Ljubljana Registers 10-Week Coenzyme Q10 Trial in Adults Over 65 With Early Signs of Frailty
Ljubljana Registers 10-Week Coenzyme Q10 Trial in Adults Over 65 With Early Signs of Frailty
On August 19, a study sponsored by University Medical Centre Ljubljana was added to the ClinicalTrials.gov registry. One hundred adults aged 65 or older will receive either 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 per day or a placebo for ten weeks. The prespecified primary outcome is GDF-15, a protein whose level is used as an indicator of cellular and mitochondrial stress.
Prefrailty is a condition in which the body has already begun to cope less effectively with everyday demands. A person may walk more slowly, have weaker grip strength, tire more quickly, or lose weight unintentionally. The study will also enroll people who score poorly on a physical function test or have a high vulnerability score on a clinical scale.
Coenzyme Q10 contributes to mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are cellular structures that convert nutrients into usable energy. The researchers will examine the same proposed pathway at several levels. Plasma CoQ10 concentration will show whether the supplement entered the bloodstream. GDF-15 will provide a measurable signal of cellular stress. Physical performance tests, grip strength, and prefrailty scales will allow the researchers to compare that signal with participants' ability to walk, rise from a chair, and maintain their strength.
Random assignment and placebo capsules containing no CoQ10 will allow the groups to be compared. Until the prespecified analysis, the participants, medical staff, researchers, and outcome assessors will not know who received the supplement.
In a 2026 randomized trial, 111 adults over 60 received either 200 mg of ubiquinol, the reduced form of CoQ10, or a placebo for three months. Blood CoQ10 concentration increased approximately fourfold in the supplement group. The authors found no differences between the groups in cognitive tests, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, or vascular measures. These results showed that a higher blood concentration of the substance did not correspond to changes in the other outcomes examined.
In the Ljubljana study, GDF-15 will be the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include concentrations of CoQ10 and FGF-21, another protein associated with the cellular stress response. The researchers will also compare the response to supplementation with participants' laboratory results and physical function before the study begins. The study is scheduled to start in September 2026 and finish in February 2027.
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