Does CoQ10 lower cholesterol? What the research does and doesn't show

The evidence doesn't support CoQ10 as a treatment for high cholesterol. A 2022 pooled analysis of 50 randomised trials (2,794 adults) found small average differences versus control: about -3 mg/dL for LDL cholesterol and -5.5 mg/dL for total cholesterol. The trials disagreed with each other, and doses and forms were pooled.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support CoQ10 as a treatment for high cholesterol, or as a replacement for anything a clinician has prescribed. It doesn't show that the lab changes matter for health: the analysis reports blood values, not heart attacks or strokes. It doesn't give a dose for you: the pooled doses varied, and the one dose-response estimate is a statistical curve, not a trial of a set dose against placebo. And it doesn't compare CoQ10 with any medicine; every result below is against placebo or no treatment.

What the trials found

Fifty trials, pooled. A 2022 meta-analysis of 50 randomised trials in 2,794 adults found that CoQ10 lowered total cholesterol (-5.53 mg/dL, 95% CI -8.40 to -2.66), LDL cholesterol (-3.03 mg/dL, 95% CI -5.25 to -0.81) and triglycerides (-9.06 mg/dL, 95% CI -14.04 to -4.08), and raised HDL cholesterol by 0.83 mg/dL (95% CI 0.01 to 1.65). Heterogeneity was moderate to high (I2 54 to 82%), which means the trials gave noticeably different answers. A dose-response model found the largest fall in total cholesterol at 400 to 500 mg a day. The abstract does not state forms, durations or who was studied beyond "adults" (Liu 2022). Those are averages of a few mg/dL.

People with diabetes, 7 trials. A 2015 meta-analysis of seven placebo-controlled trials lasting at least 12 weeks (356 patients with diabetes) found that CoQ10 alone did not change LDL or HDL cholesterol. Triglycerides differed by -0.26 mmol/L versus placebo (95% CI -0.47 to -0.05). The authors said data were limited (Suksomboon 2015).

Statin users, a different question. The one pooled trial set we read in people taking statins asked about muscle symptoms, not cholesterol: eight placebo-controlled trials (472 people) found no significant change in creatine kinase or muscle pain with CoQ10 (Wei 2022). That is the studied population, not advice about any medicine.

Questions people ask

Does CoQ10 lower cholesterol, and can it, will it, or does it help?

On average, slightly, in pooled trials: about 5.5 mg/dL for total cholesterol and 3 mg/dL for LDL. The trials disagreed, and the result describes groups, not a person.

Does CoQ10 lower LDL, or triglycerides?

The 50-trial analysis reported average differences versus control of about -3 mg/dL for LDL and -9 mg/dL for triglycerides. In seven trials in people with diabetes, triglycerides differed slightly and LDL did not change.

Is CoQ10 good for high cholesterol, or for lowering it?

The evidence doesn't support it as a treatment. High cholesterol is diagnosed by blood test and managed by a clinician; a few mg/dL on average is not a substitute.

How quickly does CoQ10 lower cholesterol?

The analysis abstract gives no durations. The diabetes trials each lasted at least 12 weeks. We can't give a time to expect a change.

How much CoQ10 lowers cholesterol, and what is the dose?

There is no established dose. The model's largest total cholesterol change was at 400 to 500 mg a day, a modelled estimate across mixed trials. See CoQ10 dosage for the doses the studies we read used.

Does CoQ10 lower cholesterol without statins?

The abstract doesn't say who in the 50 trials took statins, so we can't answer that. This page doesn't compare CoQ10 with any prescription, and it isn't a substitute for treatment a doctor has prescribed.

Does red yeast rice and CoQ10 lower cholesterol?

We found no trial in our sources that tested CoQ10 with red yeast rice in a way that separates their effects, so we say nothing about the combination. If you take any prescription, ask your prescriber before adding either.

When to talk to a doctor

High cholesterol has no symptoms and is found by a blood test. If yours is high, or you have a family history, a clinician decides on treatment. CoQ10 is not a treatment for high cholesterol, and nothing above supports stopping or reducing a prescribed medicine. If you take statins or any other prescription, ask your prescriber or pharmacist before adding a supplement.

Related reading: CoQ10 benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, CoQ10 and medications, CoQ10 dosage.