Your CoQ10 Reaches Your Blood, But Not Your Mitochondria
A new human trial put a hugely popular longevity supplement to the test with muscle biopsies, and the results are awkward for the marketing. In 40 healthy adults averaging 74 years, 400 mg/day of CoQ10 for 12 weeks raised blood levels but left muscle and mitochondrial CoQ10 unchanged. Mitochondrial function, VO2max, glucose control and body composition did not move either. The study is small, short and limited to robust older adults, and the senior author consults for Pharma Nord. Here is what it shows, what it cannot say, and who might still want to ask a doctor about CoQ10.
One Shot Made Old Mouse Muscle Mitochondria Act Young in 1 Hour
A single injection of SS-31 (elamipretide) restored muscle mitochondrial energy production in very old mice to young levels within one hour. That result comes from a 2013 mouse study, not from human trials. The peptide had no observable effect on young muscle, and eight days of treatment improved endurance in the old animals. In humans, elamipretide won FDA accelerated approval for Barth syndrome but missed its primary endpoints in the MMPOWER-3 mitochondrial myopathy trial. Here is what the study showed, where it falls short, and why grey-market versions are a bad idea.
15 g of Collagen Peptides: Twice the Leg Strength Gains in Older Men
The internet says collagen is useless for muscle, but a randomized trial in older men with sarcopenia suggests it's more complicated. After 12 weeks of resistance training, men taking 15 g/day of collagen peptides gained about 45% more fat-free mass (+4.2 vs +2.9 kg) and more than twice the leg strength gains of the placebo group. The catch is that the placebo was silica, not protein, so extra protein alone may explain part of the effect. Here's what the study found, why collagen might help, and who might benefit.