ID 4226 - Ryboza

PL: Ryboza
EN: Ribose
Pdf: ribose

1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika

The food constituent that is the subject of the health claim is ribose.
Ribose is a pentose sugar (C5H10O5) occurring as a component of nucleic acids, nucleotides such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and other compounds that are critical to metabolism. Ribose is measurable in foods by established methods.
The Panel considers that the food constituent, ribose, which is the subject of the health claim, is sufficiently characterised.

2. Znaczenie oświadczenia dla zdrowia człowieka

The claimed effect is “maintenance of ATP levels, exercise performance, exercise recovery”. The Panel assumes that the target population is adults performing strenuous exercise.
In the context of the proposed wordings, conditions of use and references provided, the Panel assumes that the claimed effect refers to recovery from muscle fatigue after the performance of physical exercise.
Fatigue can be defined as the loss of peak force or power output. Therefore, muscle fatigue recovery can be defined as the regaining of maximal muscle strength or muscle power after strenuous exercise which has induced muscle fatigue. The regaining of muscle strength/power may be beneficial during everyday life activities, and is beneficial for athletic performance in disciplines where loss of muscle strength and power reduces performance.
The Panel considers that faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise is a beneficial physiological effect.

3. Naukowe uzasadnienia wpływu na zdrowie człowieka - Szybsze ustępowanie zmęczenia mięśni po wysiłku

The references provided for the substantiation of the claim included two textbook chapters and one narrative review which did not provide original data for the scientific substantiation of the claim, and a number of human intervention studies which were available in abstract form only and did not
include sufficient details for a full scientific evaluation. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from these references for the scientific substantiation of the claim.
In a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled human intervention study, Hellsten et al. (2004) investigated the effect of ribose supplementation on the re-synthesis of adenine nucleotides and on exercise performance after intense intermittent training in humans. Eight males participated in two identical seven-day training protocols (cycling, two training sessions per day, five to seven hours apart) on two occasions, five to nine weeks apart. Each training session consisted of 10 min of warming up at an intensity of 65 % followed by a three-minute rest period, and then 15 10-second maximal exercise bouts separated by a 50-second rest period. The last training session was followed by an oral intake of nine ribose supplements (each containing 200 mg/kg body weight of ribose and 200 mg/kg body weight of sucrose) or nine placebo supplements (each containing 200 mg/kg body weight of sucrose and 200 mg/kg body weight of maltodextrin). The first supplementation was consumed 10 min after the last training session and thereafter at each main meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for three days, with the last supplement being consumed approximately 60 h after the last training session. The subjects repeated the exercise protocol 72 h after the last training session (72 h test). Power output expressed per second was recorded throughout the exercise test, and subsequently the peak power output and the total work performed in each exercise bout were calculated. Mean and peak power output during the exercise tests were not significantly different after consumption of ribose compared to placebo.
A number of animal and in vitro studies were also provided. The Panel considers that evidence provided in animal and in vitro studies is not sufficient to predict the occurrence of an effect of ribose consumption on faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise in vivo in humans.
In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that the one human intervention study provided from which conclusions could be drawn for the scientific substantiation of the claim showed no effect of ribose, compared to placebo, on exercise performance during an exercise test conducted after intense intermittent training.
The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of ribose and faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise.

Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

The minimum effective dose is estimated to be 10 g/day. To carry the claim, a product should contain at least 15% of this dose (i.e., 1.5 g) per 100 g, 100 mL or 100 kcal. Study durations ranged from single administrations to 4 weeks; thus, supplementation with ribose either acutely (prior to or during exercise) or chronically appears to be efficacious.