Usefulness of Regular Intake of the Reduced Form of CoQ10 for Stress Management for Workers

Objectives The purpose of the study was to determine whether its regular intake of the reduced form of CoQ10 was useful in managing workers’stress. Methods Nineteen nurses working at a university hospital received soft capsule containing100 mg of the reduced form of CoQ10 for 4 weeks. Based on test food intake during the study, the subjects were divided into two groups:a“good intake group”composed of those who took the test food every day, and“poor intake group”composed of the remaining subjects. The basic attributes, lifestyle, working conditions, job stress level, and work engagement of the groups were analyzed. Job stress level and work engagement were investigated using Brief Job Stress Questionnaire(BJSQ)and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale Japan(UWES-J), and levels of cortisol, VMA and 8-0HdG, respectively. Intragroup and intergroup comparison of the variables was performed. Results In the good intake group, a significant increase in“job satisfaction”in the BJSQ(P=0.009), a significant decrease in“physical complaint”(P=0.024), and a significant increase in the UWES-J score(P=0.017)were observed, although poor intake group showed no significant difference at either time point. No adverse events or clinically significant changes in the physical examination and blood test were observed in either group. Conclusion The results suggest that regular intake of the reduced form of CoQ10 may reduce physical symptoms due to job stress and thereby enhance work engagement, indicating usefulness for stress management for workers.