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What is CoQ10?
Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a key vitamin-like, fat soluble nutrient present in mitochondria in every cell in the body. Mitochondria are the energy factories of all cells in the body. Cells which require more energy (cardiac cells, skeletal muscle cells, liver cells) have higher concentrations of CoQ10. CoQ10 supplementation has been used to treat many human clinical conditions such as heart problems, muscular dystrophy, myopthies and in combination with high cholesterol medication. CoQ10 has two important functions within the body: (i) Integral for energy generation through aerobic metabolism within mitochondria and in this function is extremely important for sustained energy during intense, endurance type exercise, (ii) anti-oxidant properties within the mitochondria and at other locations within the body (e.g. in the blood stream).
Are there only two forms of CoQ10?
CoQ10 exists in two forms: (i) The Oxidized Form – Ubiquinone and (ii) The Reduced Form – Ubiquinol. However, due to the low bioavailability of crude ubiquinone, there are many special preparations of ubiquinone available which help to increase both the solubility and absorption of ubiquinone. All of these preparations contain ubiquinone at their core (i.e. oxidized CoQ10).
Is the CoQ10 included within EnerGene-Q10 derived from Ubiquinone or Ubiquinol?
The CoQ10 within EnerGene-Q10 is derived from ubiquinone. Absorption of crude ubiquinone powder is as low as 1% because:
- Ubiquinone crystals have poor solubility as CoQ10 is fat soluble and they clump together in an aqueous environment
- High melting point of 48-52 o C so it does not melt at body temperature.
EnerGene-Q10 however contains a patented, bioavailable form of ubiquinone, Microactive™ CoQ10, which includes encapsulation with cyclodextrin and is designed to increase both the solubility and absorption of the crude ubiquinone.
What does “highly bioavailable” mean?
Bioavailability is a term used in relation to absorption, with is defined as the amount of an administered compound (in this case oral CoQ10) which reaches the bloodstream. EnerGene-Q10 uses Microactive™ CoQ10 which has been scientifically formulated to contain a highly bioavailable form of Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) ensuring more of it reaches a horse’s muscles.
What is the bioavailability of the CoQ10 in EnerGene-Q10?
For EnerGene-Q10, in which we use the patented Microactive™ CoQ10 formulation, we can infer that the there is positive bioavailability in horses as the skeletal muscle tissue CoQ10 concentrations were shown to increase by 40% with 9 weeks supplementation of EnerGene-Q10. MicroActive-Q10 is around 3x more bioavailable than regular CoQ10, as demonstrated in human studies.
What is the difference between your Co-Q10 and that found in human supplements?
Human supplements contain CoQ10 in a range of different formulation types depending on the specific product brand. For a direct comparison of Microactive™ CoQ10 in EnerGene-Q10 to the CoQ10 within a human-marketed supplement, the exact brand of human supplement would need to be known and additionally what type of CoQ10 is in that brand (not all human supplements declare the exact type of CoQ10 in their products).
However, if the exact type of CoQ10 was known it would then be possible to do a comparison in terms of properties in humans based on scientific reviews in the literature comparing the different formulations of CoQ10. In terms of CoQ10 in horses there is limited scientific studies available however it can be stated at this point in time is that Microactive™ CoQ10 is the only formulation of CoQ10 to ever be proven to increase skeletal muscle CoQ10 levels in horses after oral supplementation, and that no human formulation, irrespective of the type of CoQ10 contained within, has ever been shown to do this.
How will this benefit my horse?
Increases in skeletal muscle CoQ10 may result in more efficient energy production, delayed onset of fatigue during exercise, an improved response to exercise training and enhanced recovery following intense exercise. Horse owners will be able to identify horses that will most benefit from supplementation with CoQ10 by using Plusvital’s Speed Gene Test.
What does “nutrigenomic” mean?
The innovative field of nutrigenomics combines the studies of nutrition and genomics to investigate a horse’s nutritional requirements based on their genetic make-up. By linking these two areas, EnerGene-Q10 offers tailored supplementation to increase and maintain the energy levels of horses during exercise and is particularly suitable for horses that are T:T types according to our Speed Gene Test.
How is this supplement linked to Plusvital’s Speed Gene Test?
The Speed Gene Test is designed to predict optimum race distance and precocity potential by categorising horses as one of three genetic types: C:C (suited to sprint exercise), C:T (suited to exercise requiring speed and stamina) and T:T (suited to exercise requiring stamina). In a published scientific study, it was found that T:T horses (i.e. suited to exercise requiring stamina) had significantly lower cellular levels of CoQ10 than C:C horses (i.e. suited to sprint exercise). However, field trials have shown that using EnerGene-Q10 results in increased levels of CoQ10 in muscle cells, which is particularly important for horses requiring increased aerobic energy production.
Will EnerGene-Q10 still work even if my horse is not a T:T?
CoQ10 activity was not significantly different between C:C and C:T horses in the laboratory test results. However, an increase in CoQ10 concentration in skeletal muscle was observed in both C:C and C:T horses, although this increase was to a much smaller degree than for T:T horses. The benefit of this increase in C:C and C:T horses is unclear at this time, but CoQ10 will function the same within metabolic pathways in all three Speed Gene groups.
Does every horse use CoQ10 in the same way?
CoQ10 has the same biological functions within cells in every horse. It has an integral function in aerobic metabolism and anti-oxidant protection of the cells. As different types of horses (sprinters or stamina types) will have different proportions of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism occurring within their muscle fibres, the level of use of CoQ10 for energy production, and thus the requirement for CoQ10, will vary depending on the individual circumstances and type of exercise being undertaken. However, once it is utilised within cells, it will be used in the same way in every horse.
Can I use this before competition/racing?
Co-enzyme- Q10 can be used both during training and within competition as it is a vitamin like substance which is not present on any banned substance lists in any equine discipline. This is in keeping with all other ingredients used in Plusvital’s supplement range.
Plusvital Energene-Q10 is available from Amacron Equine Online Store
This horse supplement is available in Amacron Australia and New Zealand.
- For Australia refer to EnerGene Q10 - 1.5Kg
- For New Zealand refer to EnerGene Q10
- For inquiry you can call Amacron hotline at 1300 791 653