Ribose - Supplements Descriptions

Ribose
(Jarrow Formulas)

Ribose is a sugar (note the "ose" ending). But it is considered to be a "good" sugar in that it is used by the body to create ATP, the body's main energy source. The claim about this product is that by supplementing with ribose athletes are able to store greater amounts of ATP and to replenish ATP at a quicker rater. As such, it is claimed ribose increases muscular energy, boosts endurance, and promotes recovery. It is also claimed that taking ribose with creatine increases the uptake of creatine.

Advertisements for ribose claim that it has been scientifically proven to aid in the above areas. However, I did some research on ribose on PubMed. And all of the studies I came across did not find any benefit from ribose supplementation. And I did some reading of back posts in weighting newsgroups on Google Groups. And it seemed that universally, the lifters who had tried ribose did not find any benefit from it. One lifter's comment stuck in my mind. He stated that it seemed unlikely that such a small amount of sugar could actually do any good.

I'm not saying that there are no studies showing a beneficial effect or that no one who has tried it has benefited from it, it's just that I did not come across any such studies or experiences. It's also possible that the studies and the lifters did not use enough for it to be effective. Recommended amounts range from 2-20 grams a day. But with as expensive as it is, most who do try it probably try to take the smallest recommended amount. Maybe at the highest amounts it would be beneficial.

Despite this negative research and the expense, I got taken in by all of the hype in the advertisements and articles in muscle mags and went ahead and tried ribose anyway. I took it for several days and had trouble sleeping the entire time. Even if I took it early in the day, it disturbed my sleep. Needless to day, I stopped taking it, so I cannot say if it would have benefited me or not if I had been able to take it for a longer period. But as it was, my little experiment was a complete waste of time and money. Therefore, I cannot recommend the use of ribose. If you're a lifter looking for help, there are much better and less expensive supplements to try.

But still, if you are determined to try ribose, I would recommend Jarrow Formulas' Ribose. I have found Jarrow's products to be of high quality but to still be relatively inexpensive.

Jarrow's Ribose is available at iHerb and Amazon.
Additional Ribose products are available from iHerb and Amazon.
For iHerb, when checking out, use referral code HOP815 to receive $5.00 off your first order.

The above article was posted on this site June 1, 2004.
It was updated June 20, 2017.

Supplements Supplement Descriptions

Text Search Alphabetical List of Pages Contact Information

Fitness for One and All Home Page

Books and eBooks by the Director