I took 10mg of PQQ: here’s what happened Joh

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I took 10mg of PQQ: here’s what happened

John O'Connor

Last updated on September 5, 2018

https://www.mygenefood.com/took-10mg-pqq-heres-happened/

Intriguing, thanks 8th.


What is PQQ and what does it do?


Put simply, PQQ is a redox cofactor… which isn’t particularly helpful I know, so let me elaborate.

Let’s break that statement down some; redox is the shorthand for reduction-oxidation, these balanced reactions involve the reduction of one (or many) molecule and the oxidation of another.

Importantly, these reactions also involve the swapping of electrons between molecules, which you can read as a means of transferring energy.

These reactions are absolutely fundamental to life. Think photosynthesis which involves the reduction of carbon dioxide into sugars in plants (essentially transferring energy from the sun to the plant), and the reactions which occur within our mitochondria to generate energy by breaking down these sugars (transferring energy from the plant to us).

I won’t go into much detail about these reactions as they are rather long and complex containing many different steps, with each one of these steps driven by a particular enzyme.

Enzymes function to speed up or facilitate natural reactions and they often require a cofactor to function. Cofactors are small molecules, often metal ions, but sometimes more complex structures which interact with an enzyme and allow it to function optimally.

Historically, there were thought to be just two redox cofactors, flavin (from riboflavin or vitamin B2) and nicotinamide which are both used by our mitochondria to generate energy.

PQQ is a novel third redox cofactor which is found in foods like kiwi fruit, green tea, green peppers and herbs such as parsley, and the fermented soy product nattō (R). It is unclear whether we can synthesize PQQ ourselves, with some suggesting that we source it solely from our diet, others arguing that is produced by bacteria living in our gut and yet others claiming we produce a low level ourselves.

What are the proposed benefits of PQQ?

PQQ Science Score:

★★ ★★ ★★ ★ ★


As John alluded to, the current data surrounding the use of PQQ in humans is rather limited, with just two published clinical trials (R,R).

Both these studies utilized a PQQ disodium salt (sold as BioPQQ) at a dose of 20 mg/day (pretty big dose). In the first study the authors report on a reduction in LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, while in the latter they report on improved cognitive function.

Given it’s role as a redox cofactor, and that we know how energy intensive powering the brain is, we can hypothesize that PQQ is achieving this by stimulating mitochondrial action, however there are no human studies confirming this effect. There is however a paper which did demonstrate a positive effect on mitochondrial efficiency in broiler chickens of all things (R).

It’s therefore difficult to determine a science score for PQQ, given its promising results, but lack of human evidence, a rating of six, feels appropriate. However, this is definitely one to watch as numerous studies are likely underway which may result in an improved rating.

I’ll hand back over to John now so he can report on how he felt about supplementing.

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