The healthier our cells are, the more energy we have.
Hans / Pixabay – The healthier our cells are, the more energy we have.

Every cell in your body has its own power supply. Mitochondria are the power generators converting oxygen and other nutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the chemical power grid controller of each cell. It powers all the metabolic activities within the cell.

Additionally, mitochondria control cellular differentiation, cellular signaling, cell growth and cell death. It is an important part of every cell in your body.Mitochondria allow cells to produce up to 15 times more ATP than they would otherwise. Your bodies demand a lot of energy just to sleep, and much more when you are active.

Free radicals are atoms or molecules that have unpaired electrons. Paired electrons are very stable. Unpaired electrons are highly reactive – they seek and destroy anything in its path to obtain that extra electron to be stable. Free radicals are generated by all chemical processes in your body. As such, a plethora of free radicals are generated within each mitochondrion every second. It’s just the way things work.

Your body has the ability to counter this onslaught of free radical destruction with atoms or molecules that readily give up an extra electron – they are called antioxidants. Without an adequate supply of antioxidants, the mitochondria are defenseless to oxidative damage (think of excessive rusting).

If unchecked, your body will experience a decrease in ATP production. In a relatively short period, your cellular membranes will become damaged and molecular decay will begin. This free radical oxidation process can lead to further damage in other cells in your body. Over longer time, it becomes chronic low-level inflammation. This chronic low-level inflammation will lead to early aging and the onset of many degenerative diseases.

Your body protects itself in many ways. One of the antioxidants your body makes is coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is part of the energy creation network in your mitochondria. Ninety-five percent of the energy your body uses every day is generated by your mitochondria.

Your heart, liver and kidneys use the most energy and have the highest concentration of CoQ10. CoQ10 is generated in the mitochondria. It protects the mitochondria by neutralizing free radical attacks. CoQ10 also assists in the ATP production process making it more efficient.

CoQ10 is vital to each energy-producing cell in your body, especially those high-energy cells in your brain, heart, liver and kidneys. The levels of CoQ10 in your body, like many other components, start out healthy and proficient, and then begin to decline around 20 years of age. As you age, the levels fall precipitously. CoQ10 supplementation is needed to counter the effects of age and hormonal changes.

CoQ10 is typically found as ubiquinone in supplements. Ubiquinone is converted in your body to ubiquinol. The conversion process is not efficient. The Japanese developed a way to produce ubiquinol. CoQ10 supplements containing ubiquinol are more expensive, but are worth it. CoQ10 offers a wide variety of protection to your body. I have read many articles claiming to enhance your immune system, inhibit blood clot formation, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, prevent and treat heart damage and strengthen heart function.

Statin drugs used to treat cholesterol. Atorvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), fluvastatin (Lescol), cerivastatin (Baycolor Lipobay), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and simvastatin (Zocor) deplete natural levels of CoQ10 in your body. The chemical process initiated by a statin drug is to shut down your body’s production of CoQ10.

CoQ10 supplements can counter the effects caused by statin drugs. Natural sources of CoQ10 are oily fish (salmon and tuna), organ meats (liver) and whole grains. As with any supplement, check for any drug interactions before adding CoQ10 to your daily regimen.

One of the most interesting facts I’ve discovered about cholesterol is that 50% of the people dying from heart disease have healthy levels of cholesterol. It begs the question, why are statin drugs used to reduce cholesterol, when cholesterol is not a very accurate assessor of heart disease. More importantly, why is it prescribed without additional CoQ10 supplementation? I don’t know. You may want to ask you doctor.

 

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