What You Can Gain From Taking Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ)

What You Can Gain From Taking Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ)

A great example of a nootropic that has a lot of benefits, but isn’t examined closely is pyrroloquinoline quinone. While many may focus on the surface level benefits from taking it, understanding how it works reveals the full impact it can have on the human body.

What is Pyrroloquinoline Quinone?

Simply saying the words pyrroloquinoline quinone is a bit of a mouthful, so most people prefer to use the abbreviation PQQ. It’s also called methoxatin. So what is PQQ? At one point, PQQ was thought to be a type of vitamin, but after further studies, researchers determined that while it has some vitamin-like qualities, it was only a related nutrient. PQQ can act as a cofactor, or enzyme booster, in the REDOX process(Reduction Oxidation). Because of its involvement in REDOX,  PQQ offers certain anti-oxidative effects. PQQ is most commonly found in kiwi, green peppers, and parsley, but many people choose to incorporate it in their diets through PQQ supplements.

Perhaps most notable is PQQ’s impact on mitochondria. Mitochondria provide our cells with energy (ATP) and regulate cellular metabolism. Researchers have looked extensively at the impact PPQ has on mitochondria and have found that PQQ can increase the number of mitochondria and even improve their efficiency. This is a big reason why PQQ is so beneficial.

PQQ Benefits

Having mitochondria that operate at peak performance is so important to living a healthy life, which means there are a number of benefits you can experience while taking PPQ.  Here are some of the most noteworthy ones.

Improved Energy

Since mitochondria produce energy for the cell, and PQQ helps mitochondria work more efficiently, there is an overall increase of energy within your cells. The unused cellular energy is transferred to other parts of your body. If you struggle to have energy to make it through the day, or you experience fatigue or lethargy, this added boost of energy from PPQ will be important to you. One study found that participants who reported having problems with their energy, experienced a noticeable decrease in their fatigue after taking PQQ. If you’re looking for a boost to your energy, PQQ may help with that.

Better Sleep

Participants in the study mentioned above also reported that they were able to sleep better after taking PQQ for 8 weeks. Prior to beginning the study, these patients had been experiencing sleeping problems. PQQ seems to reduce the amount of cortisol, or stress hormone, within patients and improve their sleep. While PQQ’s benefits to sleep haven’t been studied thoroughly, these initial results seem promising.

Enhancing Memory

With a reduced amount of stress, researchers have begun to see improvements to memory. In this case, the combination of PQQ and CoQ10 may lead to memory enhancement and promoting cognitive health. CoQ10, like PQQ, is another nutrient that can offer support to the body’s mitochondria. Many patients often look at PQQ and CoQ10 as an either/or option, but taking one and ignoring the other may result in missing out on some big benefits.

Other Benefits

In addition to the three main benefits listed above, PQQ provides other less, well-known benefits. PQQ may promote Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) synthesis, which can lead to more neuronal growth and survival. PQQ may also be able to improve fertility, though more studies are still needed to draw conclusive results. Further benefits from taking PQQ may be discovered as more research is conducted.

Taking PQQ

If you want to add a PQQ supplement to your diet, it’s important to remember that a little goes a long way. Since it doesn’t take much PQQ to have an effect, most dosages are kept small. As a result, most people don’t have to worry about any PQQ side effects.

PQQ is a very effective nootropic that everyone should include in their stack of choice. It may provide you with more energy, improved sleep, and an enhanced memory in addition to some possible other benefits. There’s a lot to be gained from taking PQQ.


