Gary: Do you recommend Coenzyme Q-10?

Hello Gary,
A friend has suggested that coenzyme q 10 is “the” supplement that should be taken above any other. I had a look at your store, but couldn’t find any reference to it. Have you any thoughts on the subject that you’d care to share?"B"
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Gary Moller comments:

"B", Do you really need it? That’s the big question. I assume that coenzyme Q-10 was recommended because you may feeling tired, possibly a bit off the pace and not recovering quite as quickly as before – or something like that.

I have tossed up on stocking Q-10; but have not to date. The problem is that almost every supplement has its enthusiastic proponents and research to back it; but we can’t take the lot, can we? So, one of my roles as a natural health advisor is to help a person work through the thousand or so options to settle on the few essential supplements that will hopefully cover their needs.

Q-10 is definitely essential for health and energy. However; the body produces it and you also get it through a healthy diet. I do worry that, if a person habitually ingests an artificial source of an internally manufactured substance, the body reduces its own natural production in response. This is what happens if caffeine is ingested habitually, causing the body to reduce its production of natural neurotransmitters; hence addiction. This is known to be the case with various substances other than caffeine and may even be the case with coenzyme Q-10, so it is prudent to exercise caution until the hard evidence is in, if ever it is that this does not happen.

Why not assist the body with its natural production of Q-10? It is no coincidence that Q-10 exhibits many of the physiological benefits of the B group of vitamins and also magnesium. These are essential for cardiovascular and nervous health and it just so happens that a rich supply of B vitamins (and various proteins) is necessary for the synthesis of coenzyme Q-10. So why not assist the body to do its work, rather than take over the whole job? I would definitely not take supplementary Q-10 if the intake of B vitamins is low.

Now, because you are in a full-on stressful job ("B" is an aquaintance) and because you just don’t know how to relax after work – running about the hills and plummeting down mountainsides on bikes all days of the week – it is reasonable to assume that your need for the B vitamins and magnesium is much higher than most. You are also at ­that age, or thereabouts, where you need to be giving the body a little more TLC than previously.

So, my advice is to stock up on the nutrients that assist your body with manufacturing coenzyme Q-10 naturally. That means taking a quality vitamin B supplement 2 times per day. You should probably add a mineral supplement that has magnesium due to all the exercise you are doing and that age thing. Because you work indoors and because riding a bike about Wellington does not have you exercising in a near-naked state, I urge you to get a blood test for vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D is responsible for many ailments, as well as low energy and even flagging libido. So get it checked out and then you will know where you stand. So far, the highest levels of anybody I have had tested is 68 (my own) which is pretty damn poor (optimum is 120-160). The odds are on that you are too low.

To assist recovery and energy you might like to consider the latest product that I have added; effervescent glutamine. These few supplements are probably all you need to give those energy levels a boost, so long as your diet is rich in quality protein, nuts, colored fruits, vegetables and berries and whole grains.

It is possible that your requirements are more specific than this advice is for. In that case, it would be best to arrange to come and see me some time.