In today’s world, people eat to live and live to eat.The question in both cases, however, is how muchof what they are eating is truly absorbed by the bodyand how much of the nutrient content of the foodis actually available to be transformed into energy forsupporting basic bodily functions. This question isparticularly pertinent in the area of CoenzymeQ10, orCoQ10, a vital nutrient that is notoriously difficult forthe human body to absorb. CoQ10 has gained worldwiderecognition as an extremely important molecule,one that is found in virtually every cell of the body and isa key factor in the manufacture of ATP, the body’s mainsource of energy. CoQ10 is one of the most studiedingredients in the nutrition world and is utilized insupplements for heart health, brain health, skin health,oral health and sustained energy.
While CoQ10 is naturally produced by the humanbody, certain factors, such as age and illness, may interferewith the production of this essential coenzyme.Additionally, people with elevated levels of cholesterol orthose taking statin drugs are more likely to have reducedlevels of CoQ10, which is one of the reasons why mainstreamcardiologists are increasingly recommending itto patients. As result of all these issues, many peoplechoose to take this nutrient in supplement form.
But the fact most consumers are not aware of is,on average, only 3 percent of supplemental CoQ10 isabsorbed by the body. So in pharmacological terms,CoQ10 has very poor “bioavailability”; the rate and extentto which it is absorbed is extremely low. Factorssuch as those mentioned above —plus diet, gender oreven individual genetic differences— can further influencebioavailability, putting a question mark on whethersome people can absorb any CoQ10 at all.
A number of technologies have been developedto improve the bioavailability of CoQ10. These includethe use of “solubilized” CoQ10 often found insoftgels. However, while these approaches help addressthe bioavailability problem for some people, theyhave little or no effect on the rest of the population.
Unfortunately, there is no way to know whether youare a good absorber or a poor absorber of CoQ10 withoutextensive, intrusive testing. And yes, this applieseven to those CoQ10 products that claim improvedabsorption. So the new frontier of research in CoQ10absorption has been to find a technology that would ensureabsorption in all people, even those who are “poorabsorbers” due to their body chemistry, age or state ofhealth.
The good news is that after years of development,a breakthrough technology solution has finally arrived.Microactive® CoQ10 is a new patented form of CoQ10that has been shown in clinical trials to solve the uneven CoQ10 absorption problem and assure uniformenhanced absorption for everyone. The same technologyhas already been proven out with a related dietary nutrient,lutein, which also offers absorption challenges (seethe following The Lutein Connection article). Here is howMicroactive CoQ10 works. Each molecule of fat-solubleCoQ10 is “bonded” with a molecule of water-solublebeta-cyclodextrin (a natural derivative of starch). Thisprocess allows easy transport to the cells, as the betacyclodextrin“taxi” transports the CoQ10 easily throughthe digestive system to the cells and is not dependentupon the amount of fats in the diet. (This is particularlyimportant for people on low-fat diets.)
The patented proprietary MicroActive technologyalso reduces the particle size significantly so it easilypenetrates the cells and, in addition, the betacyclodextrinCoQ10 combination produces a sustained releaseso that even if the efficiency of the digestive system varies,CoQ10 is still absorbed. There is further evidencethat it is the sustained release component of Micro Active.
Four clinical studies have concluded that MicroActiveCoQ10 is three times better absorbed than regular(crystalline) CoQ10, two times better absorbed than solubilized(“improved bioavailability”) …CoQ10 softgels,and delivers sustained release over 24 hours.
Uniform absorption was found in both 24-hourand three-weeks studies. For example, 100 percent ofa group taking the MicroActive CoQ10 form doubledtheir CoQ10 levels after three weeks, while only 43 percentof the group taking the “more bioavailable” solubilizedform show the same result. Providing such uniformabsorption in everyone, Microactive CoQ10 is theonly ingedient of its kind in the market.
So when you reflect on the fact that “you are what youabsorb,” you should be using products with guaranteed absorption.And when it comes to Coenzyme Q10, MicroActiveCoQ10 clearly stands out from the rest of the pack.