Short-term ubiquinol-10 supplementation alleviates tissue damage in muscle and fatigue caused by strenuous exercise in male distance runners

Background: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is the electron transporter in oxidative phosphorylation and an endogenous antioxidant. Recent researches have indicated that doses of 200-300 mg/day are needed to recognize effects to prevent oxidative damage in athletes, and the reduced form of CoQ10, ubiquinol-10, is more bioavailable than its oxidized form. Therefore, we hypothesized that higher doses of ubiquinol-10 could elevate plasma CoQ10 levels rapidly and exert physiological benefits in athletes. Therefore, a placebo controlled, double blinded test was carried out to determine the effects of ubiquinol-10 on the extravasate enzymes and fatigue levels of distance runners. Methods: Sixteen male collegiate distance runners were allocated to two groups receiving 300 mg/day of ubiquinol-10 (19.8 +/- 1.7 years) or a placebo (20.1 +/- 1.6 years) for 12 days during summer training that comprised 25- and 40-km runs on days 7 and 9, respectively. Results: Ubiquinol-10 elevated plasma CoQ10 concentration to 5.62 mu g/mL and significantly decreased activities of the serum extravasate enzymes, CK, ALT, LDH (P < 0.01), and AST (P < 0.05) on day 6. Subjective fatigue status was significantly elevated on day 10 (the day after the 45-km run) in the placebo group (P < 0.001), but did not significantly change in the group given ubiquinol-10. Therefore, ubiquinol-10 could mitigate tissue damage and alleviate fatigue status in distance runners during summer training. Conclusions: Ubiquinol-10 (300 mg/day) supplementation elevated plasma CoQ10 concentrations almost to plateau levels, decreased extravasate enzymes within six days, and suppressed the subjective fatigue in male distance runners.