On the other hand, Gvozdjáková et al. observed an increase in sperm density in iOAT patients after 3 (39.8%, p< 0.001) and 6 months (78.0%, p< 0.001) of treatment with a multivitamin complex including carnitine, vitamin E and vitamin C and CoQ10 [ 41]. Though 90–200 mg of CoQ10 per day is typically recommended, needs can vary depending on the person and condition being treated ( 8). Statin Medication Use Those taking statin drugs. These drugs, commonly used to treat high cholesterol, can deplete CoQ10 levels in the body. Taking a CoQ10 supplement can help prevent a deficiency while on these medications. One thing to note is this supplement doesn’t have an absorption enhancer, which means you should take it with or after a meal that has healthy fat sources to ensure optimal absorption. Coenzyme Q10 (PDQ)-Health Professional Version. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/coenzyme-q10-pdq#section/all. Accessed Oct. 18, 2020.

Vegetables. Along with many vitamins and minerals, a lot of vegetables contain CoQ10. Among them, broccoli has high CoQ10 content, weighing in at 0.6 to 0.86 milligrams per 100 grams. Infertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive after at least 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual activity, is estimated to affect between 8 and 12 percent of reproductive-aged couples [ 1, 2]. Male factor infertility (MFI) can be identified in around 50% of cases in this scenario [ 1, 3]. Couple’s infertility is a frequent ailment, and the Global Burden of Disease survey found that, over the past three decades (1990–2017), the age-standardized prevalence of infertility has increased annually by 0.29% in males and 0.35% in women [ 4].

Since CoQ10 deficiency is rare, most people don’t need to worry about taking a CoQ10 supplement. Groups that generally wouldn’t benefit include: Though these drugs are generally well tolerated, they can cause adverse side effects, such as serious muscle injury and liver damage. The same group subsequently studied the effect of a 26-week course of 200 mg daily CoQ10 vs. placebo. Compared to placebo, sperm density (16.8 ± 4.4 × 10 6/mL vs. 28.7 ± 4.6 × 10 6/mL, p = 0.005), motility (25.4 ± 2.1% vs. 35.8 ± 2.7%, p = 0.008) and morphology (14.8 ± 4.1% vs. 17.6 ± 4.4%, p = 0.01) were significantly higher in the treatment group, showing a positive correlation with treatment duration. Moreover, the increase in sperm density and motility remained evident even 3 months after treatment, though less markedly [ 30].

Though still controversial, some preliminary evidence suggests that CoQ10 may help prevent or treat the adverse effects, such as muscle pains and liver problems, of taking statin-type cholesterol drugs. In the context of male infertility, causes can be classified as (I) congenital (II) acquired and (III) idiopathic, which comprises nearly 30% of infertile couples [ 5]. Idiopathic infertility is assumed to be associated with risk factors that have a detrimental impact on the reproductive capacity of the male population [ 6, 7, 8, 9]. Oxidative stress, which is known to play a pathogenic role in a variety of diseases [ 10, 11], may also have a relevant impact on spermatozoa’s activity. Hence, lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, obesity, varicocele, infections and psychological stress, which have been associated with infertility and poor sperm quality [ 12, 13, 14] may indeed exploit their effect through oxidative stress [ 15, 16, 17]. The process is thought to influence between 30 and 80% of subfertility cases, and, for this reason, the category of MOSI (male oxidative stress infertility) was created [ 18]. In this regard, it was suggested that increased oxidative activity may negatively impact the reproductive function by reducing sperm concentration and motility [ 19]. Accordingly, infertile men display imbalance of the blood oxidation status and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in seminal fluid has been correlated with sperm motility, morphology, and count in astheno- and oligoastheno-teratospermic males [ 20]. Moreover, reports have linked these factors to sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), a recurrent disruption observed in idiopathic male infertility [ 21, 22]. As a proof of concept, several authors have investigated the efficacy of antioxidant supplementation (such as L-carnitine, selenium, Coenzyme Q10, ubiquinol, and vitamins C and E) in infertile men, with positive results on sperm quality [ 23]. However, the limited understanding of MOSI’s etiology has prevented the development of established guidelines regarding its treatment [ 24].

In a subsequent study, Alahmar et al. administered a 3-month course of 200 mg CoQ10 to 65 patients affected by idiopathic OA related infertility and 40 fertile subjects. The results showed an improvement in semen parameters and a reduction in OS markers and SDF in the former group [ 53].

Further large-scale RCTs are necessary to determine whether CoQ10 is a viable treatment for people experiencing statin-related muscle pain. Treating migraines In 2020, Terai et al. randomized 31 patients with idiopathic male infertility to receive an antioxidant supplement containing CoQ10 (90.26 mg), L-carnitine, zinc, astaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and vitamin E or hochu-ekki-to (a Chinese herbal medicine). Sperm analysis and LH, FSH and testosterone serum concentrations were performed before and after 3 months of treatment. Both groups did not show any endocrinological or semen parameters increase. Total motile count was the only semen parameter to show a significant increase after treatment in the supplement group ( p = 0.04), whereas no significant changes in hormonal parameters were observed [ 44]. Many people will be just fine without a CoQ10 supplement; however, there are certain groups who are at higher risk of a CoQ10 deficiency or who otherwise may benefit from taking a CoQ10 supplement. They include: Emami A & Bazargani-Gilani B. (2018). Effect of oral CoQ 10 supplementation along with precooling strategy on cellular response to oxidative stress in elite swimmers. In 2020, Sadaghiani et al. enrolled, in their single-blinded trial, 50 oligospermic and asthenospermic patients, who were active smokers, to evaluate the effect of antioxidant supplementation (30 mg CoQ10, 8 mg zinc, 100 mg vitamin C, 12 mg vitamin E, 400 µg folic acid once a day and 200 mg selenium every other day) on semen parameters [ 46]. After 3 months of supplementation, mean sperm volume and total sperm count increased from 3.48 ± 1.44 to 3.71 ± 1.42 mL ( p = 0.032) and from 21.76 ± 23.02 × 10 6 to 23.22 ± 23.28 × 10 6 ( p = 0.001), respectively. Additionally, total sperm motility, progressive motility and normal sperm morphology increased from 27.22 ± 13.69% to 31.85 ± 5.82% ( p = 0.001), from 9.82 ± 9.10% to 11.57 ± 10.18% ( p = 0.001) and from 23.22 ± 23.28% to 33.60 ± 20.01% ( p = 0.003), respectively [ 46].Shen Q, Pierce J. Supplementation of coenzyme q10 among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Healthcare. 2015;3(2):296-309. doi:10.3390/healthcare3020296