What Should You Know About PQQ Supplements?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributor
Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on August 01, 2025
4 min read

PQQ, or pyrroloquinoline quinone, is a compound made by bacteria that helps them digest alcohol and sugar to make energy. It’s found in some fruits and vegetables as well as human breast milk. PQQ is also called methoxatin or pyrroloquinoline quinone disodium salt.

What are PQQ supplements?

Some people use PQQ supplements for energy, memory, enhanced focus, and overall brain health. But researchers don’t know very much about how these supplements affect your health.

Researchers are still studying how PQQ works in the body. Research shows PQQ helps certain enzymes work, especially when it comes to mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells because they help make energy.

PQQ’s antioxidant properties may help reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is when your cells become damaged because the balance between helpful antioxidants and harmful molecules called free radicals is disrupted. When the levels are imbalanced, the extra free radicals attack your cells.

You can get PQQ naturally from many different foods, including:

It’s also often found in breast milk. This is probably because it’s absorbed from the fruits and vegetables the nursing parent eats.

The research on PQQ is still in early stages, and most of studies so far have been done on animals. While there are some human studies, it isn’t clear exactly how it can help your body. But research shows there may be some health benefits.

Antioxidant properties. When your body breaks down food into energy, it also makes free radicals. Normally your body can get rid of these harmful molecules. But if there are too many, they can cause cell damage, leading to chronic conditions. Antioxidants fight free radicals.

PQQ is an antioxidant, and based on research, it seems to be more powerful at fighting free radicals than vitamin C. Antioxidants work better together, so it’s unclear whether taking PQQ alone as a supplement can help prevent any diseases.

M‌ay help with mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are the power centers of your cells. Problems with your mitochondria can lead to heart problems, diabetes, and cancer. Data from animal studies shows that PQQ helps make more mitochondria. But there is limited research on humans.

One study tested PQQ supplements in men who did aerobic exercise for six weeks. It increased mitochondria by affecting certain proteins during exercise. Another study showed that dietary PQQ boosted mitochondria activity.

Antidiabetic properties. Problems with mitochondria are part of what leads to diabetes. Lifestyle choices like exercise, food, stress, and sleep affect mitochondrial health. Animal data shows that PQQ supplements may fix mitochondrial problems from diabetes and make diabetic mice respond better to insulin. But there’s no evidence that PQQ can help people with diabetes.

May help fight inflammation. PQQ might help lower C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and other markers of inflammation in your blood.‌

Nootropic effects. Substances that help with memory, attention, and learning are sometimes called nootropics. Studies show that PQQ increases blood flow to the cerebral cortex. This is the part of your brain that helps with attention, thinking, and memory.

May improve sleep and mood. PQQ might help with better and longer sleep, according to some early research. By easing fatigue, it might also boost your mood.

Due to limited research, it’s not clear how PQQ works or if it has any side effects.

PQQ in food is different from the PQQ in supplements. These supplements are usually powders made through a bacterial fermentation process. The maximum suggested dosage per day is 20 milligrams in adults, except for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding women. The supplement has about 250 times more PQQ than you can get from food. It’s unclear whether these high amounts are beneficial.

In the few human studies on PQQ, there were no side effects for short-term use. There are no reports of allergies or overdose from PQQ.

Some supplements can interact with medications as well as other supplements, but it’s not clear whether this is true for PQQ supplements. Before you take PQQ, talk to your doctor about whether it’s a good fit for you. Your doctor might have other ideas about how to improve your symptoms that have more evidence and safety information.

The best way to get PQQ is to eat fruits and vegetables, which are good for your health in several ways.

There’s still a lot we don’t about PQQ and PQQ supplements. How it works in your body, how safe PQQ supplements are, and the potential benefits are still uncertain. We need more research to know for sure whether PQQ supplements are good for your health.

Here are some commonly asked questions about PQQ. 

Is PQQ safe to take with other supplements or medications?

There’s not much information about PQQ interactions. Researchers are still looking into how PQQ works in your body, including whether it’s safe to take with other supplements and medication. Always ask your doctor before adding a new supplement to your diet.

Is it safe to take PQQ every day?

In general, many researchers believe PQQ is safe. But the research is still in early stages, and more human studies are needed.

How long does it take PQQ to work?

Because there’s so little research on PQQ in humans, we don’t have a clear timeframe of how long it might take to see any results. In one study in humans, participants took it for six weeks.