The supplementation of ubiquinol, alongside a regimen of healthy diet, exercise, and practising mindfulness has been shown to significantly reverse biological age in a new study.
This is according to a new study conducted by Dr Denise Furnessfounder and chief scientific officer at Your Genes & Nutrition.
She pointed out the above during her recent presentation titled’Fuelling Longevity: How Ubiquinol Supports Mitochondrial Function” atthe three-day Growth Asia Summit held in Singapore on July 15 to 17.
The molecular geneticist revealed new findings on how a regimen ofhealthy diets, exercising, practising mindfulness, and supplementationof ubiquinol for three months has shown to reverse biological age by3.7 years from baseline.This was found to be a statistically significantfinding.
A total of 45 individuals with an average biological age of 548 years oldcompleted the study.
“Within three months of the intervention, which included whole food,exercise, mindfulness, and supplements including 200mg of ubiquinolwe saw that their biological age was reduced by 3.7 years, which wasstatistically significant” said Dr Furness.
Continuing the regimen for another three months has shown to producestatistically significant effects as well, with biological age reversed by3.9 years.
Bjological age was measured using PhenoAge in this instance.
This is an epigenetic age clock that estimates biological age byanalyzing biomarkers linked to DNA methylation.
DNA methylation is of interest as it reflect changes in gene expressionthat occur with aging.
Blood samples are taken to analyze biomarkers linked to DNAmethylation.
Another age clock, DamAge, which estimates biological age based onlevels of cellular damage, reported that following the above regimen folthree months can significantly reverse biological age by 8.7 years frombaseline.
The biological age was reversed by 8.1 years from baseline wherparticipants followed the regimen for six months. This was also astatistically significant finding.
Findings of the study are under review and pending publication in ascientific journal.
Reversing the biological age has become one of the key aims when itcomes to extending healthspan and achieving healthy longevity.
Healthspan is generally defined as the number of years withoutphysical limitations and without an age-related disease.
Simply put, it refers to the number of years one lives in good health.
Lifespan, on the other hand is concerned with chorological age, and thefocus these days has steered more towards achieving a longerhealthspan and not just a longer lifespan.
Ubiquinol’s role in healthy longevity
Ubiquinol, being an antioxidant and a crucial element for making energyin the mitochondria, plays a role in healthy longevity by tacklingmitochondrial dysfunction.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the 12 Hallmarks of Aging.
lt occurs when there is decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) andenergy metabolism, as well as excessive reactive oxygen speciesgeneration – which is a cause for oxidative stress and inflammation.These could lead to accelerated aging.
Ubiquinol is the reduced or the active form of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ1). Itcan also be referred to as the antioxidative form of CoQ10. lt is presentin the mitochondria or powerhouse of cells.
One of the ways it supports healthy longevity is through itsantioxidative effects, as well as making energy or ATP.
“In organs which require higher energy, such as the heart, muscles, andthe brain, there will be higher amounts of mitochondria, as well ashigher amounts of ubiquinol because ubiquinol is needed to feed intothe mitochondria to help support the electron transport chain.
“You can think of it as a factory making energy or ATP. Ubiquinolliterally gets and pass on these electrons, so it’s needed to make ATP.
“More importantly, ubiquinol is also an antioxidant…When we arethinking of healthy aging, we’re thinking about its energy componentand its ability to reduce oxidative stress – particularly in themitochondria, where there is a lot of reactive oxygen species beingproduced, since it is using oxygen to make energy” Dr Furnessexplained.
The fat-soluble compound can be produced by the body when theoxidized form of CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone, is converted.
However, the conversion of ubiquinone to ubiquinol could slow downwith aging, which means ubiquinollevels could decline as one ages.
In certain tissues, particularly the heart, the ubiquinol levels do declineand if you are living to 70. 80, and hopefully 90, we want to besupporting these endogenous natural compounds for our mitochondriaso that we can age well, because the body is just not making it to thesame levels…
“lf you are a big exerciser, you do want to be thinking about supportingyour mitochondria since you have a higher need for that,” said DrFurness.
Ubiquinol is currently solely produced by Japanese company KanekaCorporation.The company manufactures ubiquinol using a patentedprecision yeast fermentation method.
Ubiquinol for menopause, cognitivecardiovascular health
Existing studies have also shown that ubiquinol supplementation couldsupport aging-related areas such as menopause, cognitive andcardiovascular health.
Citing a study by Palacios S et al. and published in 2019, Dr Furnesssaid that the supplementation of 100mg of ubiquinol has shown tosignificantly improve the quality of life of postmenopausal women, aswell as improving their general health, mood and skin condition.
The observational study was conducted on 40 healthy women aged 45to 65 over three months.
In another study published in the journal Heart Lung Circulation in 2019Dr Furness said that the the combination of 60mg ubiquinol with statinfor six months was found to have significantly reduced muscle pain andmuscle injury.
This could be due to the medicine and ubiquinol’s ability in reducingskeletal muscle injury and improving myocardial function.