CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) and blood levels
What 3 graded rows on coq10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) agree on for blood levels, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) and blood levels
3 rows · 43 peopleMostly an improvement: 2 of 3 rows, and most of the people. 1 found no difference.
- DGrade D× 3
- Rows
- 3
- Trials
- 3
- People
- 43
Where they differ
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade D, is a crossover trial of 21 people (2020) and found no difference.
The 2 rows that found an improvement ran longer (2 to 4 weeks) than the row that found no difference (2 days).
Only the 2 rows that found an improvement name men in their population.
The row that found no difference is newer (2020) than the 2 rows that found an improvement (2014 to 2018).
The rows
2 improved · 1 no difference- DGrade DBlood CoQ10 levels: ubiquinol vs ubiquinone · Improved
Open-label trial · n 12 · 2014 · Healthy volunteers
200 mg/day of each, in sequence · 4 weeks each, with a 4-week washout
Plasma total CoQ10 rose from 0.9 to 4.3 µg/mL with ubiquinol versus 0.9 to 2.5 µg/mL with ubiquinone; the increase was significantly larger with ubiquinol. No side effects noted.
Row on the CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) page · PubMed 27128225 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DBlood CoQ10: ubiquinol vs ubiquinone in older men · Improved
Crossover RCT · n 10 · 2018 · Older men
200 mg/day with a main meal · 2 weeks each, 2-week washout
Ubiquinol raised plasma total CoQ10 from 1.3 to 3.4 µmol/L (p < 0.05); the rise with ubiquinone was not significant. Neither form changed CoQ10 in blood cells or oxidative-stress markers.
Row on the CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) page · PubMed 30302465 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DBlood CoQ10 after one 100 mg dose: ubiquinol vs ubiquinone · No difference
Crossover RCT · n 21 · 2020 · Healthy adults aged 65 to 74
Single 100 mg dose of each · 48 hours per period, 1-week washout
Ubiquinol was 1.7 times as bioavailable as standard ubiquinone, a difference that was not significant (95% CI 0.9 to 3.1); the water-soluble syrup was 2.4 times (1.3 to 4.5). Absorbed CoQ10 circulated mostly as ubiquinol whichever form was taken.
Row on the CoQ10 (ubiquinol vs ubiquinone) page · PubMed 32188111 (opens PubMed)