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D-RiboseThere's now a book on the findings on the power of D-Ribose on cardiovascular health, titled "Reverse Heart Disease Now", written by two cardiologists, Drs. Stephen Sinatra and James Roberts. These doctors offered their cardiovascular patients an enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) program, a noninvasive method that restores the flow of oxygenated blood in patients with recurrent or inoperable coronary artery disease. Before adding D-ribose, most of the patients on EECP experienced good improvement. After adding D-ribose, however, improvement made a leap to great, in the doctors own words. After this discovery, as described in the book, the doctors began to put patients with angina and heart failure on D-ribose. They also improved. All in all, the addition of the supplement led toimprovement in cardiac function measurements, exercise tolerance, quality of life, and recovery from fatigue. Even though the body makes the compound, there really aren't levels of formal D-ribose deficiency in tissue. This is because deficiencies refer to tissue concentrations of nutrients that fall to below-normal levels. In the case of D-ribose, it is not stored in cells in its free form, thus, there is no “normal” level of D-ribose in tissue. Instead, cells have to make the compound in response to a specific metabolic demand. This is what is troublesome, as making the compound is a slow process in virtually all cells. There have been several studies on the subject. The connection of the compound to cardiac function was made by the physiologist Heinz-Gerd Zimmer at the University of Munich who, in 1973, reported that energy-starved hearts could recover faster if D-ribose was given prior to, or immediately following, ischemia (oxygen deprivation). One 2003 study showed that the compound improved diastolic functional performance of the heart, increased exercise tolerance, and significantly improved the quality of life of patients. Lately, Researchers have turned their attention to healthy bodies and there are documented benefits from D-ribose supplements to improve athletic performance. As a supplement, the compound has been documented to absorb easily and quickly through the gut and into the bloodstream, with about 97% getting through. What's interesting is that studies have also shown that any amount of D-ribose you give to energy-starved cells gives them an energy boost. In this regard, one study made at the University of Missouri, showed that even very small doses (the equivalent of about 500 mg) of the compound increased energy in muscles by more than 100%. D-Ribose - Studies and Books"Reverse Heart Disease Now" by Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, and James C. Roberts, MD. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, 2007. Ischemic heart disease: metabolic approaches to management.Clin Cardiol. 2004 Aug;27(8):439-41. 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. Effects of effervescent creatine, ribose, and glutamine supplementation on muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov;17(4):810-6. D-Ribose improves diastolic function and quality of life in congestive heart failure patients: a prospective feasibility study. Eur J Heart Fail. 2003 Oct;5(5):615-9. 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. Effects of ribose supplementation on repeated sprint performance in men. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Feb;17(1):47-52. No effects of oral ribose supplementation on repeated maximal exercise and de novo ATP resynthesis. J Appl Physiol. 2001 Nov;91(5):2275-81.
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