It's responsible for the production of 95% off all the human body's energy requirements. Got your attention? Read on.
It's main job is firing up the little one-per-cell energy-producing furnaces called mitochondria that produce energy in muscle cells.
It, like damn near everything else, decreases as we age. Levels begin to drop after——Yikes!——age 20. My god, where does that leave poor Uncle Norris? With flabby quads and a sagging ass, that's where.
It's called Co-enzyme Q10 (or CoQ10, to its close friends)
The Big Question: Can daily doses of this crucial-to-cyclists magic bean improve in-the-saddle performance?
A recent UK study suggests that, yes, it just might.
One group of cyclists were given daily 100mg CoQ10 supplements. A second group (a.k.a. the Lucky Ones) popped 300mg each day. A third group was given a placebo.
The result? "Significant on-bike performance gains", wrote the researchers, for the 300mg-ers vs. No Gains for both the 100mg grupetto as well as the pathetic placebos.
But wait, there's more!
"Subjective fatigue sensations" (i.e. feeling tired, or in Brit-speak, knackered) were "substantially alleviated" in the kick-ass 300s, but NOT in either of the other two test groups.
But wait, there's more! No, seriously!
CoQ10 also provides "significant antioxidant functions" by preserving levels of vitamins C & E even as it is stoking up your working muscles. A real multi-tasker this.
The Layman Lowdown? Researchers suggest trying this: Pop 300mg CoQ10 supps daily for 8 weeks prior to a target race or touch event ride (such as the PV club century). The stuff is cheap, and could well improve your workload capacity and overall performance. One good source is
www.vitacost.com.