health

Instagram - @frontlinehealthpodcast

X - @TheCenturionWay


SPEAKER_00:

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast. I would definitely bring up CoQ10 with my physician, especially if they're if you are taking a statin, if you're over the age of 50, uh, you have a history of heart health issues, or you have a family history of congestive heart failure, then those are things that you would want to look at and say, all right, what's it gonna hurt to take CoQ10? It's only gonna help me improve. And we know that it's not just, you know, we've talked about the migraines, we've talked about the heart health stuff, but there's some studies that show it improves fatigue and exercise performance, which I think is why you're starting to see it in more energy drinks. Uh, there's some studies that show it helps with fertility and kind of helps support the egg quality for women and sperm in men. So because of the mitochondrial um function that's going on in those areas. And then there's neurodegenerative conditions, which like Parkinson's and other things, that there seems to be a tie with mitochondrial function. Therefore, they think CoQ10 could be a help for that. So, certainly things to look at and to continue to move towards and do some research and study on CoQ10 because I think it can offer a lot, a lot of benefit for people.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion Health. I'm your host, Evan, and I'm here with our resident health expert, the guy who seems to have memorized every biochemical pathway in the body. Troy, how's it going?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, doing great. Thank you, sir. Not so sure about any of that, but uh, you know, excited about uh getting on to another ingredient this week.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, very exciting. Today is another ingredient spotlight episode, and we're diving into uh one a lot of our listeners have heard about, one that's very popular, but people may not fully understand coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 for short. So just to kick things off, Troy, what is CoQ10 and why should anyone care about it?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's a uh great question, and it's certainly been one that's been around for a while. So CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone, is a vitamin-like compound that's produced by our bodies, and it basically has two main jobs. The first is energy production, specifically in our cells, where the highest concentrated or concentration of it seems to be in our organs with high energy demand, kind of like our heart. The second is antioxidant protection. So it's really gonna help protect our cell membranes against that age-related damage that happens over time as we age. So we know that when Q coQ10 levels are low, um, as you can imagine, energy production isn't gonna be as efficient and oxidative stress can creep up, which can cause some serious issues.

SPEAKER_01:

So if you want to think about it in these terms, it's kind of like an electrician and a security guard for your cell.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think that's a a good way of looking at it. It it basically keeps the power on and it helps protect the wiring of those cells.

SPEAKER_01:

So is this something that our bodies produce?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh yes. Um, so we do synthesize it, but it tends to decline with age, like most other things in our bodies. And certain medications, especially statin drugs, which is where I think most people have heard about CoQ10. Um, if you're taking a statin drug to lower your cholesterol, we know that it also interferes with the same pathway we use to make coQ10 in our body. So it declines over age. Statin drugs also interfere with that pathway. So typically, as you're getting older, there's a greater likelihood you're going to be taking statins, plus, it's reducing because of age. So, yes, need to be uh looking at those things and be very aware of it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's really good. I think a lot of people don't take that into consideration when they have medications that they're on that it could be in some ways depleting uh other nutrients in their body that they need. So let's rewind the tape a little bit. How did we discover this ingredient, CoQ10?

SPEAKER_00:

Great question. And what we found was as we went back and did a little bit more research on this, was it was actually discovered in the 1950s. They were studying the mitochondria and beef heart tissue, and they isolated this new compound that was involved in energy production. And by 1957, uh Purdue University identified what we now call coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinol. And by the early 70s, cardiologists in Japan were actually experimenting with CoQ10 in patients, specifically with heart failure.

SPEAKER_01:

So even though it's gaining popularity now, it's not brand new. It's been studied for decades.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, think about it. We've had over 50 years of studies and investigation and clinical trials into areas like heart failure, blood high blood pressure, migraines, and even statin-related muscle symptoms.

SPEAKER_01:

So why is it gaining popularity now? I mean, I even see it in things like uh some energy drinks that people drink. You see it in you know a lot of fitness circles. What's why why is it getting popular today?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I think it's a it's a great question, but one that I'm not so sure that it's gaining really popularity. I know I had conversations with researchers and medical practitioners 20 years ago who were getting on board with uh CoQ10. And I really think some of it is just that recent resurgence alongside people who are researching new ways to kind of take ownership of their health and not rely on pharmaceuticals for their health. And they're seeing the benefits that come along with specifically in this case, CoQ10, but so many other things. And I think we're just becoming more aware as a culture and society and hopefully trying to rustle back some of those things that we took for granted for so many years.

SPEAKER_01:

So, one of the really important benefits that you mentioned earlier was uh heart health when it comes to using coQ10. So, what let's talk about what the research shows. Um, when most people think of co-Q10, they think of a heart supplement. Is that justified?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh absolutely. And obviously, we talked about kind of the history of it where we found this um where we found CoQ10 was specifically in the heart to begin with. And we know that the heart, as we talked about, is one of the most energy hungry organs in the body. Therefore, it's going to have one of the highest concentrations of CoQ10. And there was one study called the QSymbio that was a randomized double-blind trial of 240 patients that had mild to severe, or excuse me, moderate to severe chronic heart failure. Half of them got 300 milligrams of co-Q10 per day. They got 100 milligrams three times a day, and half of them actually got a placebo on top of their standard heart failure medicines, and they got followed for two years.

