D-ribose supplement, component of ATP (energy source)

D-ribose is a carbohydrate found in every living organism, that facilitates the production of ATP, now available to buy in supplement form. This five-carbon sugar is an essential component not only of ribonucleic acid but also of important molecules such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and all nucleotides.

Why are the benefits associated with D-Ribose?

It has a particular role to play in the regulation of energy production. Most of the body's tissues, including the heart, are unable to produce ribose quickly enough to restore energy levels once they have fallen significantly.

In studies of both healthy athletes and individuals with cardiac muscle damage, supplying D-ribose to tired muscle cells rapidly restored ATP to normal levels. By helping to quickly restore exhausted energy reserves, D-ribose may be particularly beneficial for people with cardiac or other problems characterised by inadequate energy production.

Intense exercise, muscle ischaemia or localised hypoxia can all overwhelm the renewal mechanisms of cellular energy. As a result, an imbalance occurs between energy supply and demand which leads to a cascade of reactions and a loss of cellular energy, and eventually, to a wide range of physiological problems including muscle stiffness, pain, weakness, cell damage and decreased levels of protein synthesis. You can buy D-ribose to help maintain an optimal level of cellular energy and reduce the physiological consequences of a deficiency of cellular energy.

What do studies show about D-Ribose?

A number of scientific studies have demonstrated that D-ribose supplementation:

• Increased muscle strength and stamina in both healthy subjects and those suffering from fibromyalgia; in the latter, capacity for exercise is usually compromised, as muscles lack contraction strength and stamina.
• In bodybuilders, taking 10g D-ribose a day for 4 weeks significantly increased muscle strength.
• Increased by five- to seven-fold the rate of adenine salvage in skeletal muscles, an important factor in recovery.
• Reduced the heart rate of athletes undergoing intensive training and controlled the formation of free radicals which are normally generated in such conditions.
• Increased the anaerobic threshold of normal, healthy hearts and delayed by 26% the development of irreversible ischaemic lesions.
• In patients with coronary artery disease, it boosted diastolic cardiac function, increased tolerance to exercise and improved quality of life; these benefits are due to its role in increasing cardiac energy reserves which have been depleted as a result of ischaemia or hypoxia associated with coronary artery disease.