Why Is Coenzyme Q10 Taken as a Supplement?

September 16, 2026

You already have coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and your body makes more of it every day. It's what your cells use to turn food into energy (1, 2).

So why would someone take more?

Several reasons come up repeatedly, some better supported than others. Here is what the research has found.

Does CoQ10 Help With Fatigue?

Energy is made inside your cells on something like a production line, and CoQ10 carries electrons from one step to the next. The end product is ATP, the fuel for everything your cells do (1). Run short of CoQ10 and the line runs less efficiently.

Whether extra helps someone who is not short is what the trials tested. A 2022 review pooled 13 randomised trials covering 1,126 people and found CoQ10 reduced fatigue scores compared with placebo, with larger effects at higher daily doses and longer use (3).

Most of those trials were in people with an illness, from heart failure to multiple sclerosis to chronic fatigue syndrome, so the result does not establish that CoQ10 lifts everyday tiredness.

CoQ10 and Heart Health

This is where the evidence is strongest, and almost all of it comes from people with diagnosed heart failure.

The Q-SYMBIO trial looked at 420 people with moderate to severe chronic heart failure. They took either 100 mg of CoQ10 three times a day or a placebo, alongside their usual treatment. After two years, those taking CoQ10 had fewer major cardiovascular events: 15% compared with 26% in the placebo group. Cardiovascular deaths were also lower, at 9% versus 16% (4). A later analysis of the European participants found a similar reduction in both outcomes (5).

A Cochrane review of 11 trials found that CoQ10 probably reduces deaths from any cause and hospital admissions in people with heart failure. The evidence for these outcomes was rated moderate quality, but the review found the effect on heart function much less certain. Overall, the authors said there was still not enough evidence to determine whether CoQ10 should be routinely used in heart failure (6).

A 2024 analysis of 33 trials reached similar conclusions, also rating the evidence for reduced deaths and hospital admissions as moderate quality. It cautioned, however, that many of the underlying studies were small and poorly reported (7).

Antioxidant Protection

CoQ10 switches between two forms all day. As ubiquinol it works as a fat-soluble antioxidant, protecting cell membranes and the fats in your blood from damage. As ubiquinone it carries electrons for energy production (1).

That antioxidant role is one of the main reasons people take CoQ10. A 2020 review of 17 trials found it lowered a marker of oxidative damage and raised total antioxidant capacity (8). Whether moving those markers changes anything you would notice is less clear: a 2026 trial in older adults found no drop in oxidative stress in muscle (9).

Does CoQ10 Help With Statin Muscle Pain?

Statins work by blocking an enzyme your body also needs to make CoQ10, which is why the two are so often discussed together (10).

A 2024 review found four randomised trials, and all four reported improvement with CoQ10 (11). Larger pooled analyses disagree: one covering 12 trials found CoQ10 eased muscle pain, weakness and cramp (12), another covering eight found no significant benefit (13). They draw on the same trials. If a statin is causing you muscle pain, speak with your doctor.

Does CoQ10 Help With Migraines?

A 2021 review pooled six randomised trials in 371 people. CoQ10 cut migraine frequency by about 1.5 attacks a month and shortened attacks by around 11 minutes, with no change in how severe they were (14). The authors rated the evidence low to moderate and noted the trials were small. Migraine is a medical condition, so this is one for your doctor rather than something to self-treat.

Does CoQ10 Decline With Age?

Your CoQ10 levels fall as you get older (15). A study of 860 European adults aged 18 to 82 found levels peaking in middle age and declining after it (16). That is the usual argument for supplementing in later life, and it is a fair one.

What happens when you top those levels back up is less clear. A 2026 trial gave 40 adults in their seventies 400 mg a day for twelve weeks. Their blood levels rose, but CoQ10 in their muscle did not (9).

CoQ10 is a common skincare ingredient, and it has been tested as a capsule for the same purpose. In a 12-week trial, just over 30 adults taking 50 or 150 mg a day had fewer wrinkles around the eyes and smoother skin, though hydration and skin thickness did not change (17).

Is CoQ10 Safe?

CoQ10 is well tolerated in trials. The 2024 heart failure analysis found no significant difference in side effects between CoQ10 and control across 33 studies (7), and the fatigue review recorded a single stomach complaint among the 602 people taking it (3).

If you take warfarin, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, as there are reports that CoQ10 may reduce its effect.

Which Form Should You Take?

CoQ10 has relatively poor and variable absorption, so take it with a meal containing fat (2).

CoQ10 is sold as ubiquinone, usually labelled simply CoQ10, or as ubiquinol. Both are active, your body converts between them, and the longer cardiovascular record belongs to ubiquinone (1, 17). Trials have used anywhere from 60 to 600 mg a day depending on the form (17). We compare the two in Ubiquinol vs Ubiquinone: Which Form of CoQ10 Should You Take?

The Takeaway

The strongest evidence is in chronic heart failure.

If you take a statin, get migraines, or have a diagnosed heart condition, the evidence is worth raising with your doctor. Fatigue and skin ageing have promising trials behind them, but more are needed to confirm.

At Augment Life, Coenzyme Q10 provides 200 mg of ubiquinone per capsule, Ubiquinol Coenzyme Q10 provides 200 mg of ubiquinol, and Liposomal Coenzyme Q10 provides 250 mg of CoQ10 in a sunflower lecithin carrier.

Literature Sources

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Mantle D, López-Lluch G, Hargreaves IP. Coenzyme Q10 Metabolism: A Review of Unresolved Issues. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023;24(3):2585. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032585
Tsai IC, Hsu CW, Chang CH, Tseng PT, Chang KV. Effectiveness of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation for Reducing Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2022;13:883251. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.883251
Mortensen SA, Rosenfeldt F, Kumar A, Dolliner P, Filipiak KJ, Pella D, et al. The effect of coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure: results from Q-SYMBIO: a randomized double-blind trial. JACC: Heart Failure. 2014;2(6):641-649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2014.06.008
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Al Saadi T, Assaf Y, Farwati M, Turkmani K, Al-Mouakeh A, Shebli B, et al. Coenzyme Q10 for heart failure. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2021;2:CD008684. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008684.pub3
Xu J, Xiang L, Yin X, Song H, Chen C, Yang B, et al. Efficacy and safety of coenzyme Q10 in heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. 2024;24(1):592. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-024-04232-z
Akbari A, Mobini GR, Agah S, Morvaridzadeh M, Omidi A, Potter E, et al. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation and oxidative stress parameters: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2020;76(11):1483-1499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-020-02919-8
Schmücker M, Tranberg C, Borch J, Kaae MK, Damgaard M, Flensted-Jensen M, et al. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation raises plasma levels without improving mitochondrial function in older adults. GeroScience. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-02068-9
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Ahmad K, Manongi NJ, Rajapandian R, Moti Wala S, Al Edani EM, Samuel EA, et al. Effectiveness of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation in Statin-Induced Myopathy: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2024;16(8):e68316. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.68316
Qu H, Guo M, Chai H, Wang W, Gao Z, Shi D. Effects of Coenzyme Q10 on Statin-Induced Myopathy: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2018;7(19):e009835. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.118.009835
Wei H, Xin X, Zhang J, Xie Q, Naveed M, Kaiyan C, et al. Effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on statin-induced myopathy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Irish Journal of Medical Science. 2022;191(2):719-725. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-021-02651-x
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