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CoQ-10 shows shows a lot of promise for slowing the aging process but the jury is still out for whom and how much ...

It sounds like something from "Star Wars" — a robot wandering the universe with R2-D2 and C-3PO. Actually, it's nothing of the sort. CoQ-10, also known as coenzyme Q10, ubiquinone and Vitamin Q, is a vitamin-like substance present in every human cell, and it plays a vital role in converting fats and sugars into cellular energy.

It also commands special status as a powerful antioxidant, helping to protect the body from free radicals. The body synthesizes most of the coenzyme Q10 we need. The rest comes from food, in particular organ meats (liver and kidney), as well as beef, soy, sardines, mackerel and peanuts.

Several facts potentially link CoQ-10 to the aging process; and with roughly 77 million Americans facing middle age, it's no wonder that Vitamin Q is a hot research topic. One particularly strong link is that our CoQ-10 level drops as we near 30. In some studies, adults over 30 tested with 50 percent less CoQ-10 than their younger compatriots.

Alena Langsjoen is director of the Coenzyme Q10 Laboratory, Inc. in Texas, where she and her husband, Peter Langsjoen, M.D. and cardiologist, research the biomedical aspects of this still puzzling substance. Alena admits that there may be a connection between CoQ-10 and aging, but she quickly adds, "We know that things gradually go down hill when we hit 30, and we know that there's less CoQ-10 in the brain and certain tissues as we get older. But that's all we know right now."

Not Just Age
Researchers also find it interesting that poor eating habits and stress — factors that often increase with age — further decrease our Co-Q10 level. A third established fact states that Co-Q10 levels are significantly lower in patients with chronic disease, such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. This may indicate a relationship between our immune system and CoQ-10 levels. Although this intricate system to fight disease involves many nutritional variables, it is generally accepted that the immune system functions less efficiently in older adults, who, coincidentally or not, also have lower CoQ-10 levels than younger people.

For several years now, much of the CoQ-10 research has focused on its potential connection to heart disease. CoQ-10 levels in a healthy, younger person are high in heart muscle cells, due to the heart's high energy requirements. Congestive heart failure in particular has been strongly correlated with significantly low CoQ-10 levels in blood and tissue, and research indicates that the severity of heart failure correlates with the severity of CoQ-10 deficiency. Whether a low CoQ-10 level is a primary, secondary or combined cause for heart disease remains unknown.

Skin Deep
As for the recent introduction of wrinkle-fighting face creams loaded with CoQ-10, there are a few studies pointing to the coenzyme's skin rejuvenating prowess. One trial investigated whether topical application of CoQ-10 can slow or prevent photo-aging, the process that damages your skin due to exposure to ultraviolet sunlight and results in wrinkles, discoloration or susceptibility to cancer. The research concluded that applying CoQ-10 did somewhat reduce wrinkle depth, indicating that CoQ-10 may help prevent or reverse some photo-aging effects.

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