Overview
Idebenone: If you’re already smart, take this and stay smart. Otherwise, you’ll stay dumb without it.
idebenone is a variant of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and, like
CoQ10, it plays a crucial role in human metabolism and health. While
CoQ10 appears to be more beneficial than idebenone for fighting
heart disease, cancer, aging, and various other illnesses,
idebenone seems to work better at
- improving cognition
- combating brain disorders
- protecting the body from low-oxygen levels (that occur in heart attacks or strokes).
This is why many people supplement with both idebenone and CoQ10.
Idebenone crosses the blood-brain barrier, allowing it to
protect the brain and improve its metabolism. It stimulates the
brain’s production of Nerve Growth Factor, a hormone involved
in the repair of damaged nervous tissue. For this reason, idebenone
can also be applied to
- neuroprotection from ingested neurotoxic substances (of which there are many)
- mental aging
- neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s Disease, and Friedreich’s Ataxia
- deficiencies in serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters needed for proper nerve function.
Idebenone, unlike CoQ10, cannot be made by the human body; unless you use it as a supplement, you’ll miss out.
Read Idebenone Monograph
Coenzyme
Q10 (CoQ10) plays a crucial role in human metabolism and health.
Decades of CoQ10 research has led to idebenone, a CoQ10 variant with
different, but complementary, benefits. CoQ10 appears to be more
beneficial for heart disease and cancer (see our CoQ10: for Heart
Disease, Cancer, and Statins flyer), and for treating illness and
antiaging (see our CoQ10: Anti-Aging and Pro-Health flyer.) Idebenone
seems to work better at improving cognition, treating brain disorders,
and protecting the body from low-oxygen levels. This is why many people
supplement with both idebenone and CoQ10.
Idebenone crosses the blood-brain barrier,
allowing it to protect the brain and improve its metabolism. By
stimulating Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a key player in neuron health
that must be produced in the brain, idebenone can counteract the
effects of aging and help reduce the damage from brain disorders like
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s Disease, and Friedreich’s
Ataxia. It also boosts serotonin, dopamine, and neurotransmitter levels
and improves nerve function. Equally important is idebenone’s role as a
neuroprotector.
Many drugs, both licit and illicit, produce
excitotoxins that can impair or damage the brain, as can processed-food
additives like monosodium glutamate (MSG) — including camouflaged MSG
such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, and soy protein
compounds — and aspartame (Nutrasweet). Idebenone shields the brain
against the degrading effects of these compounds, and, in general,
protects organs against damage.
A potent antioxidant, idebenone is superior
to CoQ10 as free-radical scavenger, and is eight times more potent than
aspirin as a blood-clot inhibitor. At the cellular level, it protects
against mitochondria damage, increasing energy while decreasing toxic
by-products. At the organ level, it reduces or eliminates toxins, both
from diet and from the metabolism of pharmaceuticals and
over-the-counter drugs. (Lipoic acid and n-acetyl-cysteine have
closely-related benefits; see our flyers for details.) The difference
between idebenone and CoQ10 really comes into focus, however, when the
body’s oxygen levels drop.
Low-oxygen conditions — such as those during
a heart attack, stroke, or surgery — can cause a situation where CoQ10
may stop acting as an antioxidant and, instead, start producing free
radicals. Idebenone, however, continues to function in low-oxygen
environments, preventing damage when the body is most vulnerable.
Superior low-oxygen performance is why idebenone is used to safeguard
organs during transplants.
The discovery of the benefits of CoQ10 was a
milestone in human health. Idebenone promises to deliver equally
impressive results. Unlike CoQ10, however, your body cannot make
idebenone; unless you supplement, you’re clearly missing out.
