ATP supplement shows ‘long-lasting’ exercise recovery potential

15-Oct-2012 - Last updated on 19-Oct-2012 at 12:20 GMT

Supplements formulated with the branded ingredient Peak ATP may speed the recovery rate from exercise and ease muscle fatigue, say results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study.

Data from 16 healthy active adults indicated that 400 mg of Peak ATP per day reduced muscular fatigue and allowed subjects to maintain greater muscle strength.

ATP (adenosine-triphosphate) is the energy source for tissues, but it also has also been proposed to have functions beyond energy, including vasodilation and reduced pain perception, according to background information in the paper in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Missoula, Montana-based TSI Health Sciences developed the proprietary Peak ATP ingredient. TSI partly funded the new study and it was conducted at Iowa State University.

Support

Commenting on the study, Larry Kolb, president of US operations of TSI (USA), Inc., the company behind the ingredient, said: “What we are discovering as we continue investing in Peak ATP research is that a 400 mg per day dose provides more consistent and significant responses for users, compared to the previously recommended 225 mg per day recommendations.

“And Peak ATP seems to significantly affect muscle excitability, contraction strength and fatigue resistance.

“These results support our previous findings that have shown Peak ATP to be effective at improving the rate of recovery, and that the effects of Peak ATP appear to be long-lasting,” added Kolb.

Study details

The new study was led by researchers from clinical research company Metabolic Technologies, Inc., and performed in collaboration with scientists from Iowa State and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

The researchers recruited 16 healthy active adults and randomly assigned them to receive either 200 mg of Peak ATP twice per day or placebo for 15 days.

Results showed that measures of muscle fatigue tended to be lower in the ATP group than the placebo group. In addition, subjects in the ATP group maintained greater muscle strength as measured by torque while performing repeated sets of maximal effort knee extension and flexion, said the researchers.

“Amazingly, the effects that were observed occurred despite the fact that subjects discontinued the use of Peak ATP the day prior to the post-intervention exercise testing,” said Shawn Baier, Metabolic Technologies chief operating officer.

“In other words, the effects of daily Peak ATP use provided a significant performance benefit even though the product was not consumed immediately prior to, or even the day of testing.”

The researchers concluded: “In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that supplementation with 400 mg ATP/d for 15 days tended to reduce muscle fatigue while improving muscle low peak torque through successive sets of exhaustive exercise.”

Source: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
9 October 2012, 2012, 9:48
“Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) supplementation improves low peak muscle torque and torque fatigue during repeated high intensity exercise sets”
Authors: J.A. Rathmacher, J.C. Fuller, S.M. Baier, N.N. Abumrad, H.F. Angus, R.L. Sharp