PQQ: A Superstar for Brain Health

It’s likely you aren’t familiar with the micro-nutrient PQQ (short for pyrroloquinoline quinone) as it was only recently isolated in 2003. The discovery is exciting to scientists because PQQ supports mitochondrial health and cellular energy production.* This seems to be a key to healthy aging.
Studies show PQQ delivers a wide range of benefits for the brain and body:

• Prevents Oxidative Stress.* PQQ decreases the buildup of oxidative radicals in our bodies and slows its progression.* Protecting neurons from oxidative damage helps maintain human cognition and memory function.*
• Supports Optimal Mitochondrial Function.* Scientists have found the degradation of mitochondria is a significant contributor to physiological aging. When enough mitochondria are damaged or diminished, they can’t produce sufficient energy needed by all the organs in our bodies. The results are fatigue, foggy thinking, and accelerated aging at the cellular level. PQQ helps activate, transport, and metabolize energy from ingested food throughout the body.*
• Supports Nerve Growth Factor.* Studies have shown PQQ may stimulate the production of nerve growth factor in cells to help neurons grow within the brain.* 

Also known as methoxatin, the PQQ compound is found in human milk, occurs naturally in soil and in minute amounts of plant foods, especially fermented soybean (natto), green soybeans, spinach, tofu, green peppers, green tea, parsley, and kiwi. Because this micronutrient is metabolized and eliminated from the body rather quickly, specially formulated PQQ supplements provide more bioavailability than naturally occurring food sources.

Like small energy-producing factories, mitochondria provide our cells with 95 percent of its energy and regulates cellular metabolism. PQQ helps maintain high functioning mitochondria and improve their efficiency, but should any of these energy factories shut down, new functional factories can be generated.* This so-called “mitochondrial biogenesis” or ability to increase the number of mitochondria is a unique function of PQQ.*

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a crucial biomarker of aging. PQQ helps the mitochondria continue to function at optimal levels which equate to living a healthy life with essential benefits:* 

• Boosts energy.* When mitochondria work more efficiently, more energy is available for your cells. 
• Improves stress-related sleep and mood.* PQQ appears to improve sleep, which then represses cortisol levels in the body.*
• Enhances memory.* Studies have shown that it can  help with attention span, short-term memory, and retention in older adults.*
• Potent antioxidant.* PQQ acts like an essential nutrient and provides antioxidant support to mitochondria.*

Even though PQQ supplements may be the best way to reap these benefits, not all supplements are created equal. That’s why Quality of Life formulates VitaPQQ®-SR with  MicroPQQ®. If you’re scratching your head asking yourself what is that then you’re in luck. In a nutshell, this patented version of PQQ supplies even more significant benefit compared to the regular PQQ micronutrient. QOL’s VitaPQQ®-SR is a sustained-release formula with a micronized version of PQQ that stays in the body longer. It has demonstrated the ability to:

• Achieve higher blood levels over time compared to regular PQQ
• Deliver sustained release of PQQ over 8 hours
• Offer 2x more bioavailability to be more uniformly absorbed and utilized in your body than other PQQ products

Enhanced metabolism, more vitality, less stress, better sleep, and improved brain health may be achieved with PQQ.* Aging well is a goal we all must embrace!