IO Genix Coenzyme Q10 Ubiquinone

What is IO Genix Coenzyme Q10 Ubiquinone?

IO Genix Coenzyme Q10 Ubiquinone is a supplement in softgel pearls. Each pearl provides 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 in the ubiquinone form, combined with 130 mg of linseed oil. The box contains 60 pearls, that is a two-month course at one intake a day.

Coenzyme Q10 is a molecule the body makes itself and which is found in high concentration in the most active tissues, notably the heart and the muscles. It is involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, that is at the very heart of the process by which the cell produces its energy. Its natural production declines with age, which explains the interest it attracts after fifty.

Three words circulate for the same family: coenzyme Q10, ubiquinone, ubiquinol. Ubiquinone is the oxidised form, ubiquinol the reduced form; the body moves from one to the other continuously. This product contains ubiquinone, the most common and the most stable form. The rest of the Spanish range can be found in our IO Genix section, and the other references in the category in our CoQ-10 section.

What does one Coenzyme Q10 pearl contain?

100 mg per pearl is the reference dose for this molecule, the one found on the vast majority of serious products. You come across 30 mg formulas, which force you to swallow three of them, and 200 mg formulas, which have not been shown to do better. At 100 mg in a single pearl a day, there is nothing to calculate and nothing to split.

The linseed oil is not there by chance. Coenzyme Q10 dissolves in fat, not in water: without a fatty carrier, it crosses the digestive barrier very poorly. Encapsulating the molecule in an oily base is therefore a useful formulation decision, not a selling point. It is also what explains the instruction to take it with a meal: a meal containing fat does the same job as the oil in the pearl, only better.

One point of honesty about this linseed oil, however. Its 58.5 mg of alpha-linolenic acid is a marginal contribution: the amounts that matter for this fatty acid are counted in grams per day, not in tens of milligrams. So do not count this pearl as your omega-3 intake — for that, it is our omega 3 section you need to look at. The linseed oil here is a carrier, not a second active ingredient.

On the regulatory side, we have to be direct: no health claim is authorised in Europe for coenzyme Q10. Not on energy, not on oxidative stress, not on the heart, not on fatigue. The old version of this page claimed the opposite and also announced a manufacturing certification that we cannot verify, along with a mention of limited quantities intended to rush the purchase. All three have been removed.

Ingredients list

Pearl (bovine GELATINE, humectant: glycerine, colours: iron oxides and hydroxides E-172), linseed oil (Linum usitatissimum), ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10), emulsifier (sunflower lecithin E-322), thickeners (polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, white and yellow beeswax E-901).

May contain traces of NUTS, PEANUTS, EGGS, MILK, SULPHITES, FISH and SOYA.

How do you take IO Genix Coenzyme Q10?

Serving: 1 pearl. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: during a meal containing fat. Frequency: one intake a day, with no exceeding it. Duration: one box corresponds to a 60-day course.

The instruction about a fatty meal is not a formality, it is the condition that determines how effective the intake will be. Swallowed on an empty stomach with a glass of water, coenzyme Q10 is very poorly absorbed. Taken in the middle of a lunch that includes olive oil, fish, eggs or cheese, it is absorbed far better. Midday is generally the most convenient meal for this.

Regularity matters far more than the exact hour. Two months is what a box covers, and it is also a reasonable period over which to judge an active ingredient of this type. An irregular intake allows no conclusion, in either direction.

The manufacturer asks that you avoid taking it at the same time as an anticoagulant treatment, unless medical advice says otherwise. This precaution is a serious one and we come back to it below. It is not specific to this brand: it applies to every product based on coenzyme Q10.

For broader support, the pearl combines without redundancy with a multivitamin, a vitamin E or a standardised turmeric. If you introduce several products at the same time, space them out by a fortnight: it is the only way to know what is actually making a difference for you.

Who is coenzyme Q10 for, and who is it not for?

It is mainly of interest to adults over forty or fifty, in whom natural production is declining, and to the endurance athlete looking to add a baseline active ingredient to a routine already in place. It is a product with a very short formula — two active ingredients, one pearl a day — and that is a good criterion in a category where fifteen-component formulas are the norm.

