Supplement Direct Ribose 200 Grams

Ribose, a unique, 5-carbon sugar that occurs naturally in all living cells forms thecarbohydrate portion of DNA and RNA, the building blocks of life. Ribose is also the sugar that begins the metabolic process for production of adenosine triphosphate (or ATP). ATP is the major source of energy used by cells including muscle tissue for normal function.

Directions For Supplement Direct D-Ribose: 1 scoop prior to strenuous activiy and to maximize athletic performance, or to keep energy pools high during strenuous activity slightly higher doses may be required. For extended exercise 1 -2 grams per hour or exercise or activity may be helpful.

Here's a summary of Ribose research done thus far:

• In patients with coronaryartery disease and heart failure,  D-ribose improves diastolic functional parameters and enhanced quality of life.
• D ribose may help some individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.
• Oral ribose supplementation (10 grams a day for 5 day) does not affect anaerobic exercise capacity or metabolic markers in trained subjects.
• Ribose supplementation does not have a consistent or substantial effect on anaerobic cycle sprinting.
• Oral ribose supplementation with 4-g doses four times a day does not help postexercise muscle ATP recovery and maximal intermittent exercise performance.

Ribose benefit summary
As of February 2010, I have not come across any data to support the claims that ribose is a helpful nutrient in athletes in terms of athletic performance enhancement but it may reduce oxidative stress. It appears that D Ribose may be beneficial to individuals with congestive heart failure and perhaps may offer some relief in those with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia. I will update this page as more ribose studies become available.

Antioxidant benefit during exercise
The role of ribose on oxidative stress during hypoxic exercise: a pilot study.
J Med Food. 2009 June; Seifert JG, Subudhi AW, Fu MX, Riska KL, John JC, Shecterle LM, St Cyr JA. Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, 59717, USA.
Oxygen free radicals are produced during stress, are unstable, and potentially interact with other cellular components or molecules. This reactivity can influence cellular function, including a prolongation in tissue recovery following exercise. We tested the effect of d-ribose, a pentose carbohydrate, in a double-blinded, crossover study on markers of free radical production during hypoxic exercise. Seven healthy volunteers cycled at their lactate threshold for 25 minutes while inhaling 16% O(2) with a subsequent 60-minute resting period at room air. Subjects ingested either placebo or 7 g of ribose in 250 mL of water before and after the exercise session. Urinary malondialdehyde (MDA) and plasma reduced glutathione levels increased significantly during placebo ingestion but were lower with ribose supplementation. Uric acid levels were similar between groups. Ribose demonstrated a beneficial trend in lower MDA and reduced glutathione levels during hypoxic stress.

Athletic performance
Effects of ribose as an ergogenic aid.
J Strength Cond Res. 2006 August. Peveler WW, Bishop PA, Whitehorn EJ. Department of Health and Kinesiology, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS 39701, USA.
Ribose, a naturally occurring pentose sugar, helps resynthesize ATP for use in muscles. There have been claims that ribose supplements increase ATP levels and improve performance. Other studies have provided mixed results on the effectiveness of ribose as an ergogenic aid at high doses. None of these studies have compared the impact of the recommended dose of ribose on athletes and nonathletes under exercise conditions that are most conducive for effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ribose as an ergogenic aid at the dose recommended for supplements currently on the market during an exercise trial to maximize its efficacy. Male subjects (n = 11) performed 2 trials 1 week apart. Each trial consisted of three 30-second Wingate tests with a 2-minute recovery between each test. Trials were counterbalanced, with 1 trial being performed with 625 mg of ribose and the other with a placebo. We found no significant differences between ribose and placebo. These results suggest that ribose had no effect on performance when taken orally, at the dose suggested by the distributor.

Heart disease
Ischemic heart disease: metabolic approaches to management.
Clin Cardiol. 2004 Aug;27(8):439-41.
The number of patients with coronary artery disease and its risk factors is increasing in Western nations. New treatments for these patients may soon include a class of agents known as the metabolic modulators. This group of agents consists of the partial fatty acid oxidation inhibitors trimetazidine and ranolazine, as well as dichloroacetate, which promotes carbohydrate utilization. Metabolic modulators also include the nutriceuticals L-carnitine and D-ribose. The available evidence regarding the benefits of each of these five agents is reviewed.

