Dr. Mark Gordon on supplements: what the evidence says · JRE #2262
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTS
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
And then it's got PQQ and CoQ10. PQQ is a form of CoQ10. It's a sister. And it's 100 to 1,000 times stronger. But it's what it does. It increases mitochondrial function. I know you've had a lot of people here talking about mitochondrial function, and that's a major piece in how to reverse things like neurodegenerative diseases and improve mental functioning.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) and CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10) are chemically distinct compounds, not the same family: PQQ is a water-soluble, redox-cycling orthoquinone, whereas CoQ10 is a fat-soluble electron carrier, so calling PQQ a form or sister of CoQ10 is inaccurate. The 100 to 1,000 times figure is real but describes PQQ's efficiency in redox-cycling assays compared with other enediols such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), not a comparison with CoQ10; peer-reviewed literature states PQQ can be 100 to 1,000 times more efficient in redox cycling than enediols like ascorbic acid and menadione. On the neurodegenerative claim, mitochondrial dysfunction is an active therapeutic target, but reviews caution that translating mitochondrial-targeted therapies into effective treatments remains a significant challenge, that curative treatments remain elusive, and that agents like CoQ10 yield only modest benefits in clinical trials, with no such therapy shown to reverse neurodegenerative disease in humans. The potency number is thus attached to the wrong comparator and the reversal claim overstates the current evidence.