PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) Supplements Review

Learn What PQQ Does and Which PQQ Supplements are Best

Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Last Updated : 10/18/2021 | Initially Posted: 10/15/2021

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Table of Contents

Summary

· What is PQQ? Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a reddish-brown antioxidant compound that plays a role in releasing energy in cells, although it is not a required nutrient. It is found in very small amounts in foods. Supplements, which are typically produced synthetically or by bacterial fermentation as PQQ disodium salt, provide much larger amounts (5 to 20 mg per serving). PQQ has been sold in the U.S. since 2008. (See What It Is).

· What are the health benefits of PQQ? Animal studies have suggested a range of possible benefits for PQQ, but clinical studies in people have generally been extremely limited and have not shown much benefit. Studies have focused on uses for memory and cognition, energy and mood, inflammation, athletic-endurance and body composition, cholesterol-lowering, and reducing statin-related side effects. (See What It Does).

· How do PQQ supplements compare? All of the PQQ supplements purchased and tested by ConsumerLab provided PQQ as the disodium salt, claiming 5 to 40 mg per serving. Some provided branded forms of PQQ, such as BioPQQ and PureQQ.

· What did ConsumerLab find in testing PQQ supplements? Only five of the seven PQQ supplements selected by ConsumerLab for testing provided their listed amounts of PQQ. Two products provided less PQQ than claimed. None of the supplements were found to be contaminated with lead, cadmium, or arsenic. (See What CL Found)

· What is the best PQQ supplement? Among the products that passed testing and were Approved for quality, ConsumerLab selected one as its overall Top Pick because it provided the most commonly used dose of PQQ (20 mg) and was favorably priced. A second Approved PQQ supplement was a Top Pick for lower dosage (10 mg). (See Top Picks)

· Is PQQ safe? PQQ has not undergone safety testing in people, although animal studies have not indicated a safety problem. The FDA has not objected to notifications it has received from companies selling PQQ that have self-certified that their ingredients should be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). (See Concerns and Cautions).

What It Is:

PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a reddish-brown antioxidant compound that can be used by the body, but is not produced by cells in our bodies. It is not an essential nutrient and there is no established daily requirement for it (despite marketing claims by some companies that may suggest otherwise).

PQQ is available only in extremely small amounts from plant-based foods, e.g., potatoes, green peppers, spinach, and green tea contain between 10 and 30 nanograms (i.e., 0.000001 to 0.000003 mg) per gram (Kumazawa, Biochem J 1995). This is much lower than the dose of 10 mg to 20 mg of PQQ disodium salt (but generally referred to as just PQQ) that has been used in clinical trials and produced industrially through chemical synthesis or bacterial fermentation.

What It Does:

Laboratory studies have shown that PQQ stimulates the growth of new mitochondria (which produce energy within a cell) and the production of nerve growth factor, as well as inhibits the growth of cancer cells and the synthesis of amyloid proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease (Chowanadisai, J Biol Chem 2010; Min, J Cancer 2014; Misra, J Biosci 2012).

For the reasons noted above, PQQ has been promoted for many purposes, including "anti-aging" and cognitive "enhancement." However, only a few, small and relatively short studies have investigated the effects of PQQ supplementation in people. Most of these studies have been placebo-controlled and most have been funded, at least in part, by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., maker of the PQQ ingredient marketed as BioPQQ®.

Memory and cognition
PQQ has shown mixed results in improving memory and cognition in healthy adults.

The most promising study involved 58 healthy adults in Japan ages 40 to under 80 who felt they had become more forgetful. About half the group was given 21.5 mg daily of PQQ disodium salt daily, while the other half received placebo. After 12 weeks, the PQQ group had small improvements in 7 out of 11 aspects of cognitive function (such as memory, attention, judgement, and cognitive flexibility) when compared to those who took a placebo — although the placebo group improved more than the PQQ group on complex attention. The PQQ used was mnemoPQQ from Ryusendo Co., which funded the study. It was taken as a capsule with water within 30 minutes after breakfast (Shiojima, J Am Coll Nutr 2021).

A 2009 study reportedly found that 20 mg of PQQ taken daily for 12 weeks improved word recall and memory tasks in healthy, middle-aged adults compared to placebo, and that a daily dose of 20 mg PQQ plus 300 mg of CoQ10 resulted in greater cognitive improvements than PQQ alone. However, that study (published by Nakano in Food Style in 2009) does not appear to be available online. A second trial, among 41 older men and women (average age 58) reported a very modest improvement in certain measures of cognition (such as attention) with 20 mg of PQQ (BioPQQ -- taken daily with breakfast for three months) compared to placebo; however, this was only after the researchers excluded some of the participants' data from the study and performed a second analysis (Itoh, Adv Exp Med Biol 2016). The original, full study does not appear to be available, although some details about it have been published.

