Ubiquinol and Ubiquinone: What’s the Difference and Why Should We Care?

Learn about the distinctions of CoQ10 in this insightful interview with Dr. William Judy!


Q:  Dr. Judy, what are ubiquinol and ubiquinone?  I’ve never even heard of these.

A:  These are two forms of CoQ10.  Those of you who are not CoQ10 aficionados may wonder what these are, but those of you who take CoQ10 may have heard that one form is preferred over the other.  But actually both are equally important.  Let me explain.

In the body, there are actually three forms of CoQ10.  Most people are familiar with only two forms:  the oxidized, which is scientifically called ubiquinone, and the reduced, which is called ubiquinol.

Ubiquinone is vital for energy production. Ubiquinol is a strong antioxidant. The third form is called ubisemiquinone and is vital for gene expression, protein turnover and activation, hormones, growth factor and a host of other factors which are essential to body function.

In the body, oxidized ubiquinone is biosynthesized, not ubiquinol.  However, 90% of CoQ10 found in blood plasma is in the form of the reduced ubiquinol.   So 90% of the biosynthesized...