Every day your body deals with oxidative stress: internal wear and tear caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Normally your defences keep it in check, but certain environments push that balance out of shape. Chemical exposure at work is one of the clearest examples, and people working around solvents, like the fumes in printing, are particularly at risk.

Researchers wanted to know whether Coenzyme Q10, a natural antioxidant your cells rely on for energy, could help protect workers in those conditions.

The study

The team ran a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 42 printing workers, all of whom had measurable exposure to two common industrial solvents. Over two months, participants took either 60mg of CoQ10 twice a day or a placebo, and researchers tracked their oxidative stress levels.

The results were clear. Workers taking CoQ10 showed lower levels of cell damage, higher total antioxidant capacity, and stronger activity from the body's natural defences.

What this means for us

Oxidative stress is one of the most studied drivers of how we age, and none of us are fully out of its reach. Traffic fumes, pollution, and everyday chemical exposure are increasingly hard to avoid, and all add to the load. This trial shows CoQ10 pushing back on that load in real people, under real-world exposure, in a controlled setting.

The workers in the study got 120mg of CoQ10 a day. DoNotAge® subscribers get 200mg, alongside 14 other longevity ingredients. That's the difference.

Study reference: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42414414/