CoQ10 Plus with Fish Oil and Vitamin E

CoQ10 is one of the most researched supplements on our shelves, and one of the most misunderstood. These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store: what it suits, what needs a chat first, and what rules it out.

A good fit if

• You're an adult with a straightforward health history and you don't take prescription medicines
• You want the choice of form based on the evidence rather than the packaging
• You're happy to take it with a meal that contains fat, which makes a real difference to how much you absorb
• You'd rather split a larger amount across the day than take it all at once
• You're comfortable reading the label, including the warfarin warning every product taken by mouth carries

Check with us first if

• You take warfarin. The Australian label warning tells you not to take CoQ10 while on warfarin without medical advice. CoQ10 is similar in structure to vitamin K, and in a few cases has been reported to weaken warfarin's effect, while other reports describe a higher bleeding risk with it. If the two are used together, your INR should be checked often, especially in the first two weeks.
• You take a statin. Don't stop or change a prescribed statin to take a supplement. Whether CoQ10 helps with muscle symptoms from statins is genuinely unsettled, so talk to the doctor who prescribed it.
• You're having chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Antioxidants may make these treatments less effective, and in an animal study ubiquinone appeared to reduce the effect of radiation therapy. Decide this with your cancer care team, not at the shelf.
• You take theophylline. CoQ10 slows how quickly your body clears theophylline, and the reported effects are serious.
• You take blood pressure medicines, insulin or other diabetes medicines. The effects may add up, so monitoring makes sense.
• You're pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Human safety data are limited to specific research settings, so this is a decision to make with a practitioner.
• You're buying for a child or teenager. Australia sets no children's limit for this ingredient and retail products are made for adults, so the dose is a question for a practitioner.
• You take more than about 200 mg a day. That's where stomach complaints such as nausea, heartburn and loose stools are most often reported.
• You're buying from an overseas website. Those products aren't regulated by the TGA for quality and safety, and the 300 mg Australian limit doesn't apply to them.

• Ubiquinone (ubidecarenone). Best known for: The original and most studied form. Almost all the older clinical research used it. Absorption: Your body has to convert it to ubiquinol on the way through. A 2026 crossover study found about half the blood levels of a ubiquinol product at 240 mg. Typical use: The standard form on Australian labels, usually 50–300 mg once a day with a meal that contains some fat.
• Ubiquinol (ubiquinol-10). Best known for: Arriving already converted, so it does not need changing before it can act as an antioxidant. Absorption: Roughly 2.0–2.2 times the blood levels (total and peak) of a ubiquinone product in one 12-person crossover study. A 2020 review disputes that the form itself is the reason. Typical use: Often chosen by adults over about 40 or people on statins. It is less stable in the capsule.
• Oil-suspension softgel. Best known for: Dissolving the CoQ10 in a carrier oil such as rice bran, soy or palm oil before you swallow it. Absorption: The carrier oil and how finely the crystals are dispersed are described as the main things that decide uptake, arguably more than which form is used. Typical use: The most common format for both forms. The oil base is why softgels dominate.
• Dry powder tablet or hard capsule. Best known for: Vegan-friendly options, and multi-ingredient formulas where an oil fill is not practical. Absorption: Depends heavily on whether the raw CoQ10 crystals have been heat-dispersed. Crystals that have not been dispersed absorb poorly. Typical use: Combination products, B-complex, multivitamins, magnesium blends, and vegan single-ingredient tablets.
• Solubilised, micellar or liposomal liquids. Best known for: Designed to get around the fat-solubility problem instead of relying on your meal for the fat. Absorption: Marketed on better uptake, but there is little head-to-head human data against a well-dispersed oil softgel, so treat comparison figures with caution. Typical use: Premium liquids and sprays, and a practical option if you cannot swallow softgels.
• Topical CoQ10 in skincare. Best known for: Cosmetic use in creams, serums and sunscreens. A different kind of product entirely. Absorption: Does not affect blood levels. It is allowed as a carrier at up to 0.05%, and not allowed in eye medicines. Typical use: Applied to skin. It adds nothing to the CoQ10 inside your body.

Reference values. None. Your body makes CoQ10, so it isn't classed as an essential nutrient, and the NHMRC sets no recommended intake for it. There's no amount you need to get from food or supplements.

Typical supplemental range. Australian labels most often provide 50–300 mg a day, with 150 mg the most common single-capsule strength and 300 mg the high-strength option. Overseas, standard over-the-counter products are lower, at 30–100 mg a day. Research on inherited CoQ10 deficiency uses far higher doses, 1,200 to 3,000 mg a day in adults, but that's under medical supervision, not off the shelf.

Upper level. There's no NHMRC upper limit for CoQ10. Instead, Australia sets its own legal limit on what can be sold, and because it's a regulatory limit rather than a nutritional one, you'll find it word for word in the Australian status section below.

Worth knowing. Two simple things affect absorption more than the brand does. First, CoQ10 is fat-soluble and is best absorbed with fat in a meal, so a capsule with toast at breakfast isn't the same as one with an oily lunch. Second, your body seems to absorb only so much at once, so amounts above 100 mg are usually split into two or three doses across the day. One comparison found 2 x 100 mg raised blood levels more than a single 200 mg dose. Blood levels take one to two weeks to settle, and stop rising at very high intakes. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Beef, fried: about 2.6 mg per 85 g (3 oz) serve: meat, poultry and fish are the richest dietary sources
• Herring, marinated: about 2.3 mg per 85 g serve; oily fish is the strongest non-meat source
• Chicken, fried: about 1.4 mg per 85 g serve
• Soybean and canola oil: about 1.3 mg and 1.0 mg per tablespoon respectively: the main plant-food contributors
• Peanuts, roasted: about 0.8 mg per 28 g (1 oz) handful
• Broccoli, boiled: about 0.5 mg per half cup; fruit, vegetables, eggs and dairy contribute only modest amounts

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• You take warfarin. Australian labels must warn you not to take it while on warfarin without medical advice. Both a weaker blood-thinning effect and a higher bleeding risk have been reported, so your INR needs frequent checks, especially in the first two weeks.
• You take a statin. Never stop or change a prescribed statin to take CoQ10. The evidence on statin-related muscle symptoms is conflicting.
• You are having chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Antioxidants may make treatment less effective, and ubiquinone reduced the effect of radiation in an animal study. You need advice from your cancer care team.
• You take theophylline. CoQ10 slows how fast your body clears theophylline, and persistent vomiting, heart rhythm problems and seizures that are hard to stop have been reported.
• You take blood pressure medicines. The effects on blood pressure may add up, so monitoring is advised.
• You take insulin or diabetes medicines. The effects may add up, so monitoring is advised.
• Pregnancy. There is limited human safety data, so you need a practitioner's advice.
• Breastfeeding. Don't take it, because safety has not been established.
• Children and teenagers. Australia has set no children's limit for this ingredient, and retail products are made for adults.
• Doses of 200 mg a day or more. Nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, heartburn and stomach discomfort are most often reported at this level.
• You are allergic or sensitive to CoQ10 or any ingredient in the product, including carrier oils and softgel shells.
• Products bought from overseas websites. They are not regulated by the TGA for quality and safety, and do not have to keep to the Australian 300 mg limit.
• It must not be used in medicines for the eye (permitted ingredients list).
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.