Guide
How much CoQ10 should you take a day?
There is no established daily dose for CoQ10. This guide lays out the doses studies used, the safety range reviewed, and where our 200 mg sits.
No official daily requirement exists for CoQ10: supplement panels, ours included, read "Daily Value not established". The studies we read used 60 to 300 mg a day, and a safety review covered 60 to 1,200 mg. Our capsule has 200 mg, taken once a day. We make no benefit claim at that dose.
What doses the studies used
These are the doses and forms in the studies we cite. The table says what each tested, not what it found; results, with their limits, are in the research review.
| Study | Dose | Who and how long | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absorption of four formulations (1994) | 100 mg, single dose | 10 healthy adults | Not stated; powder capsule vs oil softgels |
| Absorption of a solubilised form (2006) | 60 mg a day | 54 healthy adults, 14 days | Not stated |
| Ubiquinol safety and absorption (2007) | 90, 150 or 300 mg a day | Healthy volunteers, 4 weeks | Ubiquinol (a branded product) |
| Exercise fatigue trial (2008) | 100 and 300 mg a day, separate arms | 17 healthy adults, 8 days each | Not stated |
| Safety risk assessment (2006) | 60 to 1,200 mg a day across studies | Healthy adults and patients | Ubiquinone |
Those are the sources: Weis 1994, Schulz 2006, Hosoe 2007, Mizuno 2008 and Hathcock 2006. The trials we read that reported an effect on a health outcome used 300 mg a day. We found none that tested 200 mg of ubiquinone.
Where 200 mg sits
Electric Tiger CoQ10 200 mg has 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 as ubiquinone per capsule, one capsule a day, 30 to a bottle, as low as $16.31 a bottle on subscription. That is between the two arms of the exercise trial (100 and 300 mg) and two-thirds of 300 mg. Neither arm was our dose, so we claim nothing from it. The capsule is plain powder with rice flour and no oil, and we have no absorption data on it.
The label directs one capsule once a day, 20 to 30 minutes before a meal, or as directed by your healthcare professional.
Questions people ask
How much CoQ10 should I take a day, per day, or daily?
There is no established dose. The honest answer is the label's: for our capsule, one capsule (200 mg) a day. If you take a different product, follow its label. If a clinician has suggested a dose for you, follow that. Where a number is quoted online as "the" dose, it generally comes from a trial of a particular form in a particular group.
Is 200 mg of CoQ10 too much? Is 300, 400 or 600 mg too much? What is too much?
A 2006 risk assessment of the ubiquinone literature found no dose-related gastrointestinal complaints between 60 and 1,200 mg a day and set an observed safe level of 1,200 mg a day; it judged data above that insufficient for a confident conclusion. It was written by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry trade body (Hathcock 2006). 200 mg is one-sixth of that level. 300, 400 and 600 mg are also inside the range reviewed, but our label says do not exceed the recommended dose, and we give no reason to go above it.
Can you overdose on CoQ10?
We found no overdose data in our sources, only that doses up to 1,200 mg a day were not linked to dose-related side effects. Don't exceed the label dose, and call a poison centre or your doctor if someone takes a large amount.
Is 100 mg of CoQ10 enough? What about 50 mg?
Enough for what is the problem: no trial we read set a dose at which a goal is met. The 100 mg arm of the exercise trial reported no effect statement. That is a gap in what was measured, not proof of an effect or its absence.
How many CoQ10 mg should I take, and how often?
Our capsule is a once-a-day product. The studies above gave doses once a day or as a daily total; we did not find a study that compared splitting a dose.
How much CoQ10 for energy, general wellness, people over 50, egg quality, heart or blood sugar?
We don't give goal-specific doses, because none of the evidence we read matches a goal to a dose of ubiquinone. For conditions, a clinician sets the plan. What trials found on specific outcomes is in the research review.
How much CoQ10 to take with a prescription medicine such as a statin?
We give no dose for use alongside any prescription, including statins such as atorvastatin, rosuvastatin or Crestor. If you take a prescription medicine, ask your prescriber or pharmacist before starting CoQ10, and read CoQ10 and medications.
Does the coq10 with ubiquinol 200 mg combination make sense?
Ubiquinone and ubiquinol are both CoQ10, so taking two products adds the doses together. We found no trial of the combination. Count the total milligrams across everything you take.
Is it safe to take 200 mg of CoQ10 daily?
The ubiquinone safety literature, summarised above, found no dose-related side effects in studies from 60 to 1,200 mg a day. That is not a guarantee for any individual. Our label advises asking a physician before use if you are pregnant or nursing, under 18, taking medication (especially blood thinners) or have a medical condition. See also CoQ10 side effects and when to take it.
Sources
- Bioavailability of four oral coenzyme Q10 formulations in healthy volunteers In 10 healthy adults, 100 mg CoQ10 in a soybean-oil softgel was absorbed best of four formulations; a powder capsule was one comparator.
- Comparison of the relative bioavailability of different coenzyme Q10 formulations with a novel solubilizate (Solu Q10) In 54 healthy adults taking 60 mg a day for 14 days, a solubilised CoQ10 raised blood levels more than crystalline or oily forms, though the main differences were not statistically significant.
- Study on safety and bioavailability of ubiquinol (Kaneka QH) after single and 4-week multiple oral administration to healthy volunteers In healthy volunteers, 90 to 300 mg a day of ubiquinol for 4 weeks raised blood levels without lab or ECG changes; it was not compared with ubiquinone.
- Antifatigue effects of coenzyme Q10 during physical fatigue In 17 healthy adults, 300 mg a day for 8 days eased a rating of fatigue after cycling; no effect was reported for the 100 mg arm.
- Risk assessment for coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) A 2006 review of the clinical literature found no dose-related side effects in studies from 60 to 1,200 mg a day.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
