ATP Supplements: Are They Worth It? by Jerry Brainum 1/23

 

Adenosine triphosphate or ATP is the immediate cellular energy source. Every calorie that you consume, whether it be from protein, fat, or carbohydrate, is eventually converted into ATP. It sounds simple enough, yet plays a vital role in a number of important reactions in the body. These include cellular signaling, the synthesis of both RNA and DNA, and other mechanisms. ATP itself consists of a nitrogen base of adenine, a sugar called ribose, and three phosphate groups bonded to the ATP structure. "Triphosphate" refers to the three phosphate bonds of ATP. Energy is produced when a phosphate bond breaks off the original ATP structure. Most of the ATP produced in the body is produced within cellular structures called mitochondria. Mitochondria are the site of both energy production as ATP and fat oxidation, which is promoted by the nutrient carnitine in concert with certain enzymes. All carbohydrates that are ingested eventually are converted into glucose, the only sugar that flows in the blood. Each molecule of glucose produces 32 ATP molecules within the mitochondria through the electron transport system. Of interest to bodybuilders, this is the system that is disrupted when using the drug dinitrophenol or DNP. DNP, to use scientific parlance, "uncouples oxidative metabolism," which is a fancy way of saying that it interferes with the production of ATP within the mitochondria. That forces the body to seek other energy sources such as stored fat. As a result, when you ingest DNP, the body oxidizes large amounts of fats, even without exercise. That's the good part. The bad part is that DNP can easily become toxic and rapidly kill you.

Besides its crucial role in keeping us alive, ATP is as you might expect, important for exercise. It is needed for muscular contraction, but is short-lived, lasting only about 6 seconds. After that, other energy systems kick in and allow you to exercise. When the phosphate bond is broken off ATP to produce energy, ATP is converted into ADP, meaning it now contains two phosphate groups rather than 3. It can further be degraded into AMP and free phosphate. Creatine is perhaps the most popular and effective sports supplement available today. Although it performs several roles in the body, the primary activity of creatine is to recycle ATP. It does this by contributing a phosphate group that converts ADP back into ATP. This occurs rapidly in muscles but takes about 2 to 3 minutes to complete the reaction. This explains why if you are interested in building more muscular strength, it's important to rest at least 2 to 3 minutes between sets to allow complete regeneration of ATP through the creatine phosphate stored in the muscle. Indeed, 95% of creatine stored in the body is stored in muscle as both free creatine and creatine phosphate.

An interesting fact about ATP . . .