Pyruvate is a compound found in red wine, dark beer, red apples, and other foods, as well as being available as a dietary supplement. It is reputed to lower cholesterol, improve endurance and performance during aerobic exercise, and promote weight loss, but scientific evidence is inconclusive. Pyruvate is converted to acetylcoenzyme A, which triggers a series of biochemical reactions that produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to feed cells. Pyruvate may be useful in promoting and maintaining weight loss, but more research is needed to substantiate health claims and establish a standardized dosage.
Pyruvate is a derivative of pyruvate acid and plays a role in glycolysis, or sugar metabolism. While the human body naturally synthesizes this compound from glucose, it also occurs naturally in red wine, dark beer, red apples, and other foods. Pyruvate is also available as a dietary supplement. It is reputed to lower cholesterol, improve endurance and performance during aerobic exercise, and promote weight loss. In fact, it is well known to bodybuilders, athletes, and others involved in the sports nutrition industry.
The energy-producing benefit of this nutrient occurs through a mechanism called the Krebs cycle. First, it is converted to acetylcoenzyme A, an event that triggers a series of biochemical reactions that begins with the oxidation of glucose components to carbon dioxide during cellular respiration and results in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that is used to feed cells. This process is also known as the citric acid cycle or the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Although the process by which pyruvate increases energy in the body seems clear, the scientific evidence supporting claims that supplementation with this nutrient improves athletic endurance and performance is inconclusive and, in some cases, contradictory. Several early trials with athletes showed that stamina and performance were increased, especially when this nutrient was combined with creatine. However, a 2005 study involving 23 previously untrained women who were introduced to a supervised exercise program showed that supplementation in the form of calcium pyruvate had no impact on performance or body composition during training.
Early studies conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in the late 1990s suggest that this compound may be useful in promoting and maintaining weight loss. For example, one study showed that pyruvate supplementation inhibited weight and body fat regain in obese women who were reintroduced to a high-calorie diet after previously undergoing a weight loss program. Furthermore, the supplement allowed weight loss without sacrificing protein stores and muscle mass. It should be noted, however, that the supplement used in this study was a combination of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone (DHA).
Clearly, more research is needed to substantiate some of the health claims for this nutrient. From the studies that have been carried out so far, it also appears that better results are seen when this compound is taken with DHA or creatine. Furthermore, a standardized dosage has not yet been established. However, excessive doses are known to cause gastrointestinal irritation.
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