I was one of the first doctors to talk about the incredible benefits of the super-nutrient pyrroloquinoline quinone, or PQQ for short.
I was also one of the first doctors to recommend it to patients.
Now I recommend this essential nutrient and powerful antioxidant to almost everyone who comes to see me at my wellness clinic.
Researchers have only just recently begun to understand the many important roles of PQQ on the body’s cellular processes.
Not only does it possess extraordinary energy-giving qualities and have the power to ease nerve pain and battle Alzheimer’s, it has the potential to become the world’s strongest known cancer killer.1,2,3,4
The key to PQQ’s power is the impact it has on mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside each of your cells.
I combine PQQ with CoQ10 for my patients to boost the function of their mitochondria, which use nutrients and oxygen to create enough energy for the cells to do their job.
Now the latest research shows that PQQ may hold the key to battling one of the fastest-growing epidemics of the 21st century – nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
This disease has become the fastest-rising cause of liver transplants in the Western world and is now one of the leading reasons for premature death in America. And there is currently no cure.
Its causes are closely linked to the skyrocketing rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity over the past couple of decades.
And all find their roots in the explosive rise in sugar consumption – particularly Big Agra’s high-fructose corn syrup, the cheap sweetener that’s poisoning America with its soft drinks, salad dressings, cakes, cookies and even breakfast cereals.
Normally, when sugar is consumed, glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream for energy and driven into your body’s tissues with the help of insulin.
But fructose takes a different path – most of it goes straight to your liver, where it stimulates the production of triglycerides. It is the buildup of these excess triglycerides in the liver that leads to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
The condition causes serious liver problems, including painful swelling and scarring that can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and even death.
But nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is nearly identical to the liver damage seen in heavy drinkers – except, in this case, the damage is done by Big Agra foods and excess weight.
New research now reveals that super-nutrient PQQ can reverse liver damage caused by alcohol.5
And that means it has the potential to do the same for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Now I’m not suggesting you drink Scotch for the PQQ it contains – obviously, that would do more harm than good, given the massive doses of Scotch you would have to drink.
But the latest studies on PQQ are extremely promising…
Researchers force-fed alcohol to rats. And some of the rats were also fed PQQ.
After 10 weeks, the researchers compared the organs of the PQQ group with the non-PQQ group.
They found the PQQ group showed “a remarkable reduction” in alcohol-damaged tissue in comparison with the non-PQQ group. The rats fed PQQ had significantly healthier livers, colons and kidneys.
Researchers even recommended PQQ as an “effective strategy in preventing alcoholic liver disease.”
So if PQQ can prevent alcoholic fatty liver disease, there’s no reason it can’t prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, too.
Scientific research shows that PQQ can stimulate energy and growth in every living organism on the planet.
It is particularly effective on your mitochondria, the biochemical power plants in each of your cells. This is why my patients always tell me how much extra energy they have after taking it.
PQQ has even been found in interstellar dust, provoking speculation that it played a key role in sparking life on Earth.
And over the past few years, PQQ has leaped to the forefront of medical research into anti-aging.
It has been shown to:
- Protect nerves from damage and promote the growth of healthy nerves;6,7
- Protect brain cells from damage by toxic chemicals and biochemicals;8,9,10,11
- Protect the brain from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s;12,13,14
- Protect the brain from stroke and stroke damage; 15,16,17,18
- Protect against cancer;19,20,21
- Energize the body by supercharging mitochondria.22,23
PQQ is now regarded an essential nutrient, which means that you can’t live without it – but your body can’t produce it either. While PQQ exists in virtually everything you eat, it appears only in trace amounts.
When it comes to foods, the best sources include:24
- Natto (fermented soybeans);
- Kiwi;
- Green peppers;
- Spinach;
- Carrots;
- Cabbage.
But based on several studies, I recommend taking one 10 mg. capsule a day – because it’s very hard to get enough from your diet.
Consider taking PQQ with a reduced from of CoQ10 called ubiquinol. These supplements work well together.
PQQ spurs your mitochondria to produce more energy and it stimulates them to reproduce. But they need the right fuel to take on the new workload.