Energy and mood
One study of PQQ found that taking 20 mg daily for 8 weeks significantly improved measures of mood, fatigue, and sleep quality in adult men and women ages 20 to 60 (Nakano, Functional Foods in Health and Disease 2012) -- however, this study was not placebo-controlled.

Inflammation
A small study in 10 young adults (ages 21 to 34) found that a daily dose of about 20 mg of PQQ added to a fruit-flavored drink and taken for three days significantly reduced two markers of inflammation in the blood: C-reactive protein and IL-6 (Harris, J Nutr Biochem 2013). There was no placebo control.

Athletic endurance and body composition
A study among 23 healthy young men (average age 19) who participated in six weeks of endurance exercise training (stationary cycling) found that 20 mg of PQQ taken daily for six weeks did not improve aerobic exercise performance or body composition compared to placebo (Hwang, J Am Coll Nutr 2019). The PQQ was provided by Nascent Health Science, which funded the study and sells PQQ under the brand name PureQQ.

Cholesterol-lowering
As has been shown with CoQ10, a study suggests that PQQ may have a modest cholesterol-lowering effect. The study, conducted in Japan among 29 men and women (average age 49), found that 10 mg of BioPQQ taken twice daily for three months lowered LDL ("bad") cholesterol compared to placebo (a decrease of 9 mg/dL with BioPQQ vs. an increase of 3.7 mg/dL with placebo) (Nakano, J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2015).

Statin-related side effects
While there is evidence that CoQ10 may help reduce statin-related side effects (muscle pain, weakness, etc.), there do not appear to be any studies on PQQ supplementation for the reduction of statin-related side-effects.

Liver disease/damage
In several studies in mice, PQQ was shown to protect against liver damage and/or disease; however, there do not appear to any studies investigating the effects of PQQ on liver disease in people (Huang, Exp Ther Med 2015; Jonscher, FASEB J 2017; Friedman, Hepatol Commun 2018).

Quality Concerns and Tests Performed:

No U.S. government agency is responsible for routinely testing PQQ supplements for their contents or quality. In this review, ConsumerLab.com evaluated PQQ supplements to determine whether they contained the amounts of PQQ stated on their labels. All products were tested for potential contamination with lead, cadmium and arsenic. In addition, all regular tablets were tested to determine if they would properly disintegrate. (See How Products Were Evaluated for information on testing methods and passing score.)

What CL Found:

Five of the seven PQQ supplements ConsumerLab.com selected for review passed quality testing and label review. One additional product that underwent the same testing and review is Approved through ConsumerLab.com's voluntary Quality Certification Program.

The following two products failed testing for providing less PQQ disodium salt (or "PQQ") than listed. These deficiencies were confirmed in a second independent laboratory:

· Kal PQQ 5 mg provided only 4.3 mg of PQQ per dissolvable microtablet (to be dissolved under the tongue), which was only 86.9% of the listed amount.

· Vitacost PQQ 10 mg provided only 8.6 mg of PQQ per capsule, which was only 86.5% of the listed amount.

As shown below, the most common serving size among reviewed products was 20 mg (from one capsule). One product, HTN PQQ 40 mg, provided twice that dose per capsule, which is a higher dose than used in most clinical studies. Three products provided 8 to 10 mg per capsule, and Kal PQQ 5 mg provided the smallest dose, 4.3 mg, as found in testing.

PQQ Per Serving*

We compared the cost to obtain 20 mg of PQQ from each of the tested products. As shown below, this ranged from 21 cents from HTN PQQ 40 mg to as much as $1.53 from Kal PQQ 5 mg and $2.50 from Life Extension CoQ10 100 mg with PQQ -- a combination of PQQ with CoQ10 and a shilajit fulvic acid complex. Ironically, the two products that failed testing, Kal and Vitacost, were among the most expensive products for getting PQQ.

Among products providing 20 mg of PQQ, the lowest cost was 33 cents from Double Wood Supplements PQQ, which was nearly half the cost of the other two 20 mg products.

Cost Per 20 mg of PQQ*

Top Picks:

Among the PQQ products Approved for quality in our review, our overall Top Pick is Double Wood Supplements PQQ, as it provides a common dose (20 mg of PQQ disodium salt) per capsule and at much lower in cost than similar products.

If you want a lower dose of PQQ, our Top Pick is Swanson PQQ, which provides 10 mg of PQQ disodium salt per capsule.

Although HTN PQQ 40 mg was the lowest-cost source of PQQ, it is not a Top Pick, as the dose is much higher than has been used in most clinical studies.