21 Comments

  • Dr. Lena Bates
    I have done a lot of research into PQQ over the years. One of the major differences between an old man and a young boy is the extreme damage to the old man's mitochondria. PQQ is one of the only supplements which aids in the repair/regeneration of mitochondria. In just 6 months, I have had patients look and feel much better. Dr. Lena Bates
  • Tia Tremills
    Does Pqq replace Coenzyme q10 or ubiquinol, or does it work in conjunction with this?
  • Michael Badagliacco
    @Tia Tremills, as noted in the article, the full benefits of PQQ come when used in conjunction with CoQ-10 and ubiquinol by enhancing its effectiveness.
  • Jason Bradley
    I've been taking pqq/ubiquinol for years; about 6 months ago I added NMNs. We live in the future!!!
  • Jason Bradley
    @Michael Badagliacco, respectfully disagree. I believe that to be strongly redundant.
  • Sylvia Szeliga
    JB -so intaking the PQQ you are still getting CoQ10 and ubiquinol?
  • BUCKY
    Dr. Al sears PQQ affects toleomeres anti-aging NASA nutrient
  • Carolyn
    Will the elderly benefit from taking PQQ?
  • Ron Kolman
    Is a PPQ 20 mg LOZENGE better efficacy than a tablet or capsule?
  • Mary
    Hi! Can children/tweens/teens take this? My husband and I have been taking it, esp during this covid19 pandemic. Wasn't sure if i can provide this to our kids as well.
  • kiki Williams
    Senior Customer Experience Manager
    We can't comment on the merits or safety of external, supplements outside of NHC products that you may be taking or thinking of giving to your children. We recommend conducting your own research and also finding good practitioners who can support you with additional customized insight.
  • Diane J
    what is the difference between pqq and quinine?
  • kiki Williams
    Senior Customer Experience Manager
    Hi Diane, Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a "quinone," which is a big family of compounds that also includes vitamin K and CoQ10. Quinine is not in the quinone family. It is not chemically related to PQQ and does not have any functional actions in common with PQQ. 
  • Richard Gray
    Thank you Dr. Lena Bates for your information of six month results. As an 82 year old male with poor balance, can I expect PQQ+CoQ10 to help? Richard Gray
  • Tony Smt
    Dr. Lena Bates? Are you a medical doctor? It's really bizarre a medical doctor would make such claims and experiment on patients. Care to qualify your credentials? Given all the opinions vs. real facts that seem to proliferate on the Internet and the current pandemic has underscored this I think it's fair to ask you to qualify/quantify your claims. This in no way questions the value of PQQ but rather such unsubstantiated claims. Thank you.
  • Deidre
    Good day, I have just ordered PQQ and Ashwaghanda .. is this safe to use in combination ?
  • Maria Eloisa Delos Santos
    I've two questions...I'm a home health carer minding a 90 yr old lady w dementia...very forgetful with moments of anxiety...and agitation..sending some carer's home ..and always packing things .now taking this Pqq w CoQ10....I started here 3 months ago, she started this supplement 3 months ago as well..she wud send me home as well but now we are already getting along well .factor maybe familiarityand trust ..don't really know if supplement is also a factor. Her children are asking me if they still need to get more of this supplement, all I know is that any medicine or supplement, on prolonged use would built up on a person's system n if stop would of course cause some changes..chemistry isn't it. .what do you say Doctor? Do we continue using this supplement? My second question, I have a borderline delayed son .mentally challenged, very borderline...now has diabetes, will this PqqCoQ10 help him in any way? Pls help
  • Bill Pizani
    I like them both. I use a low amount-I´m a minimalist; I mix them with an oil and apply to the skin. At 69 I still ride my bike for 10 kms or more, no shortness of breath. I actually feel younger than in my twenties, when I smoked tobacco!
  • Charla Shamhart
    Dr. Jorge Flechas, MD. MPH gave an excellent talk on benefits of PQQ. Jorge D. Flechas, MD, MPH is the Medical Director of Flechas Family Practice in Hendersonville, NC. In addition to family practice, Dr. Flechas’ subspecialties include iodine therapy for thyroid and breast disorders, bio-identical hormone replacement for both men and women, and diagnosis and treatment of cardiac-related issues such as coronary artery disease, arthrosclerosis, and hypertension. He majored in Physics at Southern Missionary College in Tennessee and achieved both his Doctorate in Medicine and his Master’s Degree in Public Health from Loma Linda University in California.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHQUpNZgFhI
  • Talmadge R Harrison
    I am a retired clinical lab manager of 69 years. I am homogeneous APO E4/E4 with a very high risk of developing Alzheimer's. I retired after having mild cognitive decline problems being afraid of making serious mistakes. I've been taking CoQ10 & PPQ supplements for three years now and am "very" pleased with the results, both mentally and physically. At 69 people are amazed at my physical stamina. I no longer lose my train of thought in conversation and forget things (as bad). I can only speak for myself.
  • Tom V
    I'd never heard of PPQ Pyrroloquinoline Quinone until I recently read a comment to an article on the loss of smell after covid. The comment said that the person regained the sense of smell in three weeks from taking PPQ. Since I've had only a partial return of smell since having covid-like symptoms six months ago I was willing to try anything. I've only been taking PPQ for a week, one small lozeng a day. Within a short few days I notice a significant increase in metabolism and I feeling hungry more often which I rarely feel because I have very low metabolism. I also notice a testosterone-like effect, similar to what I had ten years ago when I tried testosterone cream. I've slept better this week than for the past one decade since I tend to wake up many times a night and have difficulty sleeping well through the night. I do wake up still, but only maybe once a night and then sleep throughout. I've suffered low energy and slow metabolism, sometimes assumed being tyroid related which doesn't show up well on tests (accurate tyroid tests are not always easy to achieve). I can't find any other cause then the PPQ to these immediate changes because there's nothing else in my schedule or intake recently that is different than taking PPQ. I took various supplements for three months (Zinc, Vit C, Sodium, Vit D3) but I don't actually notice much of anything from the supplements, but after PPQ the effect is quite significant in my case. I haven't got the missing part of my sense of smell back, yet, but hope there will be some improvement soon. There must be much more to PPQ than is known at this time.
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