Usually they rely on fats and sugars, the equivalent of regular gasoline for auto engines. But the supercharged mitochondria also need CoQ10, the equivalent of the explosive nitromethane used in drag racers.
I recommend ubiquinol because it’s the easiest form of CoQ10 for your body to absorb. So when you take it with PQQ, your cells will feel younger and more energized. And so will you.
To your good health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Zihui, M., et al. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone induces cancer cell apoptosis via mitochondrial-dependent pathway and down-regulating cellular Bcl-2 protein expression.” Journal of Cancer, 2014; 5(7): 609-624. Published online July 29, 2014. Doi: 10.7150/jca.9002.
2.Gong, D., et al. “Effect of pyrroloquinone on neuropathic pain following chronic
restriction injury of the sciatic nerve in rats,” Eur J. Pharmacolo, Dec. 15, 2012.
697(1-3):53-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.09.052. Epub 2012 Oct 12.
3.Conley KE, et al. Mitochondrial dysfunction and age. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. Nov 2007;10(6):688-692.
4.Nakano M, et al. [Effect of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) on mental status of middle-aged and elderly persons.] FOOD Style 21. 2009;13(7):50-3. (Article in Japanese; referenced in English-language literature.)
5.Singh, A.K. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone-secreting probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 ameliorates enthanol-induced oxidative damage and hyperlidemia in rats.” Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. 2014; 38 (7): 2127-37.
6.Rucker R, et al. “Potential physiological importance of pyrroloquinoline quinone.” Altern Med Rev. 2009 Sep;14(3):268-77.
7.Kim J., et al. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone inhibits the fibrillation of amyloid proteins.” Prion. 2010 Jan;4(1):26-31.
8.See Rucker.
9. Hirakawa A, et al. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone attenuates iNOS gene expression in the injured spinal cord.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009;378:308-312.
10.Zhang P., et al. “Protection of pyrroloquinoline quinone against methylmercury- induced neurotoxicity via reducing oxidative stress.” Free Radic Res 2009;43:224-233.
11. Zhang Q., et al. “The neuroprotective action of pyrroloquinoline quinone against glutamate-induced apoptosis in hippocampal neurons is mediated through the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway.” Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2011 Apr 1;252(1):62-72.
12.See Rucker.
13.Nunome K., et al. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone prevents oxidative stress-induced neuronal death probably through changes in oxidative status of DJ-1.” Biol Pharm Bull. 2008 Jul;31(7):1321-6.
14. See Kim J.
15.See Rucker.
16.Zhang Y., et al. “Neuroprotection by pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) in reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion in the adult rat.” Brain Res 2006;1094:200-206.
17.Jensen, F.E., et al. “The putative essential nutrient pyrroloquinoline quinone is neuroprotective in a rodent model of hypoxic/ ischemic brain injury.” Neuroscience 1994;62:399-406.
18.Lu, H., et al. “Protective effect of Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) in rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage.” Cell Mol Neurobiol. March 23, 2015.
19.Crow, M.T., et al. “The mitochondrial death pathway and cardiac myocyte apoptosis.” Circulation Research. 2004; 95: 957-970. doi: 10.1161/01.RES.0000148632.35500.d9.
20.5. Stites, T., et al. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone modulates mitochondrial quantity and function in mice.” J. Nutr. 2006; 136 (2): 390-6. 6.
21.Zhihui, M., et al. “Pyrroloquinoline quinone induces cancer cell apoptosis via mitochondrial-dependent pathway and down-regulating cellular Bcl-2 protein expression.” Journal of Cancer. 2014; 5(7): 609–624. Published online 2014 Jul 29.doi: 10.7150/jca.9002.
22.He, K., et al. “Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of pyrroloquinoline quinone
(PQQ): Implications for its function in biological systems.” Biochemical Pharmacology. January 2003. Vol. 65, Issue 1, P67-74.
23.Stites, T., et al. “Pyrrologuinoline quinone modulates mitochondrial quantity and function in mice.” The Journal of Nutrition. February 2006. Vol. 136. No. 2. P390-396.
24.Kumazawa, T., et al. “Levels of pyrrolquinoline quinone in various foods.” Biochem J. April 15, 1995. 307(Pt 2): 331–333.