It is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans: the shell is made of bovine gelatine. This is the most frequently overlooked piece of information on this type of product, and it settles the purchase for a share of customers. No plant-based version exists for this particular reference.

Nor is it suitable, without medical advice, for people on anticoagulant treatment. The reason deserves explaining rather than simply copying out: coenzyme Q10 is structurally close to vitamin K, and an interaction with vitamin K antagonists is documented. If you take an anticoagulant, the question is one for your doctor or your pharmacist before buying. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also seek professional advice. The product is to be kept out of the reach of children.

What not to expect from it: this is not a stimulant, you will feel nothing when you take it, and that is perfectly normal for this type of molecule. It is not a product for immediate performance, it is not a fat burner, and it is not a treatment. Any question relating to the heart, to persistent fatigue or to ongoing medication is a matter for your doctor, never for a supplement bought on its own.

Coenzyme Q10 or omega 3, which should come first?

The two often end up in the same basket, and one of them is almost always more urgent than the other.

Omega 3 at a real dose — that is a fish oil providing several hundred milligrams of EPA and DHA per capsule — addresses a dietary shortfall that is common in France, in anyone who eats little oily fish. It has claims authorised in Europe and defined daily intake thresholds. If you take nothing today, that is where to start.

Coenzyme Q10 follows a different logic: it is not a nutrient that the diet supplies in significant amounts, and there is no deficiency in the classic sense. It has its place in someone whose dietary base is already sound and who wants to add a targeted active ingredient, particularly with age. It is no substitute for omega 3, and the 58.5 mg of ALA in this pearl in no way replaces them.

The two go together very well, at the same meal, one even acting as the fatty carrier for the other. And if your need is more about general vitamin and mineral coverage, a multivitamin will answer it better and for less. For a short-formula antioxidant from another family, the NAC section offers an alternative.

Frequently asked questions

Ubiquinone or ubiquinol, what is the difference?

They are the two states of the same molecule: ubiquinone is the oxidised form, ubiquinol the reduced form, and the body converts one into the other continuously. This product contains ubiquinone, the most stable and the most widespread form. Ubiquinol is generally more expensive, without its superiority being established for a healthy adult.

Why does it have to be taken with a meal?

Because coenzyme Q10 dissolves in fat and not in water. Taken on an empty stomach, it is very poorly absorbed. The linseed oil in the pearl helps, but a meal genuinely containing fat does far better. Lunch is the easiest moment to stick to.

Is this pearl suitable for vegetarians?

No. The shell is made of bovine gelatine, of animal origin. That is the point which rules this reference out for a vegetarian or vegan diet, regardless of the linseed oil, which for its part is of plant origin.

How long does a box last?

Two months, at one pearl a day for 60 pearls. That length matches what can reasonably be assessed with a baseline active ingredient: two weeks allow no conclusion at all, two months make for an honest first trial.

Can it be combined with omega 3?

Yes, and it is even a practical pairing: both are taken with a meal, the fish oil serving as additional fatty carrier. There is neither duplication nor competition between the two, since the 58.5 mg of ALA in the pearl does not constitute a significant omega 3 intake.

Is it compatible with heart medication?

This question is not settled on a product page. The manufacturer advises against taking it at the same time as an anticoagulant unless medical advice says otherwise, because of a structural kinship with vitamin K. If you are on cardiovascular medication of any kind, discuss it with your doctor or your pharmacist before buying.

Do you feel anything when you take it?

No, and you should not expect to. It is a molecule that acts at the cellular level, with no associated sensation. A product in this category that produced a noticeable effect within the hour ought in fact to arouse suspicion rather than satisfaction.

Where can you buy IO Genix Coenzyme Q10?

The box of 60 pearls can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product in front of which we ask two questions before selling: “are you taking an anticoagulant?” and “are you vegetarian?”. Both answers change the conversation, and it is better to ask them over the counter than after the box has been opened. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.