Vitamins play a number of different roles in the body, including helping the body to synthesize other important molecules, such as coenzymes. Vitamin C is needed for your body to make an important compound known as Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, but it hasn't been shown that taking vitamin C supplements will increase your CoQ10 levels. Talk to your doctor before taking vitamin C or any other sort of supplement.
What is CoQ10?
Coenzymes are substances that are needed to help special proteins, known as enzymes, speed up chemical reactions in the body. CoQ10 has a number of roles. For example, it is needed for special parts of cells known as mitochondria to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the form of energy that your cells can use. CoQ10 also functions as an antioxidant, which means that it protects your cells and proteins from damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Vitamin C and CoQ10
A water-soluble vitamin that also fills many roles in the body, vitamin C is an important antioxidant and is also needed to make collagen, a protein that is needed for the health of your blood vessels, skin and connective tissue. In addition to these other roles, vitamin C is needed to synthesize CoQ10, although many other vitamins, including several members of the B vitamin family, are also needed to make CoQ10.
Increasing CoQ10 Levels
If you are trying to increase your CoQ10 levels, taking more vitamin C may not noticeably do the job because of how many other vitamins and minerals are needed to make CoQ10. CoQ10 can be naturally found in fish, meat and poultry. You can also take supplements of this coenzyme to increase your levels. CoQ10 supplements are often touted as a way to reduce some of the signs of aging as well as lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease and other disorders, though it has not been shown that supplements are effective in treating these diseases.
Considerations
Although vitamin C and CoQ10 are important for the human body, taking supplements can cause some health problems. For example, high doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems and large doses may also increase your risk of developing kidney stones. Similarly, CoQ10 supplements can cause problems with your digestive tract, such as nausea and heartburn. You should talk to your doctor before taking any sort of vitamin supplement.
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