You already know how crucial CoQ10 is for your heart.
But now a recent study makes it clear you should also be taking it for the health of your brain and eyes – two of the most energy-hungry organs in your body.
Researchers at the Medical Informatics Center at Peking University revealed a powerful connection between vision loss and dementia.1
The team looked at studies tracking 76,373 participants, ages 50 and older. What they found shocked them.
They discovered those with vision loss had a 60% higher risk of dementia.
Their findings make it crystal clear that everyone should be supplementing with CoQ10 every day to protect both the eyes and the brain.
That’s because CoQ10 acts like a turbo booster for your mitochondria, the little power generators within each of your cells. CoQ10 helps them burn fuel more efficiently.
And high-energy organs like your eyes and brain burn through a lot of CoQ10.
In one study, researchers gave CoQ10 drops to patients scheduled for cataract surgery. The 40 participants who had the surgery got either CoQ10 or a placebo twice a day for nine months.
The results were conclusive. Those who took the CoQ10 had faster nerve regeneration and better stability of the surface of the eye – along with zero side effects from the surgery.2
Studies also show that CoQ10 provides new hope when it comes to macular degeneration (AMD) – one of the main causes of blindness for people over 65.
Researchers in Hungary studied the effect of mitochondrial dysfunction on the development of AMD. They gave CoQ10 to more than 100 participants with worsening eyesight.
By the end of the study, they noted huge improvements in all parameters of eyesight they measured.3
Sadly, evidence like this continues to be completely ignored by the medical establishment.
CoQ10 also has profound brain-protective properties. That’s because healthy brains need well-functioning mitochondria.
As the most energy-hungry organ in your body, your brain cells have the greatest number of mitochondria – more than 2,000 of them in each nerve cell.
But as you grow older, your mitochondria decay, become weaker and die. They also become fewer in number. This is a major cause of aging and the cause of many neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s and dementia.
The problem is that your body makes less CoQ10 as you age – and, as a result, the less powerful your eyes and brain become.
But boosting your CoQ10 levels can bring immediate, often lifesaving benefits.
In the last few years, multiple scientific studies have revealed CoQ10’s powers to combat dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and the neurodegenerative disease multiple system atrophy (MSA).4,5,6
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to replenish this supernutrient through your diet anymore. That’s because some of the richest sources of CoQ10 – organ meats, like heart, liver, and kidney – are no longer dinner table staples.
The widespread use of statin drugs, which can lower your CoQ10 levels by as much as 40%, has only added to the problem.7
Follow these four simple steps to protect your eyes and brain
For optimal protection, here’s what I suggest:
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- Get more CoQ10 from your diet: The best food sources of CoQ10 come from the organs of free-range cattle and wild game. Sadly, we don’t eat these foods much anymore. Your next best sources are wild-caught fish and beef. But be sure your beef comes from grass-fed meat, which has much more CoQ10 than grain-fed, feedlot meat.
- Supplement to make up what’s missing from today’s food. If you’re healthy, I recommend at least 50 mg of ubiquinol every day. And look for the ubiquinol form of CoQ10. It’s eight times more powerful than the conventional CoQ10 you’d find at your local drugstore. In fact, 50 mg of ubiquinol is equal to 400 mg of conventional CoQ10. (If you are still taking a statin, increase your dose to 200 mg.)
- Don’t forget the fat. CoQ10 is fat soluble, so it should be taken with a meal containing fat. That will help your body absorb it better. Also, supplementing with this antioxidant at night can help with your body’s ability to use it.
- Always include PQQ. I also recommend adding the little-known nutrient pyrroloquinoline quinone, or PQQ. While CoQ10 does an amazing job of squeezing more power out of your remaining mitochondria, it does nothing for the mitochondria you’ve already lost. That’s where PQQ comes in. PQQ triggers the cells in your brain and eyes to build healthy new mitochondria. PQQ also protects mitochondria by neutralizing the free radicals that damage them. Good food sources include kiwi fruit, sweet green peppers, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, sweet potatoes, and bananas. But if you’re already experiencing vision decline or the beginnings of dementia, I recommend going straight to a supplement. Take 10 mg of PQQ daily with your CoQ10.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Gui-Ying C, et al. “The association between vision impairment and cognitive outcomes in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Aging & Mental Health. 18 May 2022
2. Fogagnolo P, et. al. “The Effects of Topical Coenzyme Q10 … after Cataract Surgery: A Clinical and in vivo Confocal Study.” Ophthalmologica 2013;229:26–31
3. Fehér J, et al. “Metabolic therapy for early treatment of age-related macular degeneration.” Orv Hetil. 2007;148(48):2259-68.
4. Dumont M, et al. “Coenzyme Q10 decreases amyloid pathology and improves behavior in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.” J Alzheimers Dis. 2011;27(1):211-23.
5. Sheng-Han Kuo SH, Quinzii CM, MD. “Coenzyme Q10 as a peripheral biomarker for multiple system atrophy.” JAMA Neurol, June 2016
6. Shults CW, et al. “Parkinson Study Group. Effects of coenzyme Q10 in early Parkinson disease: evidence of slowing of the functional decline.” Arch Neurol. 2002 Oct;59(10):1541-50.
7. Ghirlanda G, et al. “Evidence of plasma CoQ10-lowering effect of HMG-COA reductase inhibitors: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study,” J Clin Pharma. 1993 Mar; 33(3):226-229.