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CoQ10 Benefits: What It Does, Foods & Supplements

By Ethan Boldt

September 8, 2026

Your heart works around the clock, and keeping it functioning at its best requires a steady supply of cellular energy. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a compound found throughout the body that plays an essential role in cellular energy production — particularly in high-energy-demand organs such as the heart.

CoQ10 also functions as an antioxidant, helping protect cells against oxidative stress. Together, these roles make it particularly important for supporting cardiovascular health, healthy circulation, cellular function and overall well-being.

As we get older, however, both cardiovascular function and CoQ10 status can change. Blood vessels can become less flexible, circulation may become less efficient and the body's own production of CoQ10 tends to decline with age. Certain medications and health factors can also influence CoQ10 levels.

Although the body produces CoQ10 normally and small amounts can be obtained through food, supporting healthy CoQ10 levels becomes increasingly relevant as we age. From supporting heart health and cellular energy production to providing antioxidant protection from oxidative stress, CoQ10 plays several important roles in helping the body function at its best.

So, what exactly does CoQ10 do, and what are the potential benefits of getting enough? Let’s take a closer look at how this important compound supports the heart, energy production and healthy aging.

What is CoQ10?

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a compound that plays an important role in cellular energy production and antioxidant defense against oxidative stress. Your body makes CoQ10 on its own, with some of the highest concentrations found in energy-demanding organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys.

Much of CoQ10’s activity takes place in the mitochondria — the structures within cells responsible for converting nutrients into usable energy. CoQ10 helps transfer electrons during this process, supporting the production of ATP, the primary form of energy cells use to function.

CoQ10 also acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells from oxidative stress and overall antioxidant support.

CoQ10 exists in several forms, including ubiquinone and ubiquinol. Ubiquinone is the oxidized form, while ubiquinol is the reduced form. The body can convert between these forms as needed.

Although the body normally produces CoQ10 and certain foods provide small amounts, CoQ10 levels can decline with age. CoQ10 supplements are therefore commonly used to support healthy CoQ10 levels, cellular energy production, antioxidant defenses and cardiovascular health.

Benefits

CoQ10 is best known for its roles in cellular energy production and antioxidant defense, but its benefits extend to cardiovascular and circulatory health. Here are some of the key reasons to support healthy CoQ10 levels.

1. Supports cardiovascular and circulatory health

The heart is one of the body's most energy-demanding organs, which helps explain why CoQ10 is found in particularly high concentrations in heart tissue. By supporting cellular energy production and antioxidant defenses, CoQ10 helps promote healthy cardiovascular function and overall heart health.

When paired with clinically studied bioactive peptides, CoQ10 can be part of a broader approach to supporting blood vessel and circulatory health, including healthy endothelial function and blood flow.

A randomized, placebo-controlled study published in Diabetologia examined the cardiovascular effects of CoQ10 supplementation in 40 adults. Participants received either 200 milligrams of CoQ10 per day or a placebo for 12 weeks.

Researchers found that CoQ10 significantly improved flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of endothelial function that reflects how well blood vessels widen in response to increased blood flow. Healthy endothelial function is important for maintaining normal circulation and overall cardiovascular health.

The researchers concluded that CoQ10 supplementation improved endothelial function, providing clinical evidence for CoQ10's potential role in supporting blood vessel and cardiovascular health.

2. Supports cellular energy production

One of CoQ10's most important jobs happens inside the mitochondria, the structures responsible for producing much of the energy cells need to function. CoQ10 participates in the electron transport chain, helping convert energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's primary form of usable cellular energy.

Because every cell requires energy, this process is essential throughout the body and particularly important for high-energy organs such as the heart. Supporting healthy CoQ10 levels therefore helps promote steady cellular energy production for everyday function.

3. Provides antioxidant support

CoQ10 also acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells and cellular membranes against oxidative stress caused by free radicals. This antioxidant activity complements CoQ10's role in mitochondrial function, providing another way it supports cellular and cardiovascular health.

