The study was published in the journal Antioxidants Twenty-eight men were studied to examine the effects of taking 300 mg of CoQ10 (HydroQSorb) or a placebo daily in combination with vigorous exercise for 21 days.
“Although previous studies have reported an increase in serum vitamin D after exercise, this is the first to demonstrate that this process is inhibited by the antioxidant CoQ10,” the Polish authors noted.
They concluded that their results showed that “CoQ10 significantly corrected exercise-induced changes in vitamin D metabolism.”
Increase in reactive oxygen species
CoQ10 is essential for cellular energy metabolism and has strong antioxidant properties, whereas vitamin D is not considered an antioxidant but can promote cellular enzymatic antioxidant capacity.
Exercise increases free radical production and oxidative stress markers, influencing metabolic changes by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS).
ROS can inactivate dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), an enzyme important for the elimination of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and methylarginine (MMA), both of which compete with arginine for the active center of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and inhibit the synthesis of NO.
ROS have also been shown to affect vitamin D metabolism. Exercise can also increase serum levels of 25(OH)D3, possibly through lipolysis and stress response.
Because vitamin D hydroxylase and CoQ10 are both found in mitochondria, the authors of the new study suggest a possible interaction.
CoQ10 supplements
At the beginning and end of the 21-day period, participants (aged 20-21 years) performed exercise tests to exhaustion. Blood samples were taken before exercise, immediately after exercise, 3 hours after exercise, and 24 hours after exercise.
Serum samples were analyzed for CoQ10, vitamin D metabolites, ADMA, symmetric dimethylarginine, MMA, dimethylamine, arginine, citrulline, and ornithine.
Results showed that serum CoQ10 concentrations increased 2.76-fold in the supplement group, while 25(OH)D3 concentrations increased after exercise only in the placebo group.
After exercise, baseline serum concentrations of ADMA increased, which the authors hypothesized was due to muscle protein breakdown.
“Our data suggest that CoQ10 supplementation may modify the effects of exercise on vitamin D and MMA metabolism, with beneficial effects,” the authors concluded.
“These findings help us understand how antioxidants like CoQ10 can modulate the biochemical response to exercise and may provide new insights for enhancing exercise capacity and recovery.”
The results showed that CoQ10 supplements counteracted the exercise-induced increase in several vitamin D metabolites, indicating a regulatory effect on vitamin D metabolism, which the authors suggested may be related to the antioxidant properties of CoQ10.
“This indicates an interrelationship between vitamin D, oxidative stress, and CoQ10 supplementation,” the researchers noted.
However, the authors noted that this study was limited by its small sample size and recommended that “future studies should increase sample size and/or adopt a cross-over study design.”
They added that future researchers should use muscle biopsies to assess changes in CoQ10 concentrations in muscle tissue to draw more detailed conclusions about the observed responses.
Journal: Antioxidants
Source: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13070760
“Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q-10) supplementation affects exercise-induced changes in serum 25(OH)D3 and methylarginine metabolites: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.”
Author: Mieszkowski, J. Et al.
