Your circulatory system is responsible for delivering blood, oxygen, and important nutrients throughout your body. If you are over 40, overweight, have diabetes or other conditions, and/or don't exercise much, you may be at risk for poor circulation. Symptoms include a "pins and needles" feeling on your skin and muscles that hurt or feel weak when you walk or move about, numbness, chest pain, swelling, or bulging veins. CoQ10 is a fat-soluble antioxidant that can support poor circulation and your overall health.

Read on to learn how.

What is Poor Circulation?

The human body has a complex network of blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to all organs and tissues. This network consists of arteries, capillaries, and veins. The arteries are responsible for transporting oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body. They branch out into smaller vessels known as arterioles, which then branch into even smaller vessels called venules to reach their destination.

Poor circulation occurs when the blood flow is not sufficient to provide the body with enough oxygen and nutrients. Poor circulation can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in the hands and feet. It can also lead to a higher risk of heart disease by limiting oxygen-rich blood from reaching your heart muscle.

Poor circulation can be caused by heart disease as well as some other disorders, including:

  • Diabetes is a disease in which the body cannot properly process glucose. When diabetes isn’t well managed, it can lead to poor circulation as well as serious complications such as heart disease or stroke.
  • Thyroid disease is a condition where your thyroid gland produces too much or too little hormone. It can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, and depression. Thyroid issues impact circulation by slowing down the heart rate, reducing blood flow, and lowering your body temperature. This can cause cold hands and feet.
  • Raynaud's disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes painful episodes of swelling in the hands and feet due to narrowed arteries carrying blood away from those areas back toward your heart. Although it is not known how Raynaud's is caused, it can be brought on by cold weather, stress, and certain medications.
  • Adrenal disorders can also cause poor circulation and are often associated with fatigue and muscle weakness.

How CoQ10 Helps to Improve Poor Circulation

CoQ10 is a natural substance that is produced by the body and plays an important role in maintaining healthy blood flow. It's also needed to reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and other functions related to your body's circulation.

CoQ10 has been shown beneficial in helping lessen symptoms of heart disease and diabetes, but it may also help people with poor circulation. Coenzyme Q10 does this by helping to improve endothelial function (your endothelial cells are found on the inside of your arteries and blood vessel walls). Q10 also helps to reduce the size of blood platelets, which can help move blood more efficiently through the circulatory system.

When you're young, you produce enough CoQ10 on your own to meet your body's needs and don't have to worry about poor circulation. However, as you age or if you have certain conditions or medications that cause damage to the heart muscle cells, your body may have low levels of CoQ10. Studies suggest that taking supplemental amounts of CoQ10 may help improve circulation by increasing blood flow through narrowed arteries.

Although CoQ10 is found in some foods, it is not present in adequate amounts.

To improve poor circulation with CoQ10 supplements, doses of 30 to 100 milligrams per day are typically used. However, your health practitioner may recommend that you take a higher dose. If you are taking a dose higher than 100 milligrams per day, it will likely be taken in divided doses to enhance absorption.

It is also worth pointing out that CoQ10 is a fat-soluble nutrient, which means that it is optimally absorbed when taken with fat. You will find many CoQ10 supplements encapsulated in oil for this very reason. For best results (and best absorption), we recommend also taking your CoQ10 supplement with either dietary fat or a supplement containing fat, such as an omega-3 fish oil.

Those who are taking Warfarin should exercise caution when taking CoQ10. CoQ10 is a nutrient that is metabolized in the body by the same enzymes that metabolize warfarin. If you are taking warfarin, it is important to check with your doctor before taking any CoQ10 supplements because they could interfere with blood clotting.

Specific Forms and Formats of Coenzyme Q10

Ubiquinone and ubiquinol are two different forms of coenzyme Q10. In biochemistry, coenzyme Q10 exists in two states: oxidized (ubiquinone) and reduced/active (ubiquinol).

Ubiquinone is the standard form of CoQ10 available in supplement form. You will find it in many different potencies. However, ubiquinone must be converted into ubiquinol to become fully bioavailable. This is harder for the body to do after 40 years old and for those with serious health concerns.

Ubiquinol is a more bioavailable form of CoQ10, which acts as an antioxidant to protect against free radical-induced damage to DNA, lipids, and proteins.

Doses of ubiquinone and ubiquinol will differ because ubiquinol is more readily absorbed by the body than ubiquinone. Generally speaking, half the dose of CoQ10 when using ubiquinol will suffice.

Supplements to Combine With CoQ10 for Poor Circulation

To enhance circulation, you can also use CoQ10 alongside ginkgo biloba and vitamin E. Ginkgo biloba supports healthy circulation throughout the body by opening blood vessels and making blood less "sticky." Vitamin E functions as a natural blood thinner. If you are on blood-thinning medications, speak to an expert before supplementing with ginkgo and vitamin E.

If you suffer from poor circulation, then it is important to speak with your doctor about whether CoQ10 would be the right supplement for you. If they recommend that you try this vitamin, then make sure that you take it at the recommended doses and in a form that works best for your body. Combining CoQ10 with other nutrients like ginkgo biloba or vitamin E may also help encourage healthy circulation.

FAQs on CoQ10

Is CoQ10 safe?

CoQ10 is a safe supplement when taken at the recommended doses. However, if you are taking blood thinners or any other medications, it is important to speak with a qualified health practitioner before supplementing with CoQ10.

Where to buy CoQ10?

CoQ10 is available at most health food stores.

References

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22088605/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12163010/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29330704/ 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36297067/