PQQ Pyrroloquinoline Quinone

Available from Swanson Health Products, PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a relatively newly discovered vitamin-like nutrient related to the B-vitamin family. PQQ is described as powerhouse that brings together some of the most beneficial aspects of vitamins C, B2 and B6 for your body.¹ The breadth of PQQs potential benefits is nothing short of amazing.

PQQ is an extremely powerful antioxidant, being at least 100 times more efficient in its ability to trigger continuous cycling than vitamin C and phenolic compounds tested to date.² PQQ is capable of acting directly as an antioxidant and then being recycled back into an active form, significantly extending its capabilities to do the process over and over. This ability to perform repeated oxidation and reduction reactions means more consistent antioxidant activity in the body. Being a potent antioxidant brings major implications for the health of the brain, nervous system and potentially other systems throughout the body.

Antioxidants display neuroprotective actions—that is, protecting nerve cells against damage—for brain health and cognitive benefits.³ In fact recent research has shown that PQQ promotes visual and verbal memory in both younger and aging populations.⁴ This means PQQ may prove helpful in maintaining healthy brain function well into our advanced years.

Another way PQQ is active in the body is within mitochondria, the energy centers of cells. What we call "energy" is a molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), produced by tiny cellular structures called mitochondria. ATPs job is to store energy and then deliver that energy to cells in other parts of the body to power your heart, brain, muscles, and other organs. When we are young our bodies have plenty of mitochondria working at their best; however as a normal part of typical aging mitochondrial quality and activity decrease over time. PQQ can help to promote the structure and function of the mitochondria, thereby supporting healthy cellular energy as we age.⁵ In a recent study, this impact of PQQ on mitochondrial health was linked to physical function and muscle maintenance.⁶ This indicates that supplementing with PQQ can help your muscles achieve more by assisting with cellular energy synthesis.

1. Stites T, et al. J Nutr 130(4): 719-27, 2000.
2. Flückiger R, et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 196(1): 61-68, 1993.
3. Franzoni F, et al. Front Neurosci 15: 729757, 2021.
4. Tamakoshi M, et al. Food Funct 14(5), 2496–2501, 2023.
5. Harris C B, et al. J Nutr Biochem 24(12), 2076–2084, 2013.
6. Shiojima Y, et al. J Funct Foods 113, 106012–106012. 2024.