CoQ10 Aides In Reducing Exercise-Induced Muscular Injury
If you have been following the mainstream supplement market I’m fairly certain you are no stranger to coenzyme Q10 aka ubiquinone, CoQ10. This powerhouse of a molecule plays a major role in mitochondrial energy metabolism and its reduced metabolite ubiquinol is responsible for antioxidant capability. Fortunately, clinical research is beginning to uncover the benefits of CoQ10 supplementation in the arena of athletic performance.
A recent study from the Graduate School or Comprehensive Human Sciences at the University of Tsukuba uncovered some beneficial properties of CoQ10 with relation to recovery. Eighteen elite Japanese kendo athletes participated in a single-blinded placebo controlled clinical study to determine whether or not supplementing with 300mg CoQ10 per day would reduce exercise induced muscular damage and oxidative stress.
As expected, skeletal muscle damage indicators increased greatly in the placebo group. Quite simply, creatine kinase levels increased 5 times and serum myoglobin increased upwards of 7.7 times during the five day training camp. The CoQ10 supplemented group showed significant attenuation of the same clinical markers which proved indeed that CoQ10 supplementation can quite possibly reduce exercise induced skeletal muscle damage. It should be noted also that in both groups both clinical markers returned to base line and changes in leukocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes were unaffected by CoQ10.
In closing, CoQ10 supplementation is beginning to prove itself as a potential aide to athletic recovery. Kendo training is no walk in the park and this clinical study put CoQ10 to the test through 5.5 hours of high impact physical training per day. The results of this study conclude that CoQ10 can be implemented into an athlete’s supplement protocol to assist in reducing exercise induced muscle injury.
Reference.
Kon M, Tanabe K, Akimoto T, Kimura F, Tanimura Y, Shimizu K, Okamoto T, Kono I. Reducing exercise-induced muscular injury in kendo athletes with supplementation of coenzyme Q10. The British Journal of Nutrition. 2008 Feb 20:1-7.
