One possible way to support congestive heart failure is by improving energy production in heart muscle cells. In heart failure, the heart is often described as being energy-starved. Ribose is a five-carbon sugar that is a structural component of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy molecule in cells. An article in Progressive Cardiovascular Nursing (2009 Jun;24(2):59–60) discussed the idea that supplemental ribose may help support cardiac energy production.
Animal studies have provided support for this concept. Early work published in Science (1983 Apr 1;220(4592):81–82) showed benefits of D-ribose on heart metabolism. Additional research published in Cell Physiology and Biochemistry (2009;24(3–4):211–218) found that rats given intravenous D-ribose (200 mg/kg/hour) one day before experimentally induced myocardial infarction had smaller infarct size and better left ventricular function compared with controls. Another rat study reported in Progressive Cardiovascular Nursing (2009 Jun;24(2):59–60) found that ribose normalized depressed heart function.
Small human studies have also been published. Research in the European Journal of Heart Failure (2003 Oct;5(5):615–619) reported that ribose supplementation improved ischemic threshold, enhanced diastolic function, and was associated with improvements in quality of life and cardiac performance in patients with congestive heart failure. Another small study published in the International Journal of Cardiology (2009 Sep 11;137(1):79–80) followed 16 patients with class III or IV heart failure who received 5 grams of ribose three times daily. After eight weeks, patients showed significant improvements in ventilatory parameters at anaerobic threshold and a 44% improvement in Weber functional class, suggesting better exercise tolerance.
Overall, ribose has been described in the literature as inexpensive and generally well tolerated. While these studies are small and preliminary, they suggest that supporting cellular energy metabolism may be one factor worth considering in the broader discussion of heart failure management.
