Cellular energy is vital for a multitude of bodily processes and functions. It’s the core of healthy aging, cardiovascular health, and conception. The cell’s powerhouses, the mitochondria, are the driving force behind the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of our cells.

Ubiquinol, the active antioxidant form of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), is naturally present in every cell of our bodies. As the only lipid-soluble antioxidant created in the body and concentrated in the lipid-rich environment of the mitochondria,1 ubiquinol plays a significant role in cellular energy production. Highlighting its importance, ubiquinol is required for 95% of the body’s cellular energy production.2 It facilitates the generation of cellular energy by transferring electrons in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), a process integral to converting nutrients into ATP.

Cellular Energy’s Role in Maintaining Overall Health

Cellular energy is essential for supporting the complex series of events that fuel our major organs, contract our muscles, and power the energy-intensive processes involved in reproduction.

For muscle health, ATP binds to myosin heads in muscle fibers, allowing them to interact with actin filaments and generate force. This process supports muscle contraction and is essential for all voluntary and involuntary movements.

In the cardiovascular system, ATP is crucial for maintaining the rhythmic contractions that pump blood throughout the body. Sinoatrial (SA) node cells in the heart generate electrical impulses that require a constant supply of ATP to facilitate ion exchange across cell membranes, ensuring the heart muscle can contract and relax efficiently.

The lungs also rely on ATP for the function of respiratory muscles, such as the diaphragm and intercostal muscles. These muscles need energy to expand and contract the chest cavity, enabling breathing and oxygen exchange.

Other major organs, like the liver and kidneys, use ATP to perform their metabolic functions, such as detoxifying blood, filtering waste, and maintaining electrolyte balance. ATP is also involved in various cellular processes like nutrient absorption, waste excretion, and chemical synthesis.

Reproductive processes, which have high energy demands, also depend on ATP. In males, ATP powers sperm motility, enabling them to swim toward the egg. In females, ATP is crucial during oogenesis, ovulation, and the early stages of embryo development, supporting cellular division and growth.

Mitochondrial Fission

Protecting the Body’s Capacity for Cellular Energy Production

As ATP is produced, some of the electrons leak from the ETC and react with oxygen, creating unstable reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules. ROS are oxygen-containing free radicals that seek out and steal electrons from nearby molecules, which can damage cells and mitochondria. Through its antioxidant action, ubiquinol neutralizes free radicals by donating electrons to them. Additionally, ubiquinol’s lipid-solubility lends it a highly protective role in the mitochondria, where it helps neutralize free radicals at their source. Ubiquinol has also been shown to protect the ATPase enzyme from oxidation, which is vital for the production of ATP.1

However, with age, our antioxidant mechanisms decline, and the body’s ability to convert oxidized CoQ10 (ubiquinone) to ubiquinol diminishes. This can lead to a decrease in ubiquinol levels and an increase in oxidative stress. The cumulative effects of environmental factors, such as pollution, and lifestyle influences, such as diet and stress levels, can further intensify oxidative stress. Elevated oxidative stress can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, which impacts cellular health, as well as the production of cellular energy and the processes it supports.

When mitochondrial functions falter, this can trigger cellular changes that, over time, impact bodily organs and systems, leading to premature aging and common age-related health conditions.3,4 Declines in mitochondrial function and ATP synthesis, and the consequent oxidative stress, may impact cardiovascular function.3 This process can also have a detrimental impact on reproductive cells, leading to decreases in sperm quality, ovarian reserve, egg quality, and damage to reproductive tissues vital for healthy conception.5-9

Kaneka Ubiquinol®: An Ally for Overall Wellness

Bioidentical to the ubiquinol naturally produced in our bodies, Kaneka Ubiquinol® promotes cellular energy production and offers antioxidant protection against ROS.

Dedication to Scientific Research

Kaneka Ubiquinol® is backed by rigorous scientific research and clinical experience that confirm its safety, efficacy, and health benefits. For over 50 years, Kaneka Nutrients has invested in researching ubiquinone and ubiquinol, demonstrating our commitment to scientific rigor. Currently, there are more than 85 published human clinical studies on Kaneka Ubiquinol® and over 17 years of positive consumer experience with Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplementation.

