A paper published in The Annals of Medicine and Surgery Journal has described the potential use of d-ribose and ubiquinol for managing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and a study to confirm those benefits.
Funding for the paper, “Potential use of ubiquinol and d-ribose in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction,” by Janet D. Pierce, et.al., University of Kansas Medical Center, was provided by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging and the Department of Health and Human Services. It reviews the role of mitochondrial metabolism as it may relate to HFpEF pathophysiology and the potential mechanisms by which ubiquinol and d-ribose may impact mitochondrial function.
“When the heart begins to lose its capacity to conduct electricity, cells in the heart begin to die. That reduces the ejection fraction, which is how much blood can be squeezed out of the left ventricle. This volume drives blood into systemic circulation each time the heart pulses. As the heart begins to fail, this ejection fraction declines,” said Bioenergy Life Science (BLS) Director of Scientific Affairs and Technology Michael Crabtree, ND.
“Mitochondrial dysfunction appears to play a significant role in the pathophysiologic processes of this clinical syndrome,” noted the paper’s authors. They stated that d-ribose and ubiquinol contribute to the generation of myocardial ATP. The researchers are currently funded by NIH and regulated by the FDA to study the effects of d-ribose and/or ubiquinol as supplemental treatments for patients with HFpEF. The study is aimed to conclude in March, 2021.
BLS Executive VP and CSO Alex Xue said: “Since Stephen Sinatra, MD proposed the nutritional triad of d-ribose, CoQ10 and L-carnitine for cardiac health in the 1990s, extensive research has been conducted on these ingredients with good results. However, little has been done to study these ingredients in combination. This University of Kansas study is a formal clinical trial examining the combination of d-ribose and ubiquinol (a form of CoQ10) in heart failure patients. This ingredient combination should synergistically generate and maintain ATP levels in cardiac muscles, which may significantly help to preserve their ejection fraction.”
Adds Crabtree, “We predict a good outcome for this study. This news is already significant to the heart health category at a time when interest in conservative approaches to managing heart health is building. In addition to its ubiquinol synergies with respect to ATP production, d-ribose supports the pliability of the aortic tunnel, helping it to relax after the heart pulses which provides for greater ejection fraction.”
Crabtree confirms that one of the earliest applications of d-ribose supplementation was for heart health. “All of our early research, which led to our original patent, was done on heart tissue. BLS then moved into studying d-ribose for exercise and performance, and other areas. Ribose has transitioned from being a low-dose stand-alone ingredient into the realm of formulations designed to have a variety of benefits.” Much of that versatility and usefulness comes from how d-Ribose is metabolised in the body.
D-ribose has a short 20-minute half life, so it absorbs faster than ubiquinol, which has a 6.5 hour half life. “This is key to understanding the relationship between ribose and ubiquinol,” says Crabtree. “Ribose doesn’t get enough credit for combining with and optimizing the absorption and utilization of other ingredients in your formulation. In other words, ribose makes whatever you put with it work better whether that’s CoQ10, vitamin D3 or another nutrient.”
