Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 (also known as CoQ10 for short) is a substance that the body can and does make for itself, but all too often doesn't make enough of. Coenzyme Q10 is essential for life; it forms a major part of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, which is the part of the metabolism that gets the energy from food using oxygen. Accordingly, the more metabolically active an organ is the more coenzyme Q10 it needs.
Since all organisms (or at least all those that use oxygen) need to have this pathway in order to survive, all organisms and therefore a lot of foods contain one form or another of coenzyme Q. However, the length of one of the side chains in the molecule varies (from zero to 10) and hence many food sources need conversion into coenzyme Q10 before use. Some people can't make this conversion fast enough (the older the more likely) and so the use for coenzyme Q10 from external sources increases as one gets older.
Coenzyme Q10 is very important, as already stated, for any tissue that uses a lot of energy; it is found in the mitochondria (the major energy powerhouses of the cell) of which there are more in active tissues. Accordingly, coenzyme Q10 is very important for the heart, for the liver and for the immune system (which gets very active indeed if called upon to fight infection). In fact, in some countries coenzyme Q10 is used in congestive heart failure, which is a disorder in which the heart simply can't pump hard enough and therefore can't get enough blood into the tissues or through the lungs. In this case, coenzyme Q10 can help even if the problem is very serious.
Coenzyme Q10 is also very useful for endurance athletes, as it improves the rate of energy release in the muscles.
Coenzyme Q10 also has another use that has little to do with its primary metabolic use - it is a very strong antioxidant, because of its molecular structure (which is somewhat similar to those of vitamin E and beta-carotene).