Take Super CoQ-10 to Heart

– Dr. Daniel Edmundowicz, M.S., M.D., F.A.C.C., a leading expert in preventive cardiology and cholesterol management

“Maintaining your body’s CoQ-10 levels is important as you age. I recommend Super CoQ-10 to many of my patients, especially if they’re taking statin drugs.”


Coenzyme Q-10, a powerful antioxidant, helps support heart and blood vessel functions and is involved in the process that produces cellular energy. It’s found naturally in all body tissues, especially in the heart, kidneys, liver and muscles. And it’s capable of recycling and regenerating other healthy antioxidants, like vitamins E and C.

While our bodies do not depend on CoQ-10 for survival, experts agree it plays a central role in health maintenance.

Healthy CoQ-10 levels depend on several factors: Diet, genetics, oxidative stress (pollution, exercise, sunlight), aging and statin drugs can all influence the amount of CoQ-10 present in the body. Many foods (canola oil, liver, soy, sardines, beef, chicken and peanuts) contain the nutrient but, due to slow absorption of dietary CoQ-10, Americans are actually only getting 3-5 mg of the nutrient daily.

Statin drugs, used frequently to treat those with high cholesterol, have successfully reduced cardiovascular risk in the U.S. and all over the world. When used at recommended doses, they show little evidence of adverse side effects. However, studies show statins may lower the CoQ-10 levels in the body. Therefore, it is important to talk to your doctor to see if CoQ-10 supplementation is advisable.

More and more people are turning to supplementation to meet their CoQ-10 needs. The oral administration of CoQ-10 is extremely well-tolerated, and advanced formulas, like the new Super CoQ-10 from GNC Preventive Nutrition®, show truly superior absorptive characteristics. Super CoQ-10 utilizes new technology that enhances solubility, and in a clinical study of 60 healthy males, Super CoQ-10 was shown to provide 300% greater absorption than regular CoQ-10 products tested.

Dr. Edmundowicz is a member of the GNC Medical Advisory Board.