Often we think of increasing energy by fueling our bodies with macronutrients, such as sugar, protein, and fat. What if you could increase energy by supplying a nutrient that acts right within your cells, to directly fuel the mitochondria, which are the power generating components within every cell? This is possible with ribose!

What is Ribose?

Ribose, also known as D-ribose, is a unique type of sugar that is made by the body from glucose. This type of sugar is not normally found in food, so it is up to your body to make it or you can supplement with it. Why should you care about this simple sugar? Well, you need it for energy production! It is an essential component of the “energy molecules” that are found in EVERY cell in our bodies. These “energy molecules” are ATP and NADH and they play central roles in the energy production of cells. Essentially, ribose has the ability to increase the energy of your cells, which has many potential health applications.

It is interesting to note that the body recognizes ribose as unique and thus does not treat ribose the same way other sugars are treated in your body. Ribose is not burned as fuel; instead, the body uses it primarily to make the energy molecules ATP and NADH. These energy molecules fuel our hearts, muscles, brains, and every other cell in our body.

What is Ribose used for?

Since ribose acts to increase cellular energy production, ribose is commonly used to improve athletic performance and the ability to exercise by boosting muscle energy. It helps to replenish ATP stores, especially in high-intensity workouts, which enhances energy and promotes better exercise performance. It is can also speed muscle tissue recovery after workouts and reduce post-exercise fatigue.

Research has shown that ribose supplementation is useful in conditions associated with impaired cellular energy metabolism, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Since mitochondrial dysfunction is often one of the underlying causes of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, supplementing with ribose can greatly reduce the symptoms of fatigue, muscle pain and poor sleep commonly associated with these syndromes. Some studies show that supplementing with ribose can decrease the fatigue associated with fibromyalgia by 45%.

Ribose can also improve the cellular energy metabolism of heart muscle cells. Some research is showing that ribose can be used in congestive heart failure to improve heart function and to improve the tolerance of heart tissue to ischemia (reduced blood flow). In particular, ribose may be useful to improve exercise tolerance in people with coronary heart disease.

How does Ribose work?

Ribose is the building block for ATP, and ATP is the primary energy source of all living cells. Thus ribose works by increasing cellular energy production, particularly in heart muscle and skeletal muscle.

ATP is literally the energy currency of the cell and it is the fuel for mitochondria. Mitochondria are like the furnace of all of your cells, they burn ATP. If your body can not produce enough ATP, your cells will not have the energy needed to carry out their vital functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction is often an underlying cause of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Our bodies actually have the capability of producing ribose itself. However, when the heart and muscle tissue become chronically stressed by overexertion, disease, and conditions that affect tissue energy metabolism, the cells can not make enough ribose. This results in chronic persistent pain, soreness, stiffness, and fatigue.

How do you use it?

Ribose is available in powder form, which allows you to get the therapeutic dose of 5grams three times a day for conditions such as fibromyalgia or congestive heart failure. For improved exercise endurance, you can take between 1-5 grams before and/or after exercise.