Oral ATP Is Not Ergogenic
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the fundamental energy currency for muscle contractions. The limited capacity of the muscles to replenish muscle ATP as quickly as it is depleted is believed to be a factor that caps performance in sustained, maximal-intensity exercises. AdenylPro is a nutritional supplement that contains an oral form of ATP and whose makers purport that the product enhances maximal-intensity exercise performance by increasing ATP stores in the muscles.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma recently tested the effects of a single dose of Adenyl Pro on performance in a battery of maximal intensity exercises. Twenty-four healthy young men completed the following tests on two separate occasions: countermovement vertical jump, forearm flexion repetitions to exhaustion, isometric maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) of the leg extensors, and a 50-repetition maximal concentric isokinetic leg extension endurance test. Subjects randomly received either a placebo or AdenylPro before the first exercise session and the other treatment before the second. The results will be a great disappointment to the maker of AdenylPro, which was found to have no effect on performance in any of the four tests.
The authors of the study, which was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, concluded, "These findings indicated no improvements in the measured variables as a result of ingesting this nutritional supplement. Future studies should examine whether chronic supplementation or a loading period is necessary to observe any ergogenic effects of this supplement. While they're at it, they might look at whether taking oral ATP actually increases muscle ATP stores in humans. |
