NutriStack
Coenzyme Q10 and Selenium, a synergy.
Adequate selenium status helps keep coenzyme Q10 in its active reduced form, and the pair together supports cardiac function more than either alone in people with low selenium.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Substances
- Coenzyme Q10 and Selenium
- Pair type
- Synergy
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Moderate
- Source citations
- 2 sources
- Stack Score effect
- +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Supplement
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Synergy · Moderate evidence
Synergy
What is happening. Adequate selenium status helps keep coenzyme Q10 in its active reduced form, and the pair together supports cardiac function more than either alone in people with low selenium.
Mechanism. Selenium is required for the selenoenzyme thioredoxin reductase, which can reduce oxidized ubiquinone back toward its antioxidant-active form, so low selenium limits the functional benefit of coenzyme Q10. The two also act as complementary antioxidant systems in cardiac tissue.
Recommendation. Combine when selenium intake is low or marginal. A common evidence-based pairing is selenium 100 to 200 mcg with coenzyme Q10 100 to 200 mg daily. No timing separation is needed.
Sources (2)
- Alehagen U et al. Cardiovascular mortality and N-terminal-proBNP reduced after combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation: a 5-year prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial among elderly Swedish citizens. Int J Cardiol. 2013;167(5):1860-6. PMID 22626835
- Xia L et al. The mammalian cytosolic selenoenzyme thioredoxin reductase reduces ubiquinone. A novel mechanism for defense against oxidative stress. J Biol Chem. 2003;278(4):2141-6. PMID 12435734
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both Coenzyme Q10 and Selenium are in the same stack, this pair applies +2 to your Stack Score (per scored synergy row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
Check your full routine
One pair was the worked example. NutriStack runs every pair in your stack at once.
Drop in your supplements and prescriptions and the public database surfaces every interaction, synergy, timing rule, and contraindication, every one linked to its primary source.