Rebuilding Energy - Coenzyme Q10, L-Carnitine Fumarate and D-Ribose

The primary source of energy for the body is a molecule known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Human energy (ATP) production is a complicated process. It all begins from our cells. There are over 10 trillion cells in the body and, in every cell, there are thousands of tiny 'power-plants' called mitochondria.

Energy (ATP) is produced in the 'power-plants' from the food we eat, in the presence of the oxygen that we breathe in together with the help of a vitamin-like substance called Hydrosoluble Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which produced by the individual cells.

Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Baton Rouge, Lousiana, studied age-related decline of bodily functions, CoQ10 is most vital for ATP production. The higher the amount of CoQ10 in the body, the more energy (ATP) it can produce. When we are young, we have an abundant amount of energy because the cells were loaded with CoQ10. Unfortunately, as we grow older, the level of CoQ10 in the body declines resulting in less energy being produced. Running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling vigorously, or engaging in any other form of strenuous exercise can rapidly deplete our body's stores of CoQ10.

Carnitine is another vitamin-like nutrient made in the body. Recently, Carnitine has become a popular sports supplement among those who work out at the gym as it helps increases stamina and endurance.

Fat is the best fuel for endurance exercise. Therefore, optimizing the body's ability to burn fat is the most important thing all athletes should strive for to promote energy and endurance. Carnitine plays such a critical role in fat burning- helping to enhance aerobic performance, allowing athletes to exercise longer without fatigue.

Like CoQ10, the body's production of Carnitine also declines as we age. Intense exercise can increase Carnitine loss in the urine, thus decreasing the body's level of Carnitine. Taking a L-Carnitine Fumarate supplement can make up for this loss.

In order to achieve peak performance, our muscle cells need to provide the maximum amount of energy for muscular contraction. They can do this only when they have an ample supply of ATP. However, the ATP levels (energy pool) in each cell are tightly regulated and there is no way to increase them beyond their maximum concentration in the cell.

According to the US-based National Health Education and Nutrition Examination Survey, exercise uses these supplies of ATP for muscle contraction, temporarily reducing the size of the energy pool by up to 30%. When ATP levels drop by 30%, invariably strength and performance suffer. Rebuilding ATP pool requires D-Ribose, which is made naturally by every cell in the body.

However, the cells cannot store D-Ribose and it is only produced when it is required. This becomes a problem when our cells need D-Ribose to rebuild the ATP pool but it is not immediately available. Producing D-Ribose is an extremely slow process which explains for the slow recovery of energy levels that may require more than 72 hours of rest. But recent findings, published in the Journal of the American Clinical Nutrition, by taking D-Ribose as a supplement, it can immediately be used by the cells to rebuild the energy pool, thus help to recover strength very quickly.

Reference:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003: 77:700-6