Ribose Overview

Ribose is a carbohydrate vital for the body's manufacture of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the major source of energy used by our cells.

Quite a few studies have been done on ribose, mostly relating to its potential usefulness for individuals with heart disease. When the heart is starved for oxygen, as can occur with a heart attack or angina , it loses much of its ATP, and its ATP levels remain low for several days, even after blood flow is resumed. ¹ Scientists have found that supplying extra ribose in the blood helps restore the heart's normal ATP levels more quickly. This finding has raised hopes that ribose supplements might improve heart functioning and increase exercise capacity.

Ribose is better known as a sports supplement . However, current evidence indicates that it is noteffective for this purpose.

Ribose is not an essential nutrient. Although it is a common sugar present in the bodies of animals and plants, food sources don't supply recommended dosages.

Typical doses recommended by sports supplement manufacturers are 1 to 10 g per day. Participants in a study of heart disease took 60 g of ribose in water (15 mg, 4 times a day) by mouth for 3 days. ² Typically provided as a powder to be dissolved in water or in liquid form, ribose is also available commercially in capsules. The dissolved powder has a sweetish taste that some people find unpleasant. ³

Individuals with sufficiently severe coronary artery disease suffer reduced blood flow to the heart (ischemia) with exercise and experience angina pain. One small study examined whether giving ribose can improve exercise tolerance for people with angina. ⁴ In the study, 20 men with severe coronary artery disease walked on a treadmill while researchers noted how long it took for signs of ischemia to develop. For the next 3 days, the men took either oral ribose (60 mg per day) or placebo, after which they repeated the treadmill test. Results of the final test showed that those taking ribose increased the time they were able to walk before developing EKG signs of ischemia, while those taking placebo had no such improvement. This preliminary study was too small to prove anything definitively, but it certainly suggests that further investigation would be worthwhile.

Another small placebo-controlled study enrolled people with coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure and found that use of ribose supplements improved objective measures of heart function and also enhanced subjective "quality of life." ⁵

1. Pliml W, von Arnim T, Stäblein A, Hofmann H, Zimmer HG, Erdmann E. Effects of ribose on exercise-induced ischaemia in stable coronary artery disease. Lancet. 340(8818):507-10.
2. Pliml W, von Arnim T, Stäblein A, Hofmann H, Zimmer HG, Erdmann E. Effects of ribose on exercise-induced ischaemia in stable coronary artery disease. Lancet. 340(8818):507-10.
3. Steele IC, Patterson VH, Nicholls DP. A double blind, placebo controlled, crossover trial of D-ribose in McArdle's disease. J Neurol Sci. 136(1-2):174-7.
4. Pliml W, von Arnim T, Stäblein A, Hofmann H, Zimmer HG, Erdmann E. Effects of ribose on exercise-induced ischaemia in stable coronary artery disease. Lancet. 340(8818):507-10.
5. Omran H, Illien S, MacCarter D, St Cyr J, Lüderitz B. D-Ribose improves diastolic function and quality of life in congestive heart failure patients: a prospective feasibility study. Eur J Heart Fail. 5(5):615-9.