Clinical research shows that Kaneka Ubiquinol® is two times better absorbed than conventional CoQ10,10 and effectively increases plasma concentrations of ubiquinol. In a clinical study, healthy adults taking 200 mg of Kaneka Ubiquinol® daily for 30 days showed an increase in ubiquinol levels by approximately eight times compared to their baseline.11 This absorbability feature becomes increasingly significant as the body’s ability to convert ubiquinone to ubiquinol diminishes with aging and when there is oxidative stress. Kaneka Ubiquinol® requires no conversion to perform its antioxidant functions, readily offering potent protection at the cellular level.12

“When taken as a supplement, Ubiquinol offers a means of promoting mitochondrial bioenergetics, leading to more efficient cellular energy production.” – Sr. Scientific and Regulatory Advisor Risa Schulman, Ph.D.

Supporting Healthy Aging

Ubiquinol protects against oxidative stress, which, over time, can lead to premature aging and age-related functional decline. Supplementation with Kaneka Ubiquinol® has been shown in clinical studies to promote the body’s antioxidant capacity and replenish ubiquinol levels to support healthy ubiquinol/CoQ10 balance in the blood, which promotes cardiovascular health.13 Clinical studies demonstrate that total CoQ10 status and percentage of ubiquinol in plasma correlate with overall physical functioning and muscle health in older adults.14,15

Promoting Cardiovascular Health

Supplementation with Kaneka Ubiquinol® promotes heart health by aiding cellular energy production and providing antioxidant protection. Research demonstrates that Kaneka Ubiquinol®:

  • Supports the generation of cellular energy to provide the heart with the energy needed for proper function13
  • Promotes vessel health13
  • Protects against cellular and mitochondrial damage caused by oxidative stress1,5
  • Replenishes CoQ10 blood levels depleted by statin cholesterol medicines16

Supporting Preconception Health

In two open-label studies, Kaneka Ubiquinol® supplementation enhanced sperm motility and increased sperm count.17,18 Research also reveals that Kaneka Ubiquinol® supports healthy sperm morphology.18

Ubiquinol also supports female preconception health by playing a vital role in:

  • Protecting reproductive cells from oxidative stress
  • Promoting healthy mitochondrial function vital for oocyte health and development
  • Supporting cellular energy requirements for healthy egg function19

Antioxidant

Start Your Journey With Kaneka Ubiquinol®

Ready to boost your health offerings? A partnership with Kaneka Nutrients provides unmatched excellence for healthcare practitioners and supplement manufacturers. Kaneka Ubiquinol® stands out as a crucial element in cellular energy production and overall health, offering the scientific advantage needed for healthy aging, cardiac health, and preconception wellness. Get in touch to start your journey with us today.

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1. Ernster L, Forsmark-Andrée P. Ubiquinol: an endogenous antioxidant in aerobic organisms. J Clin Invest. 1993;71(Suppl 8):S60-5.
2. Martini FH. Muscle tissue. In: Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 2024:943-5.
3. Adebayo M, Singh S, Singh AP, Dasgupta S. Mitochondrial fusion and fission: the fine-tune balance for cellular homeostasis. FASEB J. 2021;35(6):e21620.
4. Pallotti F, Bergamini C, Lamperti C, Fato R. The roles of coenzyme Q in disease: direct and indirect involvement in cellular functions. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;23(1):128.
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6. Bentov Y, Casper RF. The aging oocyte––can mitochondrial function be improved? Fertil Steril. 2013;99(1):18-22.
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9. Agarwal A, Parekh N, Pannel Selvam MK, et al. Male oxidative stress infertility (MOSI): proposed terminology and clinical practice guidelines for management of idiopathic male infertility. World J Mens Health. 2019;37(3):296-312.
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11. Hosoe K, Kitano M, Kishida H, et al. Study on safety and bioavailability of ubiquinol (Kaneka QH) after single and 4-week multiple oral administration to healthy volunteers. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2007;47(1):19-28.
12. Kubo H, Yamamoto Y, Fujisawa A. Orally ingested ubiquinol-10 or ubiquinone-10 reaches the intestinal tract and is absorbed by the small intestine of mice mostly in its original form. J Clin Biochem Nutr.
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17. Thakur AS, Litarru GP, Funahashi I, et al. Effect of ubiquinol therapy on sperm parameters and serum testosterone levels in oligoasthenozoospermic infertile men. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015;9(9):BC01-BC03.
18. Cakiroglu B, Eyyupoglu SE, Gozukucuk R, Uyanik BS. Ubiquinol effect on sperm parameters in subfertile men who have astheno-teratozoospermia with normal sperm concentration. Nephro Urol Mon. 2014;6(3):e16870.
19. Lu J, Wang Z, Cao J, Chen Y, Dong Y. A novel and compact review on the role of oxidative stress in female reproduction. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2018;16(1):80.

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