Test Results by Product:

Listed alphabetically below are the test results for eight PQQ supplements. ConsumerLab.com selected seven of these products. One other product (indicated with a CL flask) was tested at the request of its manufacturers/distributor through CL's voluntary Quality Certification Program and is included for having passed testing. Products listed as "Approved" met their label claim and ConsumerLab.com's standards for PQQ supplements (see How Products Were Evaluated for details). Expected amounts of PQQ disodium salt are shown in the second column. Serving suggestions, pricing information, cost comparisons, notable features, and the full list of ingredients for each product are found in the additional columns.

Results of ConsumerLab.com Testing of Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ) Supplements

(Click arrows or swipe left or right to see all columns)

Approval Statusⓘ

Product Name

Claimed Amount of PQQ disodium saltⓘ

Heavy Metalsⓘ

Pill Sizeⓘ

Suggested Serving on Label

Cost for Suggested Serving

[Price per 20 mg PQQ disodium salt]

Price

Notable Features

Full List of Ingredients Per Serving

PQQ Only

APPROVED

Doctor's Best® PQQ With BioPQQ®

Dist. by Doctor's Best, Inc.

$ Price Check

1 veggie cap

20 mg PQQ disodium salt (BioPQQ®)
✔

Metals: Pass

Medium/large veggie cap

Take 1 capsule daily with food, or as recommended by a nutritionally informed physician.

$0.60/veggie cap

[$0.60]

$17.93/30 veggie caps

Non-GMO / Gluten-Free / Soy Free / Vegan.

1 veggie cap
PQQ (as BioPQQ® Pyrroloquinoline Quinone disodium salt) 20 mg.

Other Ingredients: Cellulose, modified cellulose (vegetarian capsule).

APPROVED

Top Pick

for PQQ overall

Double Wood® Supplements PQQ

Dist. by Double Wood LLC

1 capsule

20 mg PQQ disodium salt
✔

Metals: Pass

Medium/large veggie capsule

Take 1 to 2 capsules per day on an empty stomach. Do not exceed 4 capsules in one day.

$0.33/capsule

[$0.33]

$19.95/60 capsules

Gluten Free. Made With Non-GMO Ingredients.

1 capsule
PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone Disodium Salt) 20 mg.

Other Ingredients: Hypromellose (capsule) and microcrystalline cellulose.

APPROVED

HTN PQQ 40 mg

Dist. by Health Thru Nutrition

1 VegeCap

40 mg PQQ disodium salt (PureQQ™)
✔

Metals: Pass

Medium/large VegeCap

Take one (1) VegeCap daily as a dietary supplement or as recommended by your healthcare professional.

$0.42/VegeCap

[$0.21]

$50.99/120 VegeCaps

Calcium 108 mg per VegeCap

Vegan. Free of: milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans and corn. Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Soy Free.

1 VegeCap
Calcium (as dicalcium phosphate) 108 mg, PQQ as PureQQ™ (pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt) 40 mg.

Other Ingredients: Hypromellose, plant cellulose, L-Leucine, and Rice concentrate.

APPROVED

Jarrow Formulas® PQQ 20 mg

Dist. by Jarrow Formulas®

$ Price Check

1 capsule

20 mg PQQ disodium salt (BioPQQ™)
✔

Metals: Pass

Medium/large capsule

Take 1 capsule per day or as directed by your qualified healthcare professional.

$0.82/capsule

[$0.82]

$24.47/30 capsule

No wheat, gluten, soybeans, dairy, egg, fish/shellfish, or peanuts/tree nuts.

1 capsule
BioPQQ™ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt) 20 mg.

Other Ingredients: Cellulose, magnesium stearate (vegetable source) and silicon dioxide. Capsule consists of bovine gelatin (BSE-free).

NOT APPROVED

Kal® PQQ 5 mg

Mfd. by Nutraceutical Corp.

1 micro tablet

5 mg PQQ disodium salt
Found only 4.3 mg PQQ disodium salt (86.9% of list amount)

Metals: Pass

Small circular micro tablet

Dissolve one ActivMelt™ micro tablet on the tongue daily.

$0.33/micro tablet

[$1.33 based on amount listed]
[$1.53 based on amount found]

$19.99/60 micro tablets

Vegetarian.

1 micro tablet
Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) disodium salt 5 mg.

Other Ingredients: Mannitol Starch Complex (from non-GMO corn), Sorbitol, Natural Lemon Flavor with Other Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Polysaccharides (from non-GMO soy), Magnesium Stearate, Cellulose, Stevia (leaf extract), Malic Acid and Silica.

APPROVED

Top Pick

for low dose of PQQ

Swanson® PQQ

Dist. by Swanson Health Products

1 veggie capsule

10 mg PQQ disodium salt
✔

Metals: Pass

Medium/large veggie cap

Take one veggie capsule one to two times per day with water.

$0.28/veggie capsule

[$0.56]

$8.39/30 veggie capsules

None.

1 veggie capsule
PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt) 10 mg.

Other Ingredients: Rice flour, hypromellose (vegetable capsule), silica, magnesium stearate.

