Effects of ribose supplementation on repeated sprint performance in men

• Published in: Journal of strength and conditioning research 2003-02, Vol.17 (1), p.47-52
• Main Authors: Berardi, John M, Ziegenfuss, Tim N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Bicycling - physiology; Cross-Over Studies; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Exercise Test; Humans; Male; Physical Endurance - drug effects; Ribose - administration & dosage
• ISSN: 1064-8011
• DOI: 10.1519/00124278-200302000-00008

This study used a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design to evaluate the effects of oral ribose supplementation on short-term anaerobic performance. After familiarization, subjects performed 2 bouts of repeated cycle sprint exercise (six 10-second sprints with 60-second rest periods between sprints) in a single day. After the second exercise, bout subjects ingested 32 g of ribose or cellulose (4 x 8-g doses) during the next 36 hours. After supplementation, subjects returned to the laboratory to perform a single bout of cycle sprinting (as described above). After a 5-day washout period, subjects repeated the protocol, receiving the opposite supplement treatment. Ribose supplementation lead to statistically significant increases in mean power and peak power in sprint 2 (10.9 and 6.6%, respectively) and higher (although not significant) absolute values in sprints 1, 3, and 4. In conclusion, ribose supplementation did not show reproducible increases in performance across all 6 sprints. Therefore, within the framework of this investigation, it appears that ribose supplementation does not have a consistent or substantial effect on anaerobic cycle sprinting.