Yes, that is how biological systems work. They are what is called in chemistry "rate limited", meaning that fixed ratios of things work, based on the chemical reactions ongoing. Enzymes are needed in biological systems to hook things up...and they are often in limited amounts. Once filled, no more can be put thru until those enzymes are empty again.

Once the system is going well, the ratios may fill up and then some ribose may be hanging around extra. You can just tinker down, a bit and see if you hold your benefits. You can always go back up if need be. Ribose is also expensive, so if you maintain at say 1/2 your dose or less you will save some money too.
Just go down slowly.

Your reaction is a good sign... and I'd take it that you have some mitochondrial stress and this is working for you to improve ATP production.

I am taking it the same way. For fifteen years, I've been complaining to doctors about fatigue and lack of energy. My complaints didn't interest them.

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.

That seems to be a good synopsis in general.

Gout or elevated uric acid levels is a genetic defect as far as I know. Primary uric acid level increases are due to a defect in metabolizing purines.

Secondary uric acid elevations can come from sudden purine flooding the system, which can occur during chemotherapy for leukemias. The elevated white blood cells die at a rapid rate and flood the enzymes so they cannot remove the uric acid produced quickly enough, so gout may occur in a person who does not have the genetic defect. Usually treatment which is temporary, helps this, and is discontinued when the chemo is over.

Some people who are borderline with uric acid problems can have gout attacks when getting over infections. During infections, white cells increase, and then are metabolized away after. This can initiate a gout attack in some people.

I don't think changing food intake has been found to be helpful for gout patients. In the old days, avoidance of rich foods and alcohol were advised. Even Legumes were to be avoided. But now it is pretty well accepted that gout is an internal disease and not that responsive to diet.

Gouty arthritis may also be called pseudogout...and involves calcium rather than uric acid. It presents as "gout" but it is not really because there is not the corresponding elevation of uric acid.

I really don't think the fruit thing is effective enough for genetic uric acid elevations. But it might help with pseudogout.

Typical treatments may include potassium citrate to change pH of the urine, or sodium bicarbonate. These may be more effective than fruit intake.

What bothers me is that ribose is not plentiful in foods. If our bodies were primed (evolved genetically) to need this sugar in large amounts, we'd see it in more food sources. It is present in riboflavin, Vit B2.
But even then intake of this vitamin is quite low.

When we take substances in mega amounts, we have to be very careful.
This concern has also been watched for B12 ...but research has been done on that, showing no toxicity in large doses. I don't think we have the same level of studies on ribose. So some caution should be followed.

Many bodybuilding sites, recommend huge amounts of supplements and high doses of some. Creatine is one. That one also remains controversial. Building muscle rapidly is different from maintaining a body type.

So please be vigilant if you have any side effects down the road with the ribose in high doses. Maintain good hydration also.

Next time you visit the doctor, you can request a uric acid level blood test. That should show if you have a potential for gout.

I found this article today while searching Taurine for my kitten.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21437784

It is rather a new paper. I have used taurine for sluggish gall bladder issues in the past. And I have seen it listed as a supplement for people with insulin resistance.

I think one would need at least 1000mg a day. Perhaps 2000.

Mrs. D - Thank you for sending me the link to all the posts about supplements for PN and the links to articles about PN (causes, diagnosis, and treatments). All very helpful!!!

I know all supplements/treatments won't work for all types of PN. What do you know about PN caused by autoimmune disorder, like Sjogren's Syndrome, or caused by autonomic nervous system dysfunction. If PN has one of those causes, will supplementation still be effective? Or is PN that is caused by autoimmune or autonomic problems less responsive to supplementation therapy? I can't remember where I got this sense, but I remember seeing this somewhere. Hopefully I am wrong.

Thank you.

There is a connection to immune dysfunctions and low Vit D.

So getting that tested is important.

Also autoimmune issues have inflammation present, so using things that dampen inflammation would be helpful.
Fish oil 3 a day (or Krill oil, 2 or 3 a day)
antioxidants, like grapeseed extract, enhanced absorption curcumin, and/or astaxanthin may help. I use 200mg of grapeseed extract for my arthritis and seasonal allergies.

Sometimes there are more than one thing going on. People can have multiple problems.

If you are having fatigue, then supplements that improve energy in the mitochondria may help. R-lipoic acid, acetyl carnitine, and/or the ribose may help that.

Inflammation can be fueled by diet and food choices. So eating an anti-inflammatory diet may help.
You can look up inflammatory indexes on this site of your food:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/

Getting rid of sugars in all forms is a good first step. Increasing insulin in the body increases inflammatory actions. So eating a low carb, high protein, moderate good fats, diet is helpful.

A study reported in yesterday's New York Times stated that high levels of CoQ10 correlated with higher incidents of certain very aggressive forms of prostate cancer. There was also something about high levels of omega-3.

Anyone else see this in the Times?

This is the article I believe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/he...er=rss&emc=rss

No where does it state what high levels were.

How much fish oil had to consumed to give those "high" levels.

With nutrient research there is typically a back and forth of positive and negative outcomes. Some depend on who does the research and how the study participants were chosen.

I'll see later if I can find the study on PubMed... can't do it right this minute...but later I will try.

Quickly I found this that quotes a Harvard study showing the reverse:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-..._b_832661.html

It seems like we often find ourselves in this position. It's hard to make good decisions when the arguments can go either way.

Personally, I am backing off of my supplements routine this week. The reason is that I tend to go overboard and pile everything on. I think that can be hard on my body. So, I'm adding things back a little at a time. I don't know if I will "feel" when I have reached the correct dose of something like Vitamin D, but I will see how things go.