antioxidants

You might have heard about even come across the Co Enzyme Q10 in supplement form or not, but did you know that you can also get CoQ10 from your diet? Let’s take a little tour and see how effective and useful this vitamin is and how much of this amazing vitamin we can actually get from our diet.

Shall we?

All you should know about CoQ10

The importance of CoQ10 cannot be over emphasized; it is so important to our cells that our liver actually make it. CoQ10  practically plays an important role in the production of energy throughout our cells; from sending messages between neurons in the brain, to moving our muscles and keeping our lovely hearts pumping. CoQ10 is also a powerful antioxidant (protects our cells from damage that may lead to mutations and even cancer).

Please note that: no single antioxidant can combat the effect of every free radical.

Why should I care about my CoQ10 levels?

It’s quite true that our bodies produce CoQ10, but not really enough to support optimal blood levels. We are all aware that stress can negatively affect our health; not just that, it can also lower our levels of CoQ10. Age can have an impact on our levels of CoQ10 too. CoQ10 levels peak between the ages of 19-21 and then start to drop after 21. In fact, our levels of CoQ10 drop by a whopping 65% by the age of 80!

There is a group of people that should really take CoQ10 very seriously, and they are those on statins. Statins are popularly prescribed to block the body from making cholesterol. Both cholesterol and CoQ10 use same pathways in the body, so while statins block that pathway against cholesterol, it affects the production of CoQ10 too. Statins are known to cause side effects such as muscle pain and research suggests that CoQ10 supplements can help decrease this muscle pain.

 

How much CoQ10 do we need?

Apparently, there are two (2) principal ways in which we can help our bodies to rebuild their natural CoQ10 levels: through the food we eat and by taking a CoQ10 supplement.

Research says a reasonable amount of about 90mg-200mg/day is the recommended daily intake of CoQ10. For older people or in severe cases, 300mg-600mg daily is recommended.  Although CoQ10 is found in food, we are normally unable to reach even the lower end of these suggested levels through diet alone. This is because the foods that are highest in CoQ10 are not usually part of our diet and sometimes, over consumption of some of those foods that contain CoQ10, might pose a huge threat on our health.

CoQ10 Food Sources

Since CoQ10 plays such an important role in energy production, you will find it in the highest concentrations in organ meats such as animal liver and heart. CoQ10 is also found in beef, pork, chicken, and fatty fish such as tuna, with beef having the highest amounts.

While the highest levels of CoQ10 are found in animal products, oils such as soybean, corn, and olive are also good sources. Fruits and vegetables have significantly low amounts of CoQ10.

 

FOOD                                       mg/ serving

Pork Heart……………………………. 10-24/ 3 oz

Beef heart…………………………….. 9.7/ 3 oz

Beef liver …………………………….. 3.3-4.2/ 3 oz

Pork liver……………………………… 1.8-4.5/ 3 oz

Beef muscle ………………………….. 3.1/ 3 oz

Pork muscle ………………………….. 1.7/ 3 oz

Chicken muscle………………………. 0.7-2.1/ 3 oz

Soybean oil………………………….. 0.7-3.8/ tablespoon

Corn oil ……………………………….. 0.2-1.7/ tablespoon

Olive oil ………………………………. 0.05-2.1/ tablespoon

Peanuts ……………………………….. 0.8/ oz (28 peanuts)

Sesame seeds ………………………… 0.5-0.6/ oz

Pistachio nuts………………………… 0.6 / oz (49 pistachio).

Source: https://www.qunol.com/blogs/blog/are-you-getting-enough-coq10-from-your-diet

 

Tips for getting more CoQ10 in your diet

• Do you find yourself snacking on the go? No problems, just replace that candy bar or bag of chips with a handful of nuts or seeds.
• Try adding more liver to your diet; pregnant women should be careful about liver consumption to avoid vitamin A toxicity.
• Incorporate foods that are higher in CoQ10 into one meal.

CoQ10 is a vital nutrient with many benefits, but we are generally unable to grab the amounts of CoQ10 recommended by some researchers from diet alone. Even if we include a lot of CoQ10 food sources, it would be almost impossible to reach the levels suggested to support cardiovascular health. Those with lower levels of CoQ10 due to age, stress, and statin use may also be unable to get enough CoQ10 in their diet to rebuild their levels. While including CoQ10-rich foods in our diets can help, adding a CoQ10 supplement to our regimen is the best way to ensure we are supporting our levels and utilizing this vitamin optimally.

 

 

1.) Carbohydrates from the okra plant can improve the quality of food products such as butter, mayonnaise, yoghurt and fruit drinks. Katerina Alba from the University of Huddersfield is investigating the potential of carbohydrates extracted from the pods of the okra plant. She posits that it could improve the quality of the product- it’s consistency, texture and shelf life.

2.) They have been found out to be a source of hydrocolloids. These help in absorption of fluids and healing necrotic, sloughy, granulating and epithelializing wounds through this medium.

3.) A study published in 2011 in the ISRN Pharmaceuticals shows that okra can be used effectively in managing and stabilizing blood glucose. The researchers noted that okra is a rich source of dietary fiber and has been traditionally used to manage diabetes. Note that this doesnt mean okro is a cure for diabetes.

4.) May Help Lower Cholesterol: A study published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societes for Experimental Biology found our that okra extracts may lower cholesterol levels. The okra interfered with cholesterol absorption and production.

5.) Good source of Antioxidants: These prove important for preventing heart disease, cancer and premature aging. Okra contains some including catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin, quercetin and rutin.

6.) Combats Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach linings are effectively reduced by okra. Polysaccharides in okra appear to inhibit the adhesion od Helicobacter pylori, an inflammatory bacteria known to cause gastritis to the stomach linings.

7. A cup of okro (100g) would help supply about 15% of a woman’s daily need of folate. Folate (vit B9) helps to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in infants.

A concerns arose which is that;
*When consumed with metformin, the effect of metformin (a medication used to manage blood sugar) was almost cancelled all out. Therefore, if metformin is taken with okra, the blood sugar creeps up.