D-Ribose improves diastolic function and the quality of life in congestive heart failure patients

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is clogging of the arteries inside the heart that decreases the flow of blood and supply of oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. CHD weakens the heart muscle and often leads to congestive heart failure in sufferers despite the use of the most advanced and protective drugs (another cause of heart failure is the damage caused during a heart attack). In heart failure (HF) the heart cannot effectively pump enough blood to the rest of the body because it lacks the force to do so. It can also fail to fill up with enough oxygenated blood from the lungs before pumping blood out. Blood and fluid can back up into the lungs and fluid builds up in the legs, ankles, and feet. The patient becomes chronically tired and short of breath. About 300,000 people die each year in the USA due to heart failure despite the best medical efforts and it is a serious disease.

Researchers at the Department of Medicine-Cardiology, University of Bonn gave patients with both CHD and HF either D-Ribose supplementation or inactive placebo for 3 weeks, with a one week washout period, then switching them to the other protocol for an additional 3 week period in a double-blinded, cross-over study. D-Ribose supplementation improved the ability of the heart to fill with oxygen rich blood supplied from the lungs while improving the function between compartments of the heart. D-Ribose also significantly improved the patients' quality of life. The study was published in the October 2003 issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure.

D-Ribose may benefit patients with lung disease improving their ability to breath and reducing stress on their hearts

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a group of lung diseases characterized by wheezing, chronic cough and difficulty in breathing. The destruction to the lungs is usually permanent and progressively worsens. The patients with COPD have trouble breathing because of decreased lung function and stress on their hearts. This makes it hard for patients with COPD to exercise.

ATP is a molecule used as the energy source within cells. Muscles use ATP for short bursts of energy. Naturally occurring D-Ribose enhances ATP levels and Ribose is found in all living cells. In this case-report physicians and scientists at various institutions report on the benefits of D-Ribose supplementation to a 65 year-old man with severe COPD due to a 42 year history of smoking, who also has heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol; he was on a cocktail of drugs. He was given 5 grams of D-Ribose 3 times a day for 8-weeks. His ability to breath during exercise improved and he was less short of breath. The case report is featured in the Internet Journal of Pulmonary Medicine, volume 7, number 2.