Description
What is Q10? Q10 is a vitamin-like substance that has several important functions in the body. Among other things, it participates in energy production in the mitochondria, the “powerhouse of the cell “, and occurs in our vital organs. Q10 is found in all the body’s cells, but above all in the heart, liver and organs, which require a lot of energy and it plays a major role in our immune system and our general health. Q10 is a substance that occurs naturally in the body when we are born and it decreases with age. Low values of Q10 can lead to lack of energy and in the worst case, problems with the heart. To find out your Q10 values, you can measure the concentration of Q10 in the blood with a simple blood test from GetTested. How does Q10 work in the body? Q10 is a coenzyme that is a body-specific vitamin-like substance that supports many important processes in the body and occurs in our vital organs and cells, mainly in the cells of the heart and immune system. The body’s own production takes place in the liver and we get a small amount from the food, where rapeseed oil and mackerel are two good sources. Production in the body decreases with age and begins to decrease already when we are in our 30s. Q10 is active in the cells’ mitochondria where all energy conversion takes place from the nutrients we eat. Q10 also has an important role as an antioxidant and prevents the cells from being broken down by free radicals. Q10 also counteracts oxidation of LDL cholesterol, ie. the bad cholesterol. Benefits with extra supplements Extra intake of Q10 strengthens the heart and can reduce pain in people suffering from fibromyalgia (pain sensitivity and muscle aches). As the natural levels of Q10 in the body gradually decrease with age, it is important to have knowledge of what the levels look like in the body in order to be able to support the body at abnormal levels. People with chronic heart failure often have reduced Q10 levels, people who suffer from fatigue / depression and those who take lipid-lowering medications (so-called statins) can improve their health by supplementing with Q10. Athletes who want to improve their performance and oxygen uptake have also been shown to have a positive effect from adding extra Q10. Hard physical work lowers the body’s natural levels of this antioxidant, which can cause muscle weakness and fatigue, as the increased muscle activity in athletes requires higher energy production and thus higher levels of Q10. Smokers have also been shown to feel better from Q10 supplements as their oxygen uptake capacity is often low. Coenzyme Q10 is found in many skin care products primarily to counteract wrinkles. The antioxidant properties protect the cells against free radicals, which is one of the factors for premature ageing, and studies show that Q10 can counteract the formation of wrinkles from, for example, sun exposure and increased age. In addition, this antioxidant can help the skin cells’ energy metabolism and cell renewal from within, which can improve skin quality. How the Coenzyme Q10 Test works? GetTested’s Coenzyme Q10 test is done via blood by taking a small poke in the finger and filling a test tube with a number of blood drops. The test requires a slightly larger amount of blood than our other tests, which may mean that you may need to collect blood from two fingers. After you place your order, you will receive a complete test kit that contains everything you need to be able to take the blood test at home. Your test is then sent to our certified and professional lab for analysis and you then receive your test result digitally.