D Ribose and exercise performance
Effect of ribose supplementation on resynthesis of adenine nucleotides after intense intermittent training in humans.
Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2004 Jan;286(1):R182-8.
The effect of oral ribose supplementation on the resynthesis of adenine nucleotides and performance after 1 wk of intense intermittent exercise was examined. Eight subjects performed a random double-blind crossover design. The subjects performed cycle training consisting of 15 x 10 s of all-out sprinting twice per day for 7 days. After training the subjects received either ribose (200 mg/kg body wt) or placebo (Pla) three times per day for 3 days. An exercise test was performed at 72 h after the last training session. Immediately after the last training session, muscle ATP was lowered by 25 and 22 in Pla and ribose, respectively. In both Pla and Ribose, muscle ATP levels at 5 and 24 h after the exercise were still lower than pretraining. After 72 h, muscle ATP was similar to pretraining in Ribose but still lower in Pla and higher in Ribose than in Pla. Plasma hypoxanthine levels after the test performed at 72 h were higher in Ribose compared with Pla. Mean and peak power outputs during the test performed at 72 h were similar in Pla and Ribose. The results support the hypothesis that the availability of ribose in the muscle is a limiting factor for the rate of resynthesis of ATP. Furthermore, the reduction in muscle ATP observed after intense training does not appear to be limiting for high-intensity exercise performance.

Effects of effervescent creatine, ribose, and glutaminesupplementation on muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition.
J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov;17(4):810-6.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a combination of effervescent creatine, ribose, and glutamine on muscular strength (MS), muscular endurance (ME) and body composition (BC) in resistance-trained men. Subjects were 28 men (age: 22.3 +/- 1.7 years; weight: 85.8 +/- 12.1 kg; height: 1.8 +/- 0.1 m) who had 2 or more years of resistance-training experience. A double blind, randomized trial was completed involving supplementation or placebo control and a progressive resistance-training program for 8 weeks. Dependent measures were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks of resistance training. Both groups significantly improved MS and ME while the supplement group significantly increased body weight and fat-free mass. Control decreased body fat and increased fat-free mass. This study demonstrated that the supplement group with creatine, ribose, and glutamine did not enhance MS, ME, or BC significantly more than control after an 8-week resistance-training program.

Effects of oral D-ribose supplementation on anaerobic capacity and selected metabolic markers in healthy males.
Kreider RB,. Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7313, USA. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Mar;13(1):76-86.
Oral D-ribose supplementation has been reported to increase adenine nucleotide synthesis and exercise capacity in certain clinical populations. Theoretically, increasing adenine nucleotide availability may enhance high intensity exercise capacity. This study evaluated the potential ergogenic value of D-ribose supplementation on repetitive high-intensity exercise capacity in 19 trained males. Subjects were familiarized to the testing protocol and performed two practice-testing trials before pre-supplementation testing. Each test involved warming up for 5 min on a cycle ergometer and then performing two 30-s Wingate anaerobic sprint tests on a computerized cycle ergometer separated by 3 min of rest recovery. In the pre- and post-supplementation trials, blood samples were obtained at rest, immediately following the first and second sprints, and following 5 min of recovery from exercise. Subjects were then matched according to body mass and anaerobic capacity and assigned to ingest, in a randomized and double blind manner, capsules containing either 5 g of a dextrose placebo or D-ribose twice daily (10 g/d) for 5 d. Subjects then performed post-supplementation tests on the 6th day. Our results indicate that oral ribose supplementation (10 g/d for 5 d) does not affect anaerobic exercise capacity or metabolic markers in trained subjects as evaluated in this study.

Effects of ribose supplementation on repeated sprint performance in men.
J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Feb;17(1):47-52.
This study used a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design to evaluate the effects of oral ribose supplementation on short-term anaerobic performance. After familiarization, subjects performed 2 bouts of repeated cycle sprint exercise (six 10-second sprints with 60-second rest periods between sprints) in a single day. After the second exercise, bout subjects ingested 32 g of ribose or cellulose (4 x 8-g doses) during the next 36 hours. After supplementation, subjects returned to the laboratory to perform a single bout of cycle sprinting (as described above). After a 5-day washout period, subjects repeated the protocol, receiving the opposite supplement treatment. Ribose supplementation lead to statistically significant increases in mean power and peak power in sprint 2 (10.9 and 6.6%, respectively) and higher (although not significant) absolute values in sprints 1, 3, and 4. In conclusion, ribose supplementation did not show reproducible increases in performance across all 6 sprints. Therefore, within the framework of this investigation, it appears that ribose supplementation does not have a consistent or substantial effect on anaerobic cycle sprinting.

No effects of oral ribose supplementation on repeated maximal exercise and de novo ATP resynthesis.
J Appl Physiol. 2001 Nov;91(5):2275-81.
A double-blind randomized study was performed to evaluate the effect of oral ribose supplementation on repeated maximal exercise and ATP recovery after intermittent maximal muscle contractions. Muscle power output was measured during dynamic knee extensions with the right leg on an isokinetic dynamometer before (pretest) and after (posttest) a 6-day training period in conjunction with ribose (R, 4 doses/day at 4 g/dose) or placebo intake. Oral ribose supplementation with 4-gram doses four times a day does not beneficially impact on postexercise muscle ATP recovery and maximal intermittent exercise performance.