Does ubiquinol improve peripheral endothelial function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?
Ubiquinol, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 14 patients (Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2020, PMID 31713723) — original RHI values significantly improved with ubiquinol treatment (pre-RHI 1.57, post-RHI 1.74, p = 0.026), but not with placebo (pre-RHI 1.67, post-RHI 1.51, p = 0.198).
Source: Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2020, PMID 31713723 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: high
Am J Cardiovasc Drugs · 2020 · PMID 31713723 · DOI 10.1007/s40256-019-00384-y
Ubiquinol supplementation may improve endothelial function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
The question
Does ubiquinol improve peripheral endothelial function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?
What they tested
Ubiquinol improves peripheral endothelial function in patients with HFrEF.
How they did it
This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover pilot study involving 14 patients with stable HFrEF. Patients received either ubiquinol 400 mg/day or placebo for 3 months, followed by a 1-month washout period and then crossover to the alternative treatment. Peripheral endothelial function was assessed using the reactive hyperemia index (RHI) and analyzed using the natural logarithm of RHI (LnRHI) before and after each treatment.
What they found
Peripheral endothelial function, as assessed by LnRHI, tended to improve with ubiquinol 400 mg/day for 3 months (p = 0.076). Original RHI values significantly improved with ubiquinol treatment (pre-RHI 1.57, post-RHI 1.74, p = 0.026), but not with placebo (pre-RHI 1.67, post-RHI 1.51, p = 0.198).
| Ubiquinol Pre-treatment | 1.57 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ubiquinol Post-treatment | 1.74 | |
| Placebo Pre-treatment | 1.67 | |
| Placebo Post-treatment | 1.51 |
RHI values before and after 3 months of ubiquinol or placebo treatment.
What it means
Ubiquinol 400 mg/day for 3 months significantly improved peripheral endothelial function in patients with HFrEF.
Limitations
This was a pilot study with a small sample size (14 patients).
The paper at a glance
| Magellan’s evidence label | electron-transport cofactor (our label for this citation — see PubMed for the paper’s own title and authors) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Am J Cardiovasc Drugs |
| Year | 2020 |
| PMID | 31713723 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1007/s40256-019-00384-y ↗ |
| Topic | Cardiovascular & vascular aging |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
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Ubiquinol (Reduced CoQ10)
In human trials CoQ10 has been studied mainly as an adjunct in cardiovascular disease: the Q-SYMBIO randomized trial reported roughly halved major adverse cardiovascular events in chronic heart failure, and a 2024 meta-analysis of 33 heart-failure trials found lower all-cause mortality (RR 0.64) and hospitalization…
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, ubiquinone) is a fat-soluble compound the body synthesizes and also obtains in…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does ubiquinol improve peripheral endothelial function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)? [Plain-English summary of Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2020, PMID 31713723, DOI 10.1007/s40256-019-00384-y]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s121.html@misc{magellan_s121,
title = {Does ubiquinol improve peripheral endothelial function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s121.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 31713723; DOI 10.1007/s40256-019-00384-y; Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2020. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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