5 things you should know for 2021

Like most people, you’re probably ready to leave 2020 behind- but if this year has taught us anything, it’s that having good health is more important than ever.

Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death in Australia, killing one person every 12 minutes. Ubiquinol, the active form of coq10 found naturally in our bodies, is a fat-soluble antioxidant that supports heart health and cellular energy production.

In preparation for a healthy 2021, here are five things you should know about ubiquinol and your heart:

• Your heart literally never takes a rest; to keep you alive it must always be beating and therefore it needs a constant supply of energy. Ubiquinol directly supports energy production by being more bioavailable than ubiquinone (regular coq10) and is absorbed by your body 3-8 times faster. This is because Ubiquinol enters your body directly, instead of being converted from conventional coq10.
• As your heart needs a steady supply of energy to support the organs in your body, it is a good idea to eat plenty of nutritious food that supports heart health. Ubiquinol is found in a number of foods, such as chicken, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, mackerel, sardines, soybeans, lentils, peanuts, red meat, oranges and strawberries. However, we would have to eat an unrealistic amount of these foods to stop our levels of ubiquinol decreasing. Fortunately, we can supplement with ubiquinol to restore our natural levels of ubiquinol and support cellular energy production.
• Many people think that ‘heart failure’ is when your heart stops, but there’s more to it than that. Heart failure begins when your heart isn’t able to pump enough blood to sustain function in your organs. Studies show that levels of coq10 (and subsequently ubiquinol) are lower in patients with heart failure.
• Antioxidants support heart health by combating the free radicals (molecules with unpaired electrons) that are present in your body and contribute to oxidative stress- which has been linked to heart health issues. Unlike conventional coq10, ubiquinol has two more electrons. This makes ubiquinol a powerful “electron donor” and antioxidant that combats free radicals.
• As we age, our body slowly stops converting coq10 into ubiquinol and our natural levels of ubiquinol start to decline. At the same time, we may also find ourselves struggling with fatigue, stress and heart health problems. Supplementing with ubiquinol, along with a healthy lifestyle, may benefit middle-aged to elderly people.

Before taking a ubiquinol supplement seek medical advice from a doctor or consult your healthcare practitioner to find out whether a supplement is right for you. Always read the label.