CoQ10 may cut muscle injuries for athletes

Levels of markers associated with increased wear and tear in the muscle, like creatine kinase and lipid peroxide, were significantly lower in elite Japanese kendo athletes after consuming co-enzyme Q10 for 20 days, compared to placebo. Researchers from University of Tsukuba, University of Tokyo, and Kobe Gakuin University report their findings in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Michihiro Kon and co-workers recruited 18 elite Japanese kendo student athletes and randomly assigned them to receive daily supplements of CoQ10 (300 mg) or placebo for 20 days. The study was double-blind, meaning neither volunteers nor researchers knew who was receiving the active or placebo dose.

The volunteers had daily training sessions of five and a half hours per day for six days during the intervention period. At day three and five of the six day training period, the researchers report that both groups experienced increased in serum creatine kinase activity and the concentration of myoglobin, but these increases were significantly lower in the group receiving the CoQ10 supplements. Elevated levels of the creatine kinase enzyme are indicative of muscle damage and injury. Moreover, levels of lipid peroxide, a marker of oxidative stress, were also lower in the CoQ10 group after three and five days of training, said the researchers.

Steve - while a very small study, it adds to the ever-growing body of research showing CoQ10's importance in muscle function (including the heart, the body's most important muscle).