Coenzyme Q 10 helps protect your muscles during intense exercise

 Twenty ultra-runners participating in the 50 km run across Europe’s highest road in the Sierra Nevada’s near Granada Spain took part in this study. The Sierra Nevada Mountains have many peaks hovering between 9,000 to 10,000 feet. One group was not supplemented and the second group was supplemented with Coenzyme Q10. Researchers from the University of Grenada gave them a 30mg capsule two days before the run, three 30mg capsules the day before and one capsule an hour before the run.

The non-supplemented group had a 100% increase in 8-OHdG – a sensitive indicator of tissue damage whereas the Coenzyme Q10 supplemented group had a 37.5% increase. The level of creatine was also much lower in the urine of the Coenzyme Q10 group. Creatinine levels increase in the blood and urine when muscle tissue is damaged. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation decreased muscle damage during high-intensity physical performance. The study is published online in the European Journal of Nutrition.