The Cardio Connection and Raw CoQ10
By Extra Ordinary Health Writers
 A
Blast from the Past
The year is 1957. Dwight D. Eisenhower begins his second term as
President of the United States. John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet;
three years later the Beatles are formed. The iconic children’s book The
Cat in the Hat is published. And CoQ10 was discovered, although it was
met with absolutely zero fanfare.
It’s not surprising that the discovery of CoQ10 was an anonymous
event. In fact, compared to other nutrients, CoQ10 has always taken a
back seat. When vitamin C was discovered, the scientists who did so were
awarded a Nobel Prize. Do you know why vitamin A is named vitamin A?
It’s because it was the first vitamin discovered; it paved the way for
all other vitamins. But CoQ10? Other than being noted for its funny
name, it remained in relative obscurity for the two decades following
its discovery. You can’t stop science, though. Eventually, CoQ10 was
given its credit due. While it may never be the most well-known
nutrient, it has become one of the highest-selling nutrient supplements
in the world and with good reason.
Vitamin-Like
Did you know that
CoQ10 is not a vitamin? Instead, it is often hailed as a
“vitamin-like substance.” Technically, it is a coenzyme, which means
that it combines with enzymes in promoting metabolic reactions in the
body. It is “vitamin-like” in that CoQ10 is required by the body, but
what makes CoQ10 interesting is how the body uses it.
Energy Production
For starters, 95 percent of all of the energy produced in the body
requires a form of CoQ10. (Notice the word form. It becomes an integral
part of the CoQ10 story in a bit.) This can easily be seen when we look
at the largest energy-consuming organs in the body. The heart, liver and
kidneys all have very high concentrations of CoQ10. In the 1980s, when
CoQ10 was finally given some time in the spotlight, it was in no small
part due to the fact that scientists found a correlation between CoQ10
levels and heart health.
The energy production alone is enough to make
CoQ10 an important nutrient. It turns out, however, that CoQ10 is a
clever chameleon. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it
changes—literally. CoQ10 has the ability to easily convert into
different forms within the body (most notably, ubiquinone and ubiquinol)
as the body needs it. Ubiquinone is the form CoQ10 takes when the
body needs it for energy production. When the body needs CoQ10 to act as
an antioxidant, however, it readily converts into ubiquinol. This
conversion happens back-and-forth as necessary.
Antioxidant
In its ubiquinol form,
CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant. Oxidative stress caused by free
radicals has become a well-known health concern over the last
decade—which, coincidentally, was about the same time CoQ10 sales began
to rise. Due to its chemical structure, CoQ10 is adept at preventing
oxidation in fats and proteins, proving that it is not only powerful,
but also versatile. It even helps other antioxidants perform by helping
them to regenerate!
 Ubiquinone
vs. Ubiquinol
Where supplements are concerned, there has been much debate over
which form of CoQ10 is better as a supplement—and it has led to a lot of
confusion. The honest answer is that it doesn’t really matter. Remember,
the body readily converts from one form to another as it needs it!
What is important is making sure you are getting the most pure form of
CoQ10 possible.
Purity & Raw
At
Garden of Life, that means RAW. Ever since launching
Vitamin Code RAW Multivitamins, Garden of Life has become the leader
in RAW, whole food supplements. RAW CoQ10 follows that tradition; it is
uncooked, untreated, unadulterated, and contains live probiotics.
RAW CoQ10 is also vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free.
The raw food movement has exploded over the last few years. Once
relegated to local farmers’ markets and food co-op programs, the demand
for raw products has skyrocketed in health food stores. Not
surprisingly, the raw food movement can be traced back to the advent of
processed foods. Recently, increased focus on how over-processing foods
has affected health has pushed the movement to the forefront.
 Garden
of Life’s RAW CoQ10 is a product that emulates two of the most
fundamental and foundational principles in Garden of Life’s philosophy
on human health: whole food nutrition and RAW living nutrients.
Of course, the new star of the raw supplement show is our
CoQ10—the only raw CoQ10 we’ve ever found. Each dose contains 200mg
of RAW CoQ10. Since
CoQ10 is a fat-soluble nutrient—meaning that it has to be consumed in
the presence of fat in order for the body to utilize it—our RAW CoQ10
contains a premium source of fat: RAW, cold-pressed chia seed oil with a
healthy matrix of omega-3/6/9 fatty acids.
RAW CoQ10 also offers live probiotics. Probiotics are an important
part of many nutritional supplements, since nutrients are processed
through the digestive system, and probiotics aid healthy digestion.
Finally, in keeping with Garden of Life’s philosophy on whole food
nutrition, RAW CoQ10 contains 22 RAW and organically grown fruits and
vegetables.
When added together, the ingredients in RAW CoQ10 have been shown
to:
- Support Cardiovascular Function and Heart Health
- Provide Powerful Antioxidant Support
- Fight Free Radicals
- Support Cellular Growth, Energy Production and Physical
Performance
- Support Healthy Aging and Longevity
- Support Digestive Health
- Promote Regularity, Digestive Comfort and Healthy Elimination
The Little Nutrient That Could
CoQ10 has come a long way from its humble beginnings. As we mentioned
earlier, you can’t stop science. While CoQ10 was initially overlooked in
favor of better-known nutrients, repeated studies have shown its
importance in heart health, energy production and as an antioxidant.
RAW CoQ10 by Garden of Life represents the next step in the
evolution of CoQ10 and earns a well-deserved spot in the Nutrition Hit
Parade.
Resources:
For more information on the Raw CoQ10 by Garden of Life, click here.
Garden of Life Product and Price List page
Garden of Life Raw Vitamins & Supplements
Article: Raw is Good for Your Health, Are Your Vitamins Raw?
Article: The Raw Revolution
Article: Is Your Multivitamin Raw?
Article: Raw Interview with Jordan Rubin
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