RESEARCH NEWS: New Study Shows MicroActive® CoQ10 More Universally Bioavailable than Other Forms of CoQ10 - Maypro

A new study on Micro-Active CoQ10, a patented, highly bioavailable, and universally absorbed form of Coenzyme Q10, has found that 100% of subjects taking Micro-Active CoQ10 hard gelatin capsules doubled their plasma CoQ10 levels after three weeks of supplementation, compared to just 44% of subjects taking oil-solubilized CoQ10 soft gels. The results confirmed that MicroActive CoQ10 is more universally bioavailable than other CoQ10 formulations on the market.

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New Study Shows MicroActive® CoQ10 More Universally Bioavailable than Other Forms of CoQ10

Worcester MA – BioActives LLC and Maypro Industries announced the results of a new study on Micro-Active CoQ10, a patented, highly bioavailable, and universally absorbed form of Coenzyme Q10. Published in the journal Integrative Medicine, the study found that 100% of subjects taking Micro-Active CoQ10 hard gelatin capsules doubled their plasma CoQ10 levels after three weeks of supplementation, compared to just 44% of subjects taking oil-solubilized CoQ10 soft gels. The results confirmed that MicroActive CoQ10, which is manufactured by BioActives and distributed by Maypro, is more universally bioavailable than other CoQ10 formulations on the market.

Because of its fat-soluble nature and large molecular weight, CoQ10 is very difficult to absorb. Thus, numerous forms of CoQ10, such as oil dispersed, solubilized and micellized forms, have been introduced — all claiming to have higher bioavailability than regular crystalline CoQ10.

“The problem with most increased bioavailability claims is that they don’t apply to everyone,” explained Dan Kagan, PhD, managing partner of BioActives and co-author of the study. The reason? They don’t take into account inter-subject variance — the difference in absorption rates among subjects. Because bioavailability is calculated as the average absorption rate of all subjects in a study, just one “super-absorber” can artificially inflate the bioavailability average.

“We started looking at data from studies and came to the conclusion that the inter-subject variances were really high. What we have demonstrated in this study is that MicroActive CoQ10 is universally well-absorbed among all subjects.”

The study included an acute phase (0-24 hours, single dose of 180 mg) and an accumulation phase (21 days, daily dose of 60 mg.) During the acute phase, five healthy subjects ingested either: 1.) MicroActive CoQ10 hard gelatin capsules, 2. crystalline CoQ10 hard gelatin capsules, or 3.) oil-solubilized CoQ10 soft gels containing a proprietary absorption enhancer. The study was cross-over in design, so all subjects tested all formulations. During the accumulation phase, 22 healthy subjects were randomly divided into two groups: Group A, assigned MicroActive CoQ10 hard gelatin capsules, and Group B, assigned oil-solubilized CoQ10 soft gels containing a proprietary absorption enhancer.

The results of the acute phase showed that both the MicroActive and the solubilized CoQ10 had significantly better bioavailability than the regular crystalline powder. However, the inter-subject variance was significantly greater in the group taking the solubilized form versus the other two forms. Additionally, the MicroActive CoQ10 complex showed a sustained release.

The results of the accumulation phase demonstrated that the MicroActive group showed higher uptake of CoQ10 compared with the solubilized group. In fact, while 100% of subjects in the MicroActive group doubled their CoQ10 levels after three weeks, only 44% of those in the solubilized group did. “We say that’s a universal claim because it applies to everyone,” stated Kagan. “I’d much prefer to buy a product that applies to everybody than a product that just applies to a few.”

This study builds on a body of research BioActives is compiling. In January 2010, Kagan and his research collaborator Doddabele Madhavi published an article in Natural Medicine Journal proposing that “reliable” absorption results be defined as incorporating 84% of the population, while “universal” absorption results be defined as incorporating 98% of the population.

MicroActive CoQ10 consists of CoQ10 complexed with cyclodextrins — oligosaccharides that act as active carriers. Enveloping each molecule of CoQ10 with two molecules of cyclodextrin improves the dissolution rate and bioavailability of the complex.

Maypro Industries is the licensee and exclusive worldwide distributor of MicroActive CoQ10. “Having looked at a large number of high bioavailability technologies over the past five years, we proceeded to partner with BioActives on MicroActive CoQ10 because it delivers a unique valued-added benefit beyond just bioavailability in that it guarantees absorption in everyone,” commented Dan Lifton, VP of Business Development at Maypro. The ingredient is priced competitively compared to ubiquinol (reduced CoQ10) and can offer a significant savings over soft gels.

SOURCE: Maypro Press Release