Maintaining strong antioxidant defenses becomes especially relevant with age, as the body's normal CoQ10 levels can decline over time.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 50 people evaluated 100 mg/day of CoQ10 for 12 weeks. Compared with placebo, supplementation significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), a commonly used marker of oxidative stress.

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, CoQ10 supplementation was associated with improvements in certain biomarkers of oxidative stress.

4. Promotes blood vessel health and healthy blood pressure

Healthy circulation depends in part on the endothelium — the thin layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels — and its ability to help blood vessels relax and maintain healthy blood flow.

Ancient Nutrition's Active Peptides CoQ10 combines CoQ10 with clinically validated bioactive casein hydrolysate peptides that support endothelial and nitric oxide-mediated vascular function. Together, these ingredients promote blood vessel and circulatory health while helping maintain healthy blood pressure levels already within the normal range.

One double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial included 25 men. A casein hydrolysate containing the peptides Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) significantly increased reactive hyperemic blood flow, a measure of vascular endothelial function, compared with placebo. Importantly, blood pressure did not change during this short trial, suggesting the endothelial effect was independent of blood pressure.

This trial demonstrates how valuable casein hydrolysate peptide is in a CoQ10 supplement formula.

COQ10 foods

CoQ10 is produced normally by the body, but you can also get small amounts through your diet. The richest food sources of CoQ10 are generally animal-based foods, particularly organ meats, meat, poultry and fatty fish. Some plant foods also provide CoQ10, including nuts, seeds and certain vegetables.

Some of the best foods with CoQ10 include:

• Organ meats, such as liver and kidney

• Grass-fed beef

• Chicken

• Herring

• Sardines

• Mackerel

• Rainbow trout

• Eggs

• Pistachios

• Sesame seeds

• Broccoli

• Cauliflower

• Oranges

• Strawberries

Because CoQ10 is fat-soluble, consuming CoQ10-rich foods alongside a source of healthy fat may help support its absorption.

While a varied, nutrient-dense diet can provide CoQ10, the amounts found in foods are generally much lower than those commonly provided by CoQ10 supplements. For people looking to increase their intake significantly, supplementation can provide a more concentrated and consistent source of CoQ10.

Best type of COQ10 supplements

COQ10 is found in such low quantities in most foods that even a healthy diet might be an impractical way to meet the daily recommended dosages. Taking a daily, high-quality CoQ10 supplement in capsule form can close the bridge between this gap.

Dosage sizes of CoQ10 dietary supplements range anywhere from 50–1,200 milligrams per day, with most supplements falling in the 100–200 milligram range. Ancient Nutrition’s Active Peptides CoQ10 contain 200 mg of CoQ10 per serving, alongside 508 mg of clinically validated casein hydrolysate peptides. It’s non-stimulating and caffeine-free.

Your heart works hard every day, and it depends on steady cellular energy to keep doing its job well. Active Peptides CoQ10 is meant to fuel the systems that work hardest for you — with clinically validated peptides in a formula designed to promote cardiovascular health, circulation and antioxidant support in one daily serving. These convenient capsules also support healthy blood pressure levels (already within the normal range), cholesterol levels and cellular energy production.

Active Peptides CoQ10 provide simple daily support for cardiovascular health and circulation, without stimulants or caffeine.

List of references:

Watts GF, Playford DA, Croft KD, Ward NC, Mori TA, Burke V. Coenzyme Q10 improves endothelial dysfunction of the brachial artery in Type II diabetes mellitus. Diabetologia. 2002;45(3):420–426. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11914748/

Gholnari T, Asemi Z, Soleimani A, et al. The effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on glucose metabolism, lipid profiles, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with diabetic nephropathy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2018;37(3):188-193. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29111905/

Hirota T, Ohki K, Kawagishi R, et al. Casein hydrolysate containing the antihypertensive tripeptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro improves vascular endothelial function independent of blood pressure-lowering effects: contribution of the inhibitory action of angiotensin-converting enzyme. Hypertens Res. 2007;30(6):489-496. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17664851/