Here's a summary of what I have understood so far.

-- D-Ribose is widely believed to be safe.

-- There is some evidence that d-ribose may elevate blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). However, there seems to be about the same amount of concern that it may lower blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia).

-- There is some concern that d-Ribose may elevate blood levels of uric acid, which may lead to gout or kidney stones. However, regardless of whether d-Ribose elevates uric acid levels, there is less than universal acceptance of the idea that high blood levels of uric acid causes gout or kidney stones.

-- A hedge against high uric acid levels may be strawberries.

-- A hedge against kidney stones may be drinking adequate water each day. (A doctor recently told me that he has had five kidney stones, and it is his understanding that a predisposition to kidney stones may be congenital. Other than that, he didn't have too much faith in the "drink plenty of water" idea.)

-- While I haven't spent a lot of time on this, I still have not found anyone on the net or anyone among my healthcare providers (e.g. just saw my chiropractor today) who knows of anyone who has experienced gout or kidney stones as a result of taking d-Ribose.



That's it so far. I hope that, if she is so inclined, mrsD will correct anything that I have gotten wrong here.