Ubiquinol vs. CoQ10: What's The Difference?

People have been taking CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) supplements to support their heart health for more than 30 years, but very few probably realize that CoQ10 supplements are commercially available in two forms: Ubiquinone, the fully oxidized form of CoQ10, and Ubiquinol, the fully reduced form of CoQ10. The difference between Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol can be confusing, and consumers often wonder about the differences. Both Ubiquinone, often referred to as Conventional CoQ10, and Ubiquinol play important roles in the body's production of cellular energy, but an important distinction is that, when taken as a supplement, Ubiquinone must be converted to Ubiquinol in order to act as an antioxidant. 

What's the Difference: Ubiquinol vs. Ubiquinone?

Here's the biggest difference:  When Ubiquinone is taken as a supplement, your body has to first convert it to Ubiquinol before it can be transported in the blood as an antioxidant. This means your body has to do more work before it can send Ubiquinol off to your organs and cells to do its thing. As we get older, our ability to convert Ubiquinone to Ubiquinol becomes less efficient.

Just as your car is powered by gas, your heart, and other organs are powered by cellular energy. Put simply, to create this energy, Ubiquinone, also known as CoQ10, shuttles electrons down a path in your cells called the electron transport chain. As electrons move along the chain, Ubiquinone accepts two electrons, and these added electrons turn Ubiquinone into Ubiquinol. Ubiquinol then passes its extra electrons down an energy gradient to other molecules in the chain. During this process, cellular energy is created in the form of ATP, which makes it usable by the body.