SPEAKER_01:

And what did they see?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, well, the CoQ10 group had fewer major adverse cardiovascular events, they had a lower risk of cardiovascular death and death from all causes. They had fewer hospitalizations for worsening heart failure. And uh I think all those things certainly start to weigh in and say, hey, is CoQ10 uh bringing some serious positive things to what we need uh to do within our daily regimens, especially when it comes to heart health?

SPEAKER_01:

So is CoQ10 now kind of the standard of care for heart failure?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, not exactly. Um, so when the researchers began to pool all these trials together, some of those meta-analyses showed benefits that certainly improved exercise capacity, lowered mortality, but others had kind of a different tune and suggested to be a little bit more cautious. So there was a 2017 and a 2021 meta-analysis that suggested about a 31% reduction in all-cause mortality in heart failure patients. But then Cochrane, which is one of the larger health review companies in the nation, said that overall evidence still wasn't quite strong enough to formally recommend it as standard heart failure treatment. So I would certainly say if you're under a cardiologist's supervision, that you need to be talking to them as uh bringing CoQ10 in as part of the treatment, but maybe not necessarily the sole treatment that you have, at least right away.

SPEAKER_01:

So for our listeners out there, we're not telling them to stop taking their uh their meds and just take CoQ10, but it could potentially offer some additional support.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think the takeaway, and I know we say this a lot, is do your research, have some discussions with your cardiologist about whether CoQ10 could be used as an add-on therapy or even a potential standalone therapy or standalone therapy. And remember that that's what taking ownership of your health means. It means asking those questions about your own treatment and not just saying uh and taking everything that your doctor says at face value, but really discussing it with them. And if if your doctor or cardiologist isn't interested in discussing it or isn't or is maybe too dismissive of what you're asking, then I always say you should probably find another doctor because your doctors should be curious enough to want to do some research on their own. And uh it may even be good to share some information with them because uh while we think doctors are very, very smart, and they are, and they know a lot of things, they can't be up on everything. So, in a way, we can help educate them, give them some insight into something, and maybe change their minds and their practice a little bit as well. Because after all, it is called practicing medicine. Nobody ever gets to the point where they're doing medicine, they're always practicing medicine because it always changes.

SPEAKER_01:

Shifting gears, one area I don't think people associate with co-Q10 is migraines, but there's actually some good data there too, correct?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Migraines have been kind of linked in the past to mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain specifically. So and we know that since CoQ10 supports that mitochondrial energy production, they have kind of uh inferred that, well, it should work with um migraines because coQ10 helps with that. There was a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial that gave migraine patients 300 milligrams of CoQ10 per day, 100 milligrams three times a day, and after three months, they found that the CoQ10 group had fewer migraine attacks, fewer headache days, fewer days with nausea, and almost half of them were responders, meaning that at least there was a 50% reduction in the frequency of their migraines versus 14% with placebo. So it definitely had some uh statistical significance in there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, 50% sounds pretty high.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, definitely. And there are even some other studies, um, one in kids, and then some combo formulas that have riboflavin and magnesium in it, and they've shown similar trends where there are fewer migraines and kind of a better quality of life for people because obviously the fewer migraines, the easier it is for you for you to get back to work and doing everything you want to do.

SPEAKER_01:

So if someone is working with a neurologist and they're already on preventative medicine, CoQ10 might be a good conversation to have with their doctor.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think it's uh definitely a conversation to have with them. And again, that's what we're talking about is going in, having these conversations, because at that point you are truly starting to take ownership of your health and um truly investing in what am I going to be putting in my body and what's the best thing for me, and what can I do to reduce migraines in this case.

SPEAKER_01:

So you mentioned statins earlier, and I think this is where a lot of people first hear about CoQ10. You know, they know I'm on a statin, my muscles hurt, should I take Q10? That's a question a lot of people are asking. What does the research say about this?

SPEAKER_00:

You know, it's interesting as we looked into this a little bit more about that fact, because I think it's uh one of those things that I learned first about CoQ10 as well, which is it's gonna help reduce muscle pain related to statins. What we know that statins do is it's gonna block an enzyme that lowers cholesterol in the body. But while it's also blocking that enzyme to lower cholesterol, it's blocking the body's ability for it to make CoQ10. So it makes sense that statins lower CoQ10 levels, but in terms of muscle symptoms specifically, the data is kind of mixed. There's some randomized trials that show there's reduced statin-associated muscle pain and weakness when you take CoQ10. But then there are some other trials that show there really isn't much significant benefit compared with placebo. One of those was in 2018. There was a meta-analysis that leaned towards Code Q10 helping with statin-related mild to moderate muscle symptoms, but more recent analyses have kind of been a little bit more skeptical and say that that evidence isn't quite as conclusive. As a matter of fact, there was one in 2025 that suggested symptom improvement when there was 50 milligrams taken twice daily. But again, not everybody responded to the CoQ10, which, if you think about it, isn't all that surprising because there's not one medicine and there isn't one supplement that works for everyone, and CoQ10 isn't going to be that way for everybody. So the idea that because you took CoQ10 and it didn't work doesn't mean it's not going to work for somebody else. Just like if you take a high blood pressure medication and it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it's not going to work for somebody else.

SPEAKER_01:

So again, not a magic bullet, but potentially helpful for some people. Troy, do you think we're ever going to find that magic bullet out there somewhere?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I think we probably will not ever find that magic bullet until everybody is made in the exact image and we have the exact same DNA. And at that point, life would be pretty, pretty boring. Um, so certainly um won't happen in our lifetimes, I hope.

SPEAKER_01:

But coQ10 is worth bringing up with your physician.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I would definitely bring up CoQ10 with my physician, especially if they're if you are taking a statin, if you're over the age of 50, uh, you have a history of heart health issues, or you have a family history of congestive heart failure, then those are things that you would want to look at and say, all right, what's it gonna hurt to take CoQ10? It's only gonna help me improve. And we know that it's not just, you know, we talked about the migraines, we've talked about the heart health stuff, but there's some studies that show it improves fatigue and exercise performance, which I think is why you're starting to see it in more energy drinks. Uh, there's some studies that show it helps with fertility and kind of helps support the egg quality for women and sperm in men. So because of the mitochondrial um function that's going on in those areas. And then there's neurodegenerative conditions, which like Parkinson's and other things, that there seems to be a tie with mitochondrial function. Therefore, they think coQ10 could be a help for that. So certainly things to look at and to continue to move towards and do some research and study on CoQ10, because I think it can offer a lot, a lot of benefit for people.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's really interesting. Definitely seems like it shows up in a lot of different systems where energy and oxidative stress matter. So the benefits are are potentially quite vast.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

So let's make this really practical. If I'm listening right now, you've already kind of covered this, but just to recap, how do I know if I'm a good candidate to talk with my doctor about CoQ10?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'd say any adult over the age of 40, probably you know, most say 40 to 50. So just say over the age of 40, because we know that our production of CoQ10 in our bodies declines with age. If you're starting to feel more sluggish, especially if you have cardiovascular risk factors, then look at CoQ10 as being a part of it. If you're on statins, we've already talked about that. If you have heart failure or cardiomyopathy, those are things that we suggest certainly talking to your cardiologist about and seeing if coQ10 could be a good part to add to your regimen and see if it helps. Uh, if you've got m recurrent migraines, and then if you have any fertility or other mitochondrial or neuromuscular issues, then you certainly need to talk to your doctors about CoQ10 and say, hey, is this something that would help me or at least uh benefit me in some way?

SPEAKER_01:

So who should be a little bit more cautious with CoQ10?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh great question. And it kind of is odd when you hear the answers to it, but anybody who's on blood f blood thinners like warfarin, um, so it helps um kind of blunt the effect of warfarin. So you've got to be careful of that, and certainly uh if you're on blood thinners, you want to uh make sure you're taking your CoQ10 under medical supervision. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and the only reason there is there's just not a lot of high-quality data to say it's safe. Although if our body produces it, I would think that it would be okay. Um, but certainly check with your OB or midwife and uh make that decision. And then anybody who has very low blood pressure can be an issue because it can have blood pressure lowering effects, and you certainly want to watch that type of thing before you start taking CoQ10.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm. And are there any side effects that people should look out for?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, for the most part, it doesn't, even at about 300 milligrams and higher. But some of the ones that are there that are fairly mild, you can get a little stomach upset, you can get a little nausea, uh, even some diarrhea. And occasionally people have talked about having some insomnia if you take it too late in the day. Um, but they typically go away as soon as you stop or reduce the dose.

SPEAKER_01:

And so we know, like so many other ingredients, there are different forms. Some of them are potentially more bioavailable than others. You know, what are the different forms of coQ10? And is there a certain form that is the best to take?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, to break it down as big picture as we can, ubiquinone is the oxidized form, and ubiquinol is the reduced active antioxidant form. So our bodies can actually convert both of them and it can go back and forth, but some evidence suggests that ubiquinol may actually be better absorbed, especially in older adults or people with absorption issues. So I typically recommend going after the ubiquinol form.

SPEAKER_01:

And I guess, like with most other supplements, you always kind of want to take it with a meal to help with the absorption. Um, so don't take your cocu tin with just a black coffee and nothing on your stomach.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and because it's fat soluble with that meal, have some fat in the meal because it's going to help absorb even better and make sure it's some kind of healthy fat like olive oil or avocado or eggs, something along those lines to really help it get absorbed into our bodies.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. Well, I think that wraps up our ingredient spotlight on CoQ10. If this was helpful, do us a favor, share it with a friend or family member who's on statins or dealing with migraines. As always, thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion Health. Go out today and take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider leaving us a review. We would love to hear your feedback and connect with you further. You can also follow us on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. And for safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA, visit www.centurion.health. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.