PQQ

pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). It was discovered in 1979 and found to be in certain foods, such as natto, green tea, and potatoes, which are commonly consumed by populations known to have a high incidence of longevity and robust health into old age. More recently, scientists have decided that PQQ is actually a vitamin, though there seems to not yet be a concencus over what type of vitamin it is (though many agree that it is a B vitamin because it is molecularly similar to vitamin B2 and B6).

One of the functions of PQQ in the body is that it works as an extremely potent antioxidant (up to 5,000 times more potent than vitamin C, according to researchers at the University of California – Davis). This doesn’t mean much if you don’t understand what an antioxidant is. Antioxidants are free radical scavengers, meaning they act like Pac-Man to free radicals, totally eating them up. You don’t want to have a bunch of free radicals in your body because these damage mitochondrial DNA, and damage to your mitochondrial DNA is one cause of aging. Translation: The more free radicals you have, the faster you will age. The fewer free radicals you have, the slower you will age. You can decrease the number of free radicals you have, and therefore slow down the aging process in your own body, by either eating abundant amounts of foods high in PQQ or by taking a PQQ supplement.

This is one reason why two people who are both 50 years old in chronological age can look completely different in age. One person can have “middle age spread” with a large amount of fat on the torso and lack of muscle tone in the limbs, combined with skin damage and lack of collagen in the face. This is partially caused by accumulation of a large number of free radicals on a daily basis for many years by smoking cigarettes, succumbing to stress, not eating foods rich in antioxidants, eating too many calories, not exercising at all or exercising too much, not getting adequate sleep, and many other factors including psychoemotional factors. In contrast, another person of the same chronological age can have very little accumulation of fat on the belly and torso, strong bones and musculature, and youthful skin. This is NOT caused by just “getting lucky” or having “good genes!” You can influence your own genetic expression by eating a species appropriate diet, getting adequate exercise and sleep, decreasing your exposure to toxins AND intelligently using supplements that can help you combat the ill-effects of living in a toxic world laced with nuclear radiation and genetically manipulated Monsanto crops.

PQQ has also been found to protect memory and cognition in animals and humans. It protects against neurotoxicity caused by mercury, aspartame, MSG, and other deadly neurotoxins, and works to BLOCK formation of amyloid-beta proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. But PQQ is not just important for prevention! It actually improves memory, attention, and cognition — especially in combination with supplementation of CoQ10. These benefits are achieved with a dosage of 10 – 20 mg/day.