D-Ribose

D-Ribose
Following is a snapshot of some of the D-Ribose products marketed across the net which I have studied with an objective of identifying best value. Original intent was to look at bulk quantities, but I quickly realized there would be greater return for invested time by broadening the number of products covered. I looked at each product based on container size by grams, serving size, and read all supplement facts and other product information offered. I excluded from final comparison those which did not meet the following criteria.

1) Bioenergy Life Science, Inc. formulation ( Bioenergy holds patent portfolio)
2) 150 grams or greater in product offering
3) Serving size equal to 5 grams or greater
4) Powder, not capsules
5) Pure D-Ribose, no other ingredients/fillers

Products meeting the above criteria included:

Swanson Ultra 100% Pure Ribose powder 500 grams
Vitacost D-Ribose powder 300 grams
NOW D-Ribose Sports powder l lb (453.6 grams)
Doctor’s Best Best D-Ribose powder 250 grams
Healthy Origins D-Ribose powder 300 grams
Body First D-ribose powder 225 grams
Life Extension D-Ribose powder 150 grams
Douglas Laboratories Corvalen Ribose 280 grams

I shopped the above selected products at the following locations seeking best value per serving.

www.iherb.com
www.walgreens.com
www.allstarhealth.com
www.amazon.com
www.pureformulas.com
www.vitacost.com
www.nutrabulk.com
www.nutrobio.com
www.pipingrock.com
www.drugstore.com
www.e-vitamins.com
www.totaldiscountvitamins.com
www.bodybuilding.com
www.swansonvitamins.com
www.luckyvitamin.com
www.puritanpride.com
www.webvitamins.com
www.bulksupplements.com

Best value per serving prioritized:

www.allstarhealth.com Body First D-Ribose 225 grams $17.99
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 45; Cost per serving: 0.3997 plus $5.95 flat rate shipping

www.webvitamins.com NOW D-Ribose Sports 1 lb $37.36
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 90p; Cost per serving: 0.4151 plus $1 each for heavy item surcharge and free shipping over $49.00 purchase (**However, by purchasing from Pureformulas the price is
$41.24 but with free shipping, so cost per serving becomes 0.4582)

www.swansonvitamins.com Swanson Ultra 100% Pure D-Ribose 500 grams $25.99
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 60; Cost per serving: 0.4331 plus $4.99 standard shipping

www.allstarhealth.com Healthy Origins D-Ribose $25.95
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 60; Cost per serving: 0.4325 plus $5.95 flat rate shipping (**However, by purchasing from Pureformulas the price is $27.57 but with free shipping, so cost per serving becomes 0.4595)

www.allstarhealth.com Doctor’s Best Best D-Ribose 250 grams $22.19
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 50; Cost per serving: 0.4438 plus $5.95 flat rate shipping (** However, by purchasing from Pureformulas the price is $26.61 but with free shipping, so cost per serving w becomes 0.5322)

www.vitacost.com D-Ribose 300 grams $26.95
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 60; Cost per serving: 0.4491 and free shipping over $49.00 purchase
(**Vitacost is offering a buy one get 2nd at ½ price and free shipping over $25.00 purchase…cost per serving becomes 0.3368)

www.allstarhealth.com Life Extension D-Ribose 150 grams $16.99
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 30; Cost per serving: 0.5663 plus $5.95 flat rate shipping (**However, by purchasing from Pureformulas the price is $20.63 but with free shipping, so cost per serving becomes 0.6876)

www.pureformulas.com Douglas Laboratories Corvalen Ribose 280 grams
Serving size: 5g; Servings: 56; Cost per serving: 0.8428 free shipping

It quickly became apparent to me that due to the Bioenergy Life Science, Inc. patented formulation requirement there would be very little price spread between company offerings. All Star Health seems to offer the best value on many products, so if one is shopping for several items, their flat rate shipping charge remains $5.95 for the total purchase. Pureformulas offers free shipping so they should always be measured against when taking into consideration shipping charges added by other companies. Certainly look for sales and specials with all of the above companies as they are periodically offered.

I have inquiries with NutraBULK, Bulk Supplements, and Piping Rock regarding whether their products, which are sold in larger quantities, are formulated by the Bioenergy chemistry. As I have not yet received responses, I do not wish to offer any conclusions on their products at this time. It can be a slow process communicating, so rather than retain the above findings, I will offer them now, and follow-up later with the others once there is closure.

Larry - This is just great. Thanks for all your hard work. Very useful.

I do want to mention again that the serving size should be clarified to state that the serving should equal 1 teaspoon... labels usually indicate 'rounded' teaspoon equals 5 grams.

I'm emphasizing this because at one time, I believe it was the NOW product, said a serving size was 2 teaspoons to equal 5 grams.... and they never would 'fess up to why the disparity in dosing between patented product and theirs.... going from memory...not sure if this is totally accurate but close enough.

If they say a "scoop" equals 1 serving, then consumers need to know if 1 scoop equals one teaspoon or not. Otherwise, something has been added and apparently as with the NOW product, it doesn't show on the label as an ingredient. Puzzling.


In any event, thanks again for all the time and effort you gave to this project.

Oh.. PS... I just Googled the NOW brand and it's still indicating 2 teaspoons = one dose of 5 grams...so beware.

Best to you,

Jackie

Jackie,

I did notice the serving differences varied by scoop, tsp, and rounded tsp, etc. This begs the question. Since each of the companies which I identified advertise the Bioenergy patented formulation, and those same companies also advertise thru their product labeling that the product to be pure and without additives/fillers or any other ingredients, then why is Bioenergy Life Science Inc. not challenging these companies and enforcing the formulation requirements? Surely Bioenergy must have staff who read product labels to protect Bioenergys interests, and their commitment to the end user. The consumer pays a premium for the product based on the assumption that they are getting the chemistry approved through the award of the patents. Does Bioenergy not care?

Do we have another situation of deception originating with the patent holders such as we recently discovered with Albion Laboratories and their Magnesium Glycinate?

Of the eight Bioenergy labeled products which I identified, only Vitacost and Healthy Origins reference one level tsp. The six other products refer to scoop, 1 & 1/2 tsp, or 2 tsps. If your one tsp position is correct, then it is a sad state in which the supplement industry finds itself. We as end users will soon lose faith and those with the power to regulate the supplement industry will have further cause while presenting their case.

Hope you continue with good health. We had heavy rains in Central Florida for a few days a couple weeks ago and as a result the tomatoes are now beginning to split and drop. Bummer.

Hi Larry - I fear that you are correct about the licensing and label monitoring. I intend to follow more about the Albion magnesium and the 'buffered' terminology... but have been side tracked all too frequently to give it my undivided attention.... but still intend to do so. Just learned of another avenue of approach. I hesitate to complain too loudly as the FDA is already overzealous about desires to shut down the supplement industry so this would just give them another nail for the coffin although it is minor compared to some of the other infractions involving purity and so forth.

I am glad to see that you found at least two product choices that list the dose of 5 grams equal to 1 teaspoon.

In the end, it may not make much of a difference if the overall cost is low enough. Keep in mind that iHerb offers free shipping when orders are over $40 and it doesn't take much to reach that level, especially when using the more pricey products such as CoQ10 and d-ribose in therapeutic quantities.

Again - thanks for taking the time to detail this so precisely and thanks also for your good wishes. My heart is calm and the weekly strips I forward to Austin show good, solid NSR. The weather extremes everywhere as of late have been devastating in for many. Sorry about the tomatoes.

Be well,
Jackie

Larry,
Thank you for the useful information.
May I ask you about your personal experience with the D-Ribose .

Best wishes,

Ben

tomatoes in november. there is a glacier on top of my tomato bed. The world will stay covered in ice until sometime in april. heavy rains? we got snow.

statamaine in wintertime, gotta love it.

PeggyM

Ben,

You are welcome. Hope others also find some value.

To your question of my personal experience from D-ribose. I wish it could be a short response such as might be found on a product review posting where the user overgeneralizes about all the extra energy they experienced (not to belittle that experience for the Ribose effectiveness may truly be recognizable to them). For me it is more complex due to the Holistic approach to health I follow. That is a conversation that could carry on until your eyes glazed over or your head fell forward and hit the keyboard. lol

Please allow me to lay the foundation to my personal mindset and my approach to treatment of A-fib.

“Obviously it can happen, and should happen. Which is why we keep pounding away on nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. I came down with a bad case of the Afib at 67, and no Board Certified anybody said it could be helped, and therefore I must be digitized with digoxin, and maybe I should try a calcium channel blocker, or maybe a beta blocker, or maybe a newly invented and risky anti-arrhythmic, or maybe an in-trial open-heart surgery, or maybe have my AV node neutered so I could run on more reliable batteries, or maybe just wait for a left atrium procedure to fry some unruly cells which would surely become available within my lifetime, and in any case I must be 'anti-coagulated', etc.

What to do? Knowledge had served me perfectly for a successful career in high-tech aerospace engineering, so I holed up in the Dennison Library of the University of Colorado Medical School where I was led (don't ever doubt the powers of Intention and Intuition) to the 1980 text book Magnesium Deficiency in The Pathogenesis of Disease by Mildred S. Seelig, MD, MPH, FACN, and by "chance" opened it to Chapter 9 where I read about Magnesium Deficiency and Cardiac Dysrhythmia.[mgwater.com]

The rest of my story is tic tic tic . . . When I said, "The rest of my story is tic tic tic", I was not being clear. It took about 6 years from the time I "chanced" upon dear Dr. Mildred Seelig's 1980 textbook on magnesium at the med. school library until full-time NSR was achieved.

Wishing you all the very best whichever way you choose - knowledge and nutrition, or invasive procedure.
Erling"

The above quote is by Erling Waller, a previous contributor to this forum. Following learning of my a-fib condition, and with the Holistic approach to health I already followed, my desired was to learn as much as I could towards an alternative approach in addressing the a-fib. Though my a-fib was diagnosed as permanent at the time it was discovered, it was also "Lone", as I had no other known heart conditions. Lone being favorable to my situation, I undertook developing a daily protocol that would align with my life choices, and could possibly reverse the a-fib, and if nothing else, maintain it well enough that I could continue experiencing a good quality of life. Erling's comments gave me hope, and I maintain that hope today. If one is a seeker, forums such as this have much to offer. Much reading and trial and error is a requirement in reaching personal objectives, as each of us are in varying states of age, health and nutrient balance. Results of supplements intake are not always clear; it is a balancing act by which their success is not always measured by each supplement alone, but through their contribution within a group.

Findings from my semi-annual visits with my cardiologist show no heart abnormalities, remodeling, ejection fraction problems, etc. My average heart rate is in the mid 80s but I am accepting of that. My a-fib is silent so seldom is it noticeable.

So, back to D-ribose. My readings lead me to certain medical practitioners which I align with and the principles they put forth, Dr. Stephen Sinatra being one. I am accepting of Dr. Sinatra's findings that Magnesium, Taurine, D-Ribose, CoQ10, LCarnitine, and fish-oil are keys to maintaining good heart health. D-Ribose contributes by maintaining healthy energy levels in the heart thereby increasing cardiac efficiency. Many attributes of D-Ribose can be found in published literature, especially for the athlete, but for me, it's use is nothing more than one of a combination of supplements collectively taken towards good heart health, a decision based on clinical findings of those in the medical field which I ally with. I am age 71 and very active with lots of energy, but feel nothing special which I could quantify attributable directly to D-Ribose. However as I continue with overall good heart health I find no evidence D-Ribose is not contributing towards the positive results I continue to have. I look at the cup as being half full.

Thank you for your comments and inquiry. Hope your head has not yet hit the key board.
Larry

PeggyM,
......better thee than me. Yes, we here in Central Florida sometimes forget what others must endure. Wishing you the best as you weather (pun intended) through current misery. What I do miss is the seasonal changes. I get two gardens a year in however. That's a plus.

Larry and Jackie,

I was concerned about your mentions of Albion and magnesium glycinate.

I have been taking Doctors Best for years. Any comments suggestions or alternatives ?

Thanks

Alex

Alex... You are fine with the Doctor's Best...use the tablets in the bottle that doesn't have a "buffered" indication.

Just be sure you continually push to know where your bowel tolerance level is and then take one dose less so you don't suffer from loose stools. The important thing is to always..every day... dose to the maximum with your magnesium as so much depletes it quickly... especially physical exercise stress, emotional stress, pharmaceutical drugs. Not a week goes by that I don't hear from a former afibber who now finds they are having some heart activity... and when we get into adherence to the supplement protocols, they typically say they have become lax with the intake.

Afibbers and former afibbers always need to be diligent with daily and optimal supplements of the core nutrients... and make sure they keep their tissues alkaline so everything can function as it should.

I will be enlisting Larry's help to put forth some new findings about what constitutes a "good" magnesium supplement.

Stay tuned.

Jackie

Alexe,

As Jackie has already addressed the importance of reaching and maintaining magnesium tolerance, I will add that it is also good to actually have a reading to know exactly what your level is and by which you will be able to bench mark against at a later date. Having followed this forum, you may already have been introduced to IntraCellular Diagnostics, Inc., a company who tests for key vital intracellular mineral levels. The test begins with a simple mouth swab performed in the doctors office from a kit provided to the doctor by IntraCellular Diagnostics, with the swab being returned by mail to IntraCellular for processing in the lab. Results are returned to the doctor. As 99% of magnesium is located in soft tissue and only1% in blood, blood or serum testing will not provide you with the results you wish to have. A-fibbers want to know what is in the cell.

Medicare covers twice a year for my tests based upon A-fib and annual exam coding by the primary care physician.
If your insurance will not approve and cover, I believe you can work directly with IntraCellular by covering the cost yourself.
[www.exatest.com]

I have now received replies from the companies of the three D-Ribose products which were part of the evaluation in the above beginning thread and for which I was trying to determine whether formulated by Bioenergy chemistry. Responses were:

Bulk Supplements - not formulated by Bioenergy patents
Piping Rock - not formulated by Bioenergy patents
NutraBULK - answered all questions except formulation; did not respond to two additional inquiries.
Will take that as a no.

To summarize:

Only two products, Vitacost and Healthy Origins met the criteria of Bioenergy formulation, powder, 150 grams or greater, pure D-Ribose with no fillers or other ingredients, and one teaspoon as serving size.

Thank you Larry. That's very important and useful information.

We all appreciate the time and effort you put into this project.

Be well,
Jackie