History of coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is a relatively new substance in the eyes of the American research community. It was first discovered in the United States in 1957 by professor F.L. Crane and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Enzyme Institute. In 1958, the chemical structure of coenzyme Q10 was reported by Dr. D.E. Wolf and a research group at Merck Laboratories led by medical researcher Dr. Karl Folkers. Folkers would become a leading research scientist and authority on coenzyme Q10 in the United States.

In 1963, the Japanese began testing the compound. Because of the positive results of these tests, Japanese scientists aggressively pursued further studies of coenzyme Q10, and taking coenzyme Q10 daily soon gained wide acceptance in Japan.

Although many research scientists throughout the world were interested in studying coenzyme Q10, research was hampered due to the cost of producing it. Extracting it from beef heart, the source that Dr. Crane first used, made coenzyme Q10's cost prohibitive. In the 1970s, the Japanese began to find alternative ways to produce coenzyme Q10. They were successful in finding a more cost-effective process, and the price began to come down.

As coenzyme Q10 became more available, research picked up. In 1978, British scientist Peter Mitchell received a Nobel Prize for his hypothesis about the role of coenzyme Q10 and the transfer of energy in the mitochondria. In 1986, Dr. Folkers was awarded the prestigious Priestly Medal of the American Chemical Society for his research on coenzyme Q10.

From 1957 through 1988, there were some 2,300 medical studies on coenzyme Q10. Since then, there have been countless others.

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