ATP in Sport: From the Weight Room to Cardiac Rehabilitation
When people think of sports supplements, they usually picture protein powder or creatine. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) rarely comes to mind, yet it is the cell’s most direct “energy currency.” Emerging data show that oral ATP capsules can make strength athletes stronger and may also help everyone exercise more safely.
A “Gas Station” for Strength Athletes
A 2024 systematic review pooled five randomized controlled trials that included 121 strength-trained adult men.
Participants who swallowed 400 mg of ATP daily increased maximal strength by an average of 8 kg—roughly the gain expected from an extra month of training. Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses all improved.
Interestingly, the effect appeared after a single day and persisted for up to 12 weeks, whereas doses of 100–225 mg were essentially ineffective.
ATP did not raise peak anaerobic power or add extra repetitions within a set, so it seems to boost single-bout explosiveness rather than muscular endurance.
After 12 weeks at 400 mg per day, liver and kidney markers remained unchanged, indicating good safety.
A “Shock Absorber” for Cardiac Rehabilitation
ATP’s benefits extend beyond muscle. In 2018, Brazilian researchers recruited 11 hypertensive women around 60 years of age. Thirty minutes before treadmill walking, they ingested 400 mg of ATP or placebo.
Post-exercise systolic blood pressure dropped twice as far in the ATP group (−13 mm Hg vs. −6 mm Hg), producing a more pronounced “post-exercise hypotension.” Recovery of the vagal heart-rate-variability index RMSSD was also faster.
Animal work shows that chronic oral ATP raises intracellular ATP in erythrocytes and, via purinergic receptors, promotes release of vasodilators such as nitric oxide.
During resistance exercise, muscular hypoxia triggers red blood cells to “export” ATP; supplementation supplies extra substrate.
After aerobic exercise in hypertensive individuals, ATP-mediated sustained vasodilation yields a stronger antihypertensive response.
From an extra 8 kg on the squat rack to steadier blood pressure after a run, ATP demonstrates two faces of the same “energy molecule”: fuel in muscle, signal in blood vessels.
As the investigators conclude, “ATP is not a panacea, but a precise tool.” With more data on women, endurance athletes, and older adults, ATP may soon become the rising star of sports supplementation.
References
[1] González-Marenco R, et al. The Effect of Oral Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Supplementation on Anaerobic Exercise in Healthy Resistance-Trained Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports. 2024;12:82.
[2] de Freitas MC, et al. Oral adenosine 5′-triphosphate supplementation improved hemodynamic and autonomic parameters after exercise in hypertensive women. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018;14:671-679.
*Special note - This article is for informational purposes only and cannot replace a doctor's treatment diagnosis and advice. It should not be regarded as a recommendation or proof of efficacy of the medical products involved. If it involves disease diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, please be sure to go to a professional medical institution to seek professional advice.
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