ATP (adenosine-triphosphate) is the energy source for tissues, but it also has also been proposed to have functions beyond energy.
The study adds to previously published data about the ingredient, including data from 21 healthy active adults consuming 400 mg of Peak ATP per day for 12 weeks that found an increase in total body strength and greater muscle thickness (Nutrition & Metabolism). Another study’s findings, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, indicated that ATP (Peak ATP by TSI USA) may speed the recovery rate from exercise and ease muscle fatigue.
The new study’s findings, also published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, indicated that oral administration of the Peak ATP product may increase blood flow after exercise, and “may be particularly effective during exercise recovery”.
“Improvements in blood flow conceivably would allow for greater delivery of nutrients for skeletal muscle repair following a muscle damaging bout of training resulting in increases in muscle hypertrophy previously seen with oral ATP administration,” wrote the researchers, led by Ralf Jaeger, PhD, FISSN, President of Milwaukee-based consultancy Increnovo LLC.
“The main finding of this study was that orally administered ATP as a disodium salt indeed increases blood flow in exercising animals and humans, most prominently during the recovery period from exercise. Significant improvements could be measured at a daily dose of 400 mg ATP in as little as one week in the human study.”
Record sales
Larry Kolb, president of TSI USA, which also funded the study, told us that the recent studies have increased the awareness of PeakATP as an effective ingredient increasing muscle mass, strength and power. “Strong demand for PeakATP in 2014 has already resulted in record annual sales for this patented ingredient,” he said.
There are currently six products from five different companies commercially available in the US market, he added, and they are all formulated to contain the proven 400mg preworkout dose
“PeakATP's benefits match consumers’ needs exactly,” added Kolb. “Athletes want to optimize the effects of their hard training. PeakATP delivers significant increases over training alone: more muscle mass, greater strength and power. Having blood flow as one of the mechanisms-of-action of oral ATP allows us to communicate not only the benefits, but now another ‘how’ too, which creates a compelling story, unique in this market.”
Study details
For the animal study, Dr Jaeger and his co-workers fed lab rats an oral ATP dose equivalent to 100 mg, 400 mg, 1,000 mg or 1,600 mg in humans. Results indicated that rats fed the 1,000 mg dose had significantly greater recovery blood flow and total blood flow values, compared with rats not fed the ATP. Additional analysis revealed that rats fed the two higher doses had the most robust increases in blood flow during exercise, compared with baseline values.
For the human study, Dr Jaeger and his co-workers recruited 12 college-aged resistance-trained subjects and gave them 400 mg of ATP per day for 12 weeks. Results showed that the ATP supplement was associated with significantly increased blood flow after one week, eight weeks and 12 weeks.
Dr Jaeger told NutraIngredients-USA: “Recent studies have shown that oral ATP supplementation significantly improves strength and reduces pain and hospitalization time after total knee arthroplasty (Gong et al., Journal of Arthroplasty 2014) and increases strength, power and body composition in resistance trained athletes (Wilson et al., 2013), however, the exact mechanism-of-action is still unknown.
“In cooperation with the University of Tampa and Auburn University we were able to show that oral ATP supplementation increases post-exercise blood flow.”
The authors of the study were affiliated with Auburn University, the University of Tampa, the University of Missouri-Columbia, 4Life Research, and Metabolic Technologies Inc.
Source: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
2014, 11:28, doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-11-28
“Oral adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) administration increases blood flow following exercise in animals and humans”
Authors: R. Jäger, M.D. Roberts, R.P. Lowery, J.M. Joy, et al.