Ribose is nothing more than a natural sugar that occurs in the human body. Yet, it is a sugar that has special properties and actions. Ribose helps the cells make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides the fuel to help the body move. When the stores of this important substance get low in the body, many people feel that they benefit from ribose dietary supplements in a variety of ways.

Increased Energy

Obviously, if ribose increases ATP and ATP fuels movement, there is energy involved. People with certain chronic illnesses, such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome may suffer in part because of diminished energy. Ischemic heart disease patients also suffer from fatigue when doing everyday tasks. Many scientists and doctors believe that it is ATP that is lacking and that ribose supplementation is helpful for solving these problems.

Of course, you do not have to be chronically ill to want more energy. Athletes and bodybuilders may use ribose to increase their ATP stores as well. The point of this is to improve short-duration, high-intensity workouts. While there is no iron-clad scientific evidence that this is effective, many bodybuilders and athletes support it because of their own experiences.

Decreased Pain

The fact that ribose can help to decrease pain in the body is helpful to people suffering from all those chronic illnesses as well. Also, it appears that the increased energy relieves burdens on the body that is making it painful. For example, if you have low energy, it is difficult to hold your back up straight, and it can begin to hurt more. Just having the extra energy you get from ribose accounts for some of the pain reduction. These factors help ill patients to get through their days better and to live a more normal life.

At the same, time, ribose dietary supplements make working out that much less painful and contact sports like Mixed Martial Arts or football less punishing to the athlete. Since pain can often be a limiting factor in sports, relieving pain can improve performance. The only thing to be careful of is to make sure that injuries are not being ignored.

Better Mood and Sleep

The type of sugar that makes up ribose is a form that does not cause drastic spikes in blood sugar. Ribose improves mood for this reason, and because it is a generally healthy sugar. As mood improves, sleep improves as well. Sleep is important for anyone from chronically ill patients to hard-training MMA fighters.

Safe

Besides all these listed benefits of ribose, there is one more. It is a safe and healthy dietary supplement to take. There have been no major side effects reported, and most people feel much healthier when they take it. For people who need more energy, less pain, or just want to feel better, ribose is an excellent supplement to try.