NOT APPROVED

Vitacost PQQ 10 mg

Dist. by Vitacost.com

1 capsule

10 mg PQQ disodium salt
Found only 8.6 mg PQQ disodium salt (86.5% of list amount)

Metals: Pass

Large capsule

Take 1 Capsule Up To Two Times Daily, Or As Directed By A Healthcare Professional.

$0.39/capsule

[$0.77 based on amount listed]
[$0.89 based on amount found]

$11.59/30 capsule

Vegetarian. Free of: Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Crustacean Shellfish, Fish, Soy, Gluten, Titanium Dioxide.

1 capsule
Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt (PQQ) 10 mg.

Other Ingredients: Rice flour and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

PQQ & CoQ10 Combination

APPROVED

Also Approved for CoQ10

Life Extension® CoQ10 100 mg with PQQⓘ

Dist. by Quality Supplements and Vitamins, Inc.

$ Price Check

1 softgel

10 mg PQQ disodium salt
✔

Metals: Pass

Medium/large softgel

Take one (1) softgel daily with food, or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner.

$1.25/softgel

[$2.50]

$37.50/30 softgels

Ubiquinol 100 mg & PQQ disodium salt 10 mg per softgel

Gluten Free. Non GMO.

1 softgel
Calories 5, Total Fat 0.5 g, Ubiquinol (as Kaneka Ubiquinol™) 100 mg, PrimaVie® Shilajit fulvic acid complex 100 mg, PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) disodium salt 10 mg.

Other Ingredients: Medium chain triglycerides, gelatin, glycerin, purified water, beeswax, sunflower lecithin, annatto color, rosemary extract.

Unless otherwise noted, information about the products listed above is based on the samples purchased by ConsumerLab.com (CL) for this Product Review. Manufacturers may change ingredients and label information at any time, so be sure to check labels carefully when evaluating the products you use or buy. If a product's ingredients differ from what is listed above, it may not necessarily be of the same quality as what was tested.

The information contained in this report is based on the compilation and review of information from product labeling and analytic testing. CL applies what it believes to be the most appropriate testing methods and standards. The information in this report does not reflect the opinion or recommendation of CL, its officers or employees. CL cannot assure the accuracy of information.

ConsumerTips™:

Dosage
A typical dose of PQQ used in clinical studies is between 20 mg per day taken either as 10 mg twice daily or 20 mg once daily.

How to Take
Suggested usage instructions on labels are conflicting. For example, Swanson suggests taking it with water while Doctor's Best suggests taking it with food. However, PQQ is water soluble, so it need not be taken with a meal for absorption. Nevertheless, as about 10% of people taking PQQ reported stomach discomfort in a study in which PQQ was taken after breakfast (Shiojima, J Am Coll Nutr 2021), taking with food may be tried if this occurs.

Brands of PQQ
Various brands of PQQ are on the market. In this Review, the products from Doctor's Best and Jarrow indicate that they are made with BioPQQ, and the HTN product claims to contain PureQQ. The other products do not list a specific brand of PQQ.

All of these products contain PQQ as PQQ disodium salt, made either by through bacterial fermentation (e.g., BioPQQ) or chemical synthesis (e.g., PureQQ). It is not clear if any brand is superior to others, although, in 2013, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, maker of BioPQQ, claimed that its own testing of competing PQQ products detected high levels of impurities (NutraIngredients, October 2013), but these results do not appear to have been published.

Mitsubishi appears to have been the first to introduce PQQ to the U.S. market in 2008 when it filed PQQ disodium salt as a new dietary ingredient (NDI) with the FDA and did not receive any objection from the agency. Many PQQ ingredients have subsequently been self-affirmed as being GRAS (generally recognized as safe), although GRAS status is based filings with the FDA to which the agency has not objected but this does not represent FDA confirmation of safety. The FDA has indicated that it did not object to a GRAS notice from Nascent Health in 2016 for the use of its PQQ (PureQQ) in various types of drinks and beverages at a maximum level of 8 mg per serving, as well as in dietary supplements. This is currently the only GRAS notice relating to use in dietary supplements. The FDA has also not objected to GRAS notifications from Hisun in 2016, Nutraland in 2017, Fuzou Contay in 2017, and JinCheng in 2018 for PQQ produced by bacterial fermentation, at levels of 5 to 20 mg per serving in drinks and beverages.

Concerns and Cautions:

No adverse effects associated with PQQ have been reported, although, as noted above, only short-term studies have been conducted. All filings with the FDA regarding PQQ use have been limited to amount of no more than 20 mg per serving and published studies have not exceeded that amount per day.

Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only. It is not an endorsement of any product nor is it meant to substitute for the advice provided by physicians or other healthcare professionals. The information contained herein should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Consumers should inform their healthcare providers of the dietary supplements they take.