I first heard about D-Ribose as an energy nutrient in a gym in Los Angeles and promptly dismissed it. Why? Probably prejudice on my part. Most of what you hear around the gym regarding supplements is nonsense, and the guy who was touting this one claimed to have gotten it from a medical researcher who swore that it was the missing link in energy production, and if you just drank this product with D-Ribose in it you’d be benching 250 in no time, and running marathons in your spare time.
So, naturally, I paid no attention.
Several years later, my friend Stephen Sinatra, M.D., a cardiologist and nutritionist for whom I have great respect, wrote a book on metabolic cardiology that had an introduction by another physician, James Roberts, M.D.. Sinatra, a huge fan of D-Ribose, said that he had discovered the supplement through Roberts. Here’s what he wrote in his book, The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic Cardiology:
“Before trying ribose on his patients, Dr. Roberts decided to use himself as a guinea pig. AS a marathon runner, Dr. Roberts knew the importance of energy recovery of maintaining the physiological health of his muscles. He also knew the pain, soreness, stiffness and fatigue he felt following long distance training runs. Dr. Roberts soon found that taking ribose before and after a run eliminated the problems associated with training. After a long run his muscles felt good and his legs were no longer ‘spongy’. The muscle pain and soreness she generally had for a couple of days after training were gone. And, he was no longer fatigued in the days following a strenuous workout. Dr. Roberts was convinced!”
Okay, that got my attention.
A VITAL SUGAR
So here’s the deal. D-Ribose is actually a five-carbon sugar that is used by every living cell. It was discovered way back in 1905, and has long been known to be a component of RNA, which, you may remember from high school biology, is a nucleic acid that helps translate genetic information from DNA into proteins. In other words, it’s vital. Because D-Ribose (ribose for short) is an essential part of RNA, it’s also essential for all living things. And if that weren’t enough to make its resume impressive, ribose is also a component of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the “energy” molecule in the cell. Bottom line: It’s critical for metabolism.
Between 1997 and 2004, a company called Bioenergy, Inc. amassed no fewer than twenty-four patents (issued or pending) relating to the use of ribose for increasing energy in tissues, and also for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
The primary dietary source of D-Ribose is veal and other red meat, but, as Sinatra points out, the amount you might get from your diet isn’t enough to provide any meaningful support for anyone with low energy caused by heart disease, vascular disease, or even high intensity exercise recovery. The body makes ribose, and because of that, it’s not considered an “essential” nutrient (meaning you have to get one from the diet). That’s why technically there are no “D-ribose deficiencies”. Deficiencies technically are defined as concentrations of nutrients that fall below normal levels, and because the body doesn’t store ribose in the conventional sense, a ribose deficiency can’t exist. But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use more of it.
Cells basically produce ribose on demand, much like the barista at Starbucks – they don’t make a bunch of it and leave it on the counter waiting to be used. But certain tissues, including the heart and the brain, can only make the amount of ribose they need when the cells aren’t under stress. On top of that, ribose manufacturing is a slow process.
As a result, the tissues of the heart and muscles are unable to quickly replace energy pools once they’ve been depleted by either exercise or disease. This is a particular concern in heart disease, when oxygen or blood flow is chronically impaired, but as we saw with Roberts’ experience running marathons, it could also be the case with regular folks under certain conditions.
“Studies have shown that any amount of ribose you give to energy-starved cells will give the cells an energy boost”, Sinatra told me.
PROMISING STUDIES
Will ribose supplementation help people with low energy? Truth be told, we don’t know for absolute sure, but there’s good reason to connect the dots form certain research with energy-depleted conditions, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Both of these conditions are related to a shortage of cellular energy.
In a 2006 pilot study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, forty-one patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or both were given 5 grams of D-Ribose three times a day over the course of about twenty-five days. By the end of the study, the participants reported significant improvements in sleep patterns, mental clarity, energy, and feelings of well-being. The average energy increase was 45 percent; about two-thirds of the people reported feeling “somewhat better to much better” while taking the D-Ribose supplements.
A study on young, healthy males also yielded promising results. Male recreational bodybuilders between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five were divided into two groups; one group was given ribose supplementation (10 grams per day), and the other group was given a placebo. The ribose-supplemented group had a significant increase in the total work performed in their workout as well as a significant increase in their one-repetition maximum-strength bench press. Sure, it was a small study, but it adds to the evidence that ribose may be effective in increasing energy.
The evidence for ribose supplementation in people whose energy is compromised because of heart issues is even more compelling. A number of studies have shown great value in using ribose (often along with other great heart nutrients, such as coenzyme Q10 and carnitine) for heart patients. One of many peer-reviewed journal articles (in a 2003 issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure) showed that D-Ribose improved diastolic function and quality of life in patients with congestive heart failure, a condition in which energy is highly compromised.
It’s more than possible that D-Ribose may help you with general fatigue, whether or not you are an athlete. I recommend starting with 5 to 10 grams a day (1 slightly rounded tablespoon of powder), in two divided doses (1/2 to 1 tablespoon each).
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