Ingredient guide
Ubiquinol vs. CoQ10: What the Difference Actually Is
Short answerUbiquinol is not an alternative to CoQ10 — it is one of CoQ10's two forms. Ubiquinone is the oxidised form, ubiquinol is the reduced form, and your body converts between them constantly. Ubiquinol tends to absorb better, which matters more as you get older.
The labelling in this category is genuinely confusing, and some of that is deliberate. A bottle marked CoQ10 and a bottle marked ubiquinol are not two different nutrients. They are the same molecule in two different oxidation states.
Two forms of one molecule
Coenzyme Q10 cycles between two states in your body. Ubiquinone is the oxidised form — the version in most CoQ10 supplements, and the one nearly all of the older research used. Ubiquinol is the reduced form, carrying two extra electrons, and it is the form that acts as an antioxidant.
Your cells convert one into the other continuously depending on what they need. So taking either raises your total CoQ10 pool. The argument between them is about absorption, not about function.
The absorption argument
CoQ10 is a large, fat-soluble molecule, and absorption is poor in both forms. Ubiquinol is generally reported to absorb better, and the practical reason is that supplemental ubiquinone has to be reduced to ubiquinol before it can do antioxidant work — a conversion step that some evidence suggests becomes less efficient with age.
Two things follow from that. If you are in your thirties and healthy, ubiquinone will very likely serve you fine and costs less. If you are older, ubiquinol removes a conversion step your body may be doing less well.
| Ubiquinone (CoQ10) | Ubiquinol | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Oxidised | Reduced, antioxidant-active |
| Research base | Larger, older | Smaller, newer |
| Absorption | Lower | Generally higher |
| Stability | Very stable | Oxidises more readily |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
Take it with fat
This applies to both forms and it is the single most useful thing on this page. CoQ10 is fat-soluble, and absorption improves substantially when it is taken with a meal containing fat rather than on an empty stomach. Softgels suspended in oil exist for the same reason.
A note on statins
Statins inhibit the same biological pathway your body uses to make CoQ10, and lower blood CoQ10 levels are a well-documented consequence. Whether supplementing changes any outcome is a separate question, and one for your prescriber — not for a supplement label and not for us.
If you take a statin or any prescription medication, raise it with your doctor before adding CoQ10.
What we use
Viara CoQ10 uses ubiquinol in softgel form, which handles both the stability problem and the take-it-with-fat problem. Non-GMO, third-party tested, made in the USA.
Named forms, not generic labels
Where the form changes the product, we say which one is in the bottle.
Shop Daily FoundationsThis page is general information about ingredient forms, not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Talk to your doctor before starting a supplement, particularly if you take prescription medication or have a health condition.