confused about ubiquinone and ubiqunol

I had my complete mitochondrial DNA sequence - twice, and I have two protein-changing mutations to the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene. NADH dehydrogenase, or Complex 1, is a huge and complex molecule whose most important but not only function, is to contribute to the set of reactions by which mitochondria convert food to energy, by moving electrons from NADH to ubiquinone. This process changes ubinquinone to ubiquinol.

I've read alot over the past year or two that ubiquinol somehow is absorbed better or works better than ubiquinone. I found one article today that suggests that ubiquinol is a better anti-oxidant.

Now, what anything would be needed for as an anti-oxidant is to stop mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase from making oxygen radicals, something it does alot of and may do more of given mutations.

Apparently the process of conversion of ubiquinone to ubiquinol slows as people age. Whatever they may need ubiquinol for. But this reaction is the outcome of the process of making energy. Mitochondria don't work as well as people get older, partly because there are fewer mitochondria but this isn't necessarily tye only reason. Mitochondrial genetic mtuations with subtle effects may begin to show as people age. Partly because of fewer mitochondria, partly because some of the effects relate to aging itself. Maybe other reasons. The fact that mitochondria tend to develop mutations as people age is only one factor. Type II diabetes and Alzheimers are two consequences of some mutatinos to the NADH dehydrogenase subunit genes.

One article, which concludes that there is no advantage to taking the more expensive ubiquinol, points out that most studies that ahve found dramatic positive effects of taking CoQ10 on various problems of tissues that use alot of energy - the first to be affected by mitochondrial dysfunction, like the heart adn brain, were done with ubiquinone. No studies have direclty compared the effects of ubiquinol to ubiquinone.

Is there any actual reason to take ubiquinol? Get those mitochondria working and I should think they'll make ubiquinol fairly automatically.

By the way, I wonder if vitamin D, exercise and muscle building are really the best answers to age related declines in mitochondrial function. Your muscle cells grow mitochondria as they need